Ana is an Innovation Consultant at Beta-i Collaborative Innovation, specializing in GovTech and open innovation projects within the EU. She designs international programs that foster collaboration between governments, startups, and corporations. Ana is a U.S. State Department Exchange Program alumna, having participated in the Women2Women International Leadership Program, where she now serves as a mentor. She also organized the program’s national edition in Portugal. With a background in Law and a Master’s in International and European Law, Ana has worked with organizations like the UN and EU institutions, focusing on global governance and social innovation.

Anna C. W. de Matos is the CEO and co-founder of Circular Library Network (CLN), a company advancing infrastructure for the sharing economy. She brings over a decade of experience in circular economy and sustainable development, leading projects that reduce waste and optimize resource use. Anna is also the Chairperson of Hringrásarsetur Íslands, an Icelandic NGO focused on the Circular Economy and Right to Repair, and serves as partner for the Nordic Circular Hotspot in Iceland. Through CLN, she promotes modular technology for community sharing across Europe and North America, driving impactful, sustainable resource management worldwide.

Anne-Laure Fayard is Chaired Professor in Social Innovation at NOVA School of Business and Economics. She coordinates the DESIS (Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability) Lab @ NOVA SBE. She is also a Visiting Research Faculty at New York University. Prior to joining NOVA SBE, Anne-Laure spent 15 years at New York University. She has also been faculty at INSEAD in Singapore and France. She has held visiting positions at the Center of Sociology of Innovation at Ecole des Mines in Paris, Imperial College Business School in London and at the London School of Economics. Anne-Laure is an ethnographer of work, whose interests involve collaboration, technology, innovation and design. Her work has been published in several leading academic such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science and Harvard Business Review.Her research as well as social innovation projects has been frequently highlighted in major newspapers and magazines such as New York Times, Financial Times and The Economist.

Bayo Akomolafe, Ph.D., is a Yoruba-rooted philosopher, poet, and author known for his work in posthumanism and social change. He is the founder of The Emergence Network, which explores new ways of addressing global challenges. A renowned speaker, Akomolafe has written two books and teaches at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has held prestigious fellowships at institutions like UC Berkeley and the Aspen Institute. His global influence spans roles in organizations such as the Club of Rome and the Royal Society of Arts. He hosts the "We Will Dance with Mountains" event and is deeply engaged in creating a more connected world.

Carlos is the Secretary General of The Club of Rome. He is an Aerospace Engineer and has been a researcher in systems dynamics at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), as well as an entrepreneur in the digital sector across Europe. He created a foundation to develop research on complex systems, deep learning and responsible innovation. He now works for the emergence of a civilizational shift towards equitable well-being on a healthy planet. Carlos advises the UNESCO Chair of Global Understanding for Sustainability, as well as the SWEET program on energy transition in Switzerland.

Emma Rees is a serial entrepreneur and exited founder with extensive expertise across B2C, B2B, and Enterprise SaaS. She has successfully secured £5 million in investment from a diverse range of investors, including Microsoft Ventures. Recognized with the Melinda Gates Female Founder Award and named a Tech Nation Rising Star, Emma is committed to elevating under-recognised founders in the tech industry. She now delivers workshops and coaches founders on how to reverse bias when raising capital.

The workshops are based on a data-driven approach to fundraising, specifically designed for under-recognised founders. They aim to help founders understand the biases at play within the investment landscape and equip them with strategies to navigate and overcome these challenges. By demystifying the fundraising process and providing actionable insights, Emma empowers founders to secure investment more effectively.

Erinch leads the work at Doughnut Economics Action Lab in engaging businesses. He has a background in leadership across business, NGOs and government. He was the CEO of the World Fair Trade Organization, and spent 7 years at Oxfam leading campaign and programme initiatives. Erinch has also worked at Procter & Gamble and the Australian Government. He is a board member of the Social Enterprise World Forum, a fellow at the Post Growth Institute and a senior associate at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He holds degrees in finance and law, and an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University.

Fernando Jardim is a seasoned ecosystem builder with 10 years of experience in the innovation and tech sectors. Fernando has founded 2 startups, joined different ecosystems around the world, worked for big accelerator and incubators to support startups to grow, helped councils / countries to attract more startups, investors, tech hubs and investors to their regions and also founded the 351 Portuguese Startup Association, which is nowadays Portugal’s largest and most active community of startups, with +1600 members +70 volunteers and +10 national projects.

Francesco Rocca is the co-founder and managing director of Impact Hub Lisbon. Impact Hub is the largest network of social entrepreneurs globally present in more than 110 cities and with over 16,000 members. The Lisbon Hub has a clear focus on Impact Entrepreneurship, Circular Economy, Sustainability and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and its mission is to accelerate the transition to a new economy where people and planet thrive. Over the past 8 years, Francesco has provided strategic leadership, overseen the expansion of physical spaces and managed relationships with the local community and stakeholders globally.

Gustavo Rosa Silva is a Partner and Strategy Director at Questtonó, a global design and innovation consultancy. With over 15 years of experience, he leads strategic and creative projects to address business challenges, using design thinking as the foundation of his approach.His career spans national and international work in research and strategy development for major brands such as AB InBev, Google, Natura, Ford, and the UN. Gustavo applies innovative methods to generate value and ensure market relevance. He trained in Behavior Design under Professor BJ Fogg, founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, and specializes in creating dynamics that foster behavioral change, focusing on motivation and audience engagement.Throughout his career, Gustavo has helped foster promising startups and contributed to high-impact projects, such as AB InBev Roots, winner of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas award in 2021. His ability to develop innovative methodologies distinguishes him as a leader in his field, crafting solutions that not only solve problems but also inspire and transform the market.

Inês Sequeira, CEO of Rede Capital Social, is a seasoned leader in the social sector. She began her career as a lawyer before transitioning to roles in the Lisbon City Council, where she helped establish the city's innovation ecosystem, including Startup Lisboa. Inês also contributed to the Portuguese government, in the Ministry of Economy, to the creation of several entrepreneurship initiatives at Turismo de Portugal and the foundation of NEST, the Innovation Center for Tourism.

Laila Martins champions sustainable and regenerative practices across organizations and multi-actor ecosystems to build a thriving future. As the founder of RegenBeings, she fosters regenerative leadership, business model transformation, and systemic innovation, focusing on nourishing innovation, cultures & networks for a regenerative economy. Using the Inner Development Goals (IDG) framework, she equips organizations to meet the UN SDGs and environmental goals. With a background in International Relations, Sustainable Development, and Circular Economy, Laila has led global sustainability projects and shaped organizational development strategies in multinational corporations. Leveraging her expertise from Brazil, the U.S., and Germany, she designs life-centered processes and solutions for the Global South and North.

Lars Persson Skandevall is CEO of Bron Innovation, a Digital Innovation Hub based in the northern part of Sweden. He has previously, among other things, been mayor of the city of Sundsvall and is one of the founders of the Swedish GovTech movement. How to strengthen the co-creative interaction between the public sector and innovative actors within Social Innovation and GovTech is at the heart of his mission, and will be the starting point for the festival's workshop.

Laura-Jane also known as LJ, gets to spend her waking hours alongside the best and brightest socially driven entrepreneurs at LSE, leading the entrepreneurship centre at the School in London as well as the global startup hubs. She manages LSE Generate which is an international community of innovators who can engage with a year-round programme, seek mentorship, funding and a home where they are equipped to go out and solve some of society's most pressing problems. Prior to LSE she ran her own careers and recruitment consultancy focussed on climate change and before that she worked in TV.

Luísa Pinheiro has been working at Sociedade Ponto Verde since 2019 until know as an Advisor of the Board and Director of Regulation & Compliance. With more than 30 years of experience in the environment sector, Luisa's career is now more focus in Innovation, Sustainability and Circular Economy in the packaging and packaging waste stream. She likes challenges and to work in a collaborative way, sharing experiences and help to find solutions with our partners and stakeholders.

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Oscar Haumann defines pathways for companies to stay within ecological and social limits by pioneering how companies should be built, owned, and run. He is a co-author of the ecosystem primer and ebook Setting Limits to Growth: How to Make Better Decisions in the 21st Century, describing how a business can be sufficient, regenerative, and equitable. His experience comes from running a strategic agency for the last decade, advising startups and International corporations on strategy and the green transition. He is currently running Post Growth Guide with his co-founder, building a global movement of first-movers who want to go beyond doing less and no harm.

Innovation Consultant at Beta-i, experienced in facing the particularities of industrial clients and drive the projects to meet clients innovation ambitions.

Marisa Gomes, currently responsible for the Business Center and Vodafone’s innovation programs supporting startups, is an electrical engineer with nearly 20 years of experience in telecommunications. Known for her dedication to driving innovation, Marisa combines her technical expertise with a passion for empowering startups and fostering industry growth.

Dr. Melanie Rieback is CEO and Co-founder of Radically Open Security (the world's first not-for-profit computer security company), and "Post Growth" startup incubator Nonprofit Ventures. She is also a former Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the Free University of Amsterdam. She was named "Most Innovative IT Leader of the Netherlands" by CIO Magazine (TIM Award) in 2017, and one of the "9 Most Innovative Women in the European Union" (EU Women Innovators Prize) in 2019. She is also one of the 400 most successful women in the Netherlands by Viva Magazine (Viva400) in 2010 and 2017, and one of the fifty most inspiring women in tech (Inspiring Fifty Netherlands) in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Her company, Radically Open Security was named the 50th Most Innovative SME by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (MKB Innovatie Top 100) in 2016.

Nuno Comando is the Director of Casa do Impacto. Fusing his experience and diverse background in marketing and communications, digital, management and entrepreneurship with his unwavering commitment to positive social change, he has contributed to Casa do Impacto's mission and has been involved with SCML's Hub since its early days. Casa do Impacto is the most significant impact entrepreneurship Hub in Portugal. Since its opening in 2018, this 'Casa' has put Portugal on the map of the impact ecosystem, gathering the resources and network to grow an impact venture/organization. Recognized by the Financial Times as one of Europe's Leading Hubs for Startups, Casa do Impacto is where stakeholders converge to change the business paradigm. The hub's unwavering focus on creating an exciting pipeline of solutions aligned with the 17 SDGs through acceleration, investment, and incubation programs ensures its mission aligns with the global sustainability agenda.

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With over 11 years of professional experience, Patrícia has been working in the innovation consultancy sector for the past 6 years, specializing in innovation project delivery, operational management and organizational leadership.

Pedro Valério is the Executive Director of the Instituto Caldeira. Graduated in Business Administration from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). An entrepreneur with a long career at the American Chamber of Commerce, he participated in the creation and conception of a series of initiatives aimed at promoting and fostering the local ecosystem in Rio Grande do Sul. He was Product and Market Director at Opus Entertainment, working in the cultural sector and managing cultural facilities throughout Brazil. A former Ambassador for the Southern Region of the Swedish School of Innovation, Hyper Island (HI); In 2015, he was selected by the U.S. Department of State to represent Brazil in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which is exclusive to young leaders from emerging markets aiming to understand the implications of entrepreneurship as a driver for economic and social development. He is currently also the Director of the Innovation Division at Federasul. Member of the State Council for Science and Technology of RS. Member of the Innovation Council of FIERGS. Member of the University Council of UFRGS – CONSUN. Member of the board of Casa dos Raros, Center for Comprehensive Care and Training in Rare Diseases.

Rasmus Nørgaard is an urban entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in real estate, where he has founded several successful platforms focused on customer-centricity and sustainability. In early 2021, Rasmus co-founded Home.Earth, an impact-driven real estate company, alongside a European team of co-founders, with the goal of developing cities in a sustainable, affordable, and inclusive way. He is also a member of the Board of Directors, Partner, and co-founder of NREP, the largest real estate fund manager in the Nordic countries, where he served as CIO for 13 years. Rasmus has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate investing, including sourcing, financing, underwriting, due diligence, and execution.

Ricardo Rio is Mayor of Braga since 2013. Before we was a Council member since 2005 and a member of the Braga Municipal Assembly, from 2001 to 2005. He is the Chair of the Global Parliament of Mayors, a member of the Excom of Eurocities, a member of the Steering Group of OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth and the Vice-Chair of the Forum of Mayors of UNECE. He is currently President of the Executive Council of the Intermunicipal Community of Cávado and chairs the Boards of Directors of Municipal Companies Faz Cultura and InvestBraga. He is a member of the Committee of the Regions and rapporteur on the SDGs and Social Economy. In 2021, he was awarded the “World Mayor for Sustainability” title, given by The City Mayors Foundation.

Rosie is the Cofounder of InChorus.org an award winning tech for good platform (Top 50 Impact Company, 2023). Prior to founding InChorus, Rosie worked across several leading accelerators, incubators and ventures studios in London. Today, Rosie continues to support social entrepreneurs as Entrepreneur in Residence for LSE’s GAP Accelerator. Rosie also sits as an Advisor for Oxford University Innovations’ ‘ImpactU Pathfinder Award’, supporting with pre-seed investments into social ventures, and is a Trustee at Year Hear Foundation, which supports social entrepreneurs with ventures tackling inequality in the UK.

Sissel Hansen is the founder and CEO of Startup Guide, a creative content and publishing company that produces guidebooks and tools to help entrepreneurs navigate and connect with different startup scenes across the globe.

Sofia is a seasoned entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in building ventures and helping companies thrive. Previously a business consultant with two of the Big Four firms and former Founder, she now channels her passion into strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems, actively contributing to the consolidation and growth of Lisbon’s dynamic innovation landscape.

Yonca Braeckman is the founder & CEO of Impact Shakers, a global impact ecosystem tackling complex societal and environmental challenges through inclusive entrepreneurship. She is a mission-driven entrepreneur and investor in underrepresented founders. She helped build the Belgian and European tech startup ecosystems and is a sought after startup mentor and jury member. She built a new smart city hub in Ghent, Belgium, with an in-house acceleration program called Watt Factory. 

Yonca serves on the board of Kaira Fund, a new philanthropic fund investing in systemic change. She was selected for the new group of Belgian changemakers “40 under 40” to help advance bold societal goals and was named as one of the "Top 100 most influential women in the European startup and VC ecosystem" in 2023.