Our jurors
They have all been in precisely the same situation: a panel observed their product, their brand and decided that they receive the unique opportunity to present themselves at ISPO Munich as one of the best start-ups of the sports business. Now they had the same task. Almost all the ISPO Brandnew jury members were founding members of former ISPO Brandnew winners and finalists. From their own experiences, they know precisely what is of importance. In addition, further sports professionals add their expertise to generate the best selection of the emerging start-ups in the ISPO Brandnew competition.
Mischa Zverev, born on August 22, 1987 in Moscow, Russia, is a German tennis player known for his serve-and-volley game. He is the older brother of Alexander Zverev and achieved his highest singles ranking of 25th in January 2017. He has made a name for himself in the tennis world with his unique game and fighting spirit.
She has developed her professional career linked to enterprise development and the support of SMEs from the public and private side, with a special focus on the culture sector, Spanish language-related economy, entertainment, and sports industry, both in Latam and in Spain. Specializing in project management, networking creation, and business development. Since the beginning of 2015, she has launched the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft, a collaborative initiative between the public, private and academic sectors, which aims to promote innovation in the sports industry, creating an ecosystem composed by over 230 companies and institutions from 38 different countries that generate synergies and value projects in the sector.
Iris is also actively supporting women’s professionals in the sports industry both for entrepreneurship and leadership. Her achievements in this labour were recognized by Spanish Association ‘Mujeres and Cia’ that included het in Top 100 Female Leaders of Spain in 2018, same year when sports magazine MetaDeporte recognized her as Top 20 Most Influential Women in Sports Industry. In 2020 Iris was nominated to Globant Awards - Women that Build Edition in Tech Executive category for her work helping women in tech.
Matti Heilmann is a business development manager at Globetrotter and brings extensive experience in the sports and outdoor sectors to his role. This passion has been a constant throughout his career and forms the basis for his work on innovative projects. In the dynamic sports and outdoor ecosystem, Matti uses his knowledge to identify potential and promote new business ideas – particularly through his involvement with start-ups at Globetrotter. Here, he supports international start-ups in developing sustainably and bringing new innovations to market. Another important aspect of his involvement is his role as a juror at the ISPO Brandnew Awards, where he creates exciting synergies between start-ups and established industry players.
Xavier is a serial entrepreneur (launched startups in Spain, with special focus in legaltech, SaaS and marketplaces), and advisor in startups. He is currently managing Director at Barcelona Sports Hub, impulsed by Barcelona City Hall (Ajuntament de Barcelona) and managed by INDESCAT ( Catalan Sports Cluster) with the mission to consolidate, grow and expand the Sportstech ecosystem, promoting the practice of sport and its relationship with technology in order to boost innovation and entrepreneurship.
Christoph Landsgesell has been editor-in-chief of the first German-language edition of Sports Illustrated since 2021. Born in Kaufbeuren in 1984, he completed his studies in Augsburg before starting a traineeship at the Abendzeitung in Munich in 2008. After his time as a freelancer, he joined the Abendzeitung as an editor in 2011 and later took over the position of Head of Sports. In 2019, he moved to GQ, where he worked as head of copywriting and lead editor. With his many years of journalistic experience, he now brings a breath of fresh air to the German-language Sports Illustrated. Christoph is married and has two children.
Lynn Whittingham is a Senior Marketing Executive at YKK Europe and works for the company's Business Strategy Group based in Cheshire, UK. She has been with YKK for over 10 years and has been closely involved with ISPO and the ISPO team for over 8 years.
YKK was introduced to the ISPO Brandnew Village in 2007 and has been one of the main sponsors of this area ever since. Since 2015, YKK has been the official main sponsor of ISPO Brandnew. This partnership allows the company to collaborate with up-and-coming start-ups in the sports industry while showcasing innovative products to a relevant target audience. Participating in ISPO offers YKK an ideal opportunity to stay close to the market and its trends and gain a deeper understanding of the current needs of the industry.
Sebastian Lancestremere is President of Microsoft's Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC) and leads the global partnership between Microsoft and leading companies, including Fortune 500 organizations. The aim of this collaboration is to fundamentally change business models through digital and sustainable transformations enabled by cloud and AI technologies. The focus of the digital transformation is on interacting with customers and consumers, empowering employees, developing products and services, and optimizing operations. Sebastian's department works closely with the CEO and CRO of Microsoft to build successful strategic partnerships over a period of more than five years.
In his 27 years at Microsoft, Sebastian has held numerous leadership and board positions in Latin America, Europe and worldwide. He has led the Microsoft Sports Practice and is President of the Global Sports Innovation Center. He also serves on various advisory boards and is a guest speaker at universities, MBA programs and industry conferences.
Sebastian has a degree in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from Buenos Aires and has 30 years of experience in the IT industry. As a mentor and business angel, he is closely connected to the technology ecosystem. He also specialized in “Digital Marketing Strategies”, “Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports” and “Product Innovation” at the Harvard Business School, in “Business Sustainability Management” at the University of Cambridge and in “Energy within Environmental Constraints” at Harvard University edX.
Oren Simanian is a well-known figure in the field of sports technology and start-ups and is known for his role as founder and CEO of Colosseum Sports Tech, Israel's first international center for sports innovation. With his experience as a soccer referee in Israel's top leagues, Oren has combined his passion for sports with his expertise in innovation.
Andreas Kramer is a visionary entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience in the sports industry. He founded his first company in his grandfather's basement at the age of 18. Between 1993 and 2011, he built and expanded Europe's largest skateboard factory, producing over 250,000 skateboards a year. He also developed and produced snowskates for well-known brands such as Burton and founded Decept Snowskates.
In addition to skate and snow skates, Kramer managed the European distribution of several snowboard brands, including Sims Snowboards. Today, he heads the Alpine Sports Group, an investment and holding company that manages a diverse portfolio in the sports industry. His most recent projects include a majority stake in Doubledeck Snowboards, which he founded himself in 2022. The Alpine Sports Group also operates overstock solutions with large warehouse and logistics centers in Germany and holds silent partnerships in other sports companies. Kramer's passion for innovation in sport continues to drive his success.
Paul Schif is Managing Director of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Germany & Austria. The non-profit foundation acts as a social investor and supports non-profit sports organizations in their development with the aim of helping young people worldwide to develop a perspective and realize their potential through sport. Previously, Paul Schif worked for an international consulting firm for several years and built a company in South Africa that helps reduce social inequality.
