Meet the Mentors.
Meet the mentors of the EQUALS-EU Incubator Program.
Vesna Damnjanovic
Full Professor and Head of Business Case Centre at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade
• Problem Solving Mentor, Motivational Speaker & Opportunity Maker: Supporting 20 000+ top students, entrepreneurs and managers to achieve their dreams: improving professional, personal skills and motivation.
• 20 years’ experience in Business Solving Teaching & Training & Consulting field.
• Founder and Managing Director of BBICC: among top 10 global case competition in the world (Auckland Ranking).
• Master Coach Advisor for International Case Competitions and Mentor of winning top talent team (Canada, Australia, Lithuania, Norway, Demark, Spain, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, USA).
• Visiting Coach for Problem Solving Methodology: Visited 48 countries.
• International lectures and motivational talks.
• Founder of Case Study Club – Student Management Consulting Organization
• Developed Student Case Competition Course for University level
• CIM Diploma, Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, UK
Trust Saidi
Postdoctoral researcher in Health Innovation at University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital
Trust is a Science and Technology Studies scholar by training, and he is passionate about integrating innovation and design in research. He is particularly interested in the use of human centred approaches to solve complex problems. His research focuses on the relationship between science, technology and society in different domains. He has vast experience in working with different stakeholders including government entities, non-governmental bodies, researchers, private companies and multilateral institutions. His motivation is to contribute towards sustainable development through the exploitation of science, technology and innovation.
Tamara Dancheva
International Relations Manager at GSMA and WP4 Leader
Tamara is a dedicated advocate for digital gender equality with a proven track record in programme management, policy development and analysis, events management, and delivering innovative solutions to complex problems within tight deadlines. Capable of successfully developing cross-cultural partnerships, as well as analysing international political developments with an extensive background in inter-governmental processes and international stakeholders’ relationship management.
In this session she will answer all your questions regarding the EQUALS-EU Summer School.
Gitanjali Swamy
Public Policy, Serial Entrepreneur-Investor, Innovator, Thinker
Gita is a committed public servant and a C-level leader in building innovative ventures for investment or corporate organizations, public-private partnerships, and socially-responsible endeavors. Hands-on experience in every aspect of execution from strategy, fundraising to organization building, financial structuring, and creating sustainable innovation.
In this session she will cover the Harvard Business School POCD business plan thinking framework.
Egle Juodziukynaite
Co-founder and CEO at Tiny Workers
Egle is designer and entrepreneur. She has taken her master’s in system design in Oslo Metropolitan University.
Her background is interdisciplinary. She has worked a lot as a student politician and had several leadership positions there. These positions helped her to develop her expertise in leadership, conflict management and problem solving in practice. In the 2019-2020 she was a representative at OsloMet University Board. Here she learned a lot about the development of a big and complex organisation and promoting user perspectives in discussions and decision making.
Through her full-time position as a Responsible for Academic Affairs in Student Parliament, she has worked with implementation of innovation, entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinary collaboration in education.
Egles’ experience from and competencies gained through student democracy helps her to lead her own business. She is structured and curious. Through her start-up Tiny Workers, she produces Pollinator Parks – areas for wild bees and other pollinating insects in the urban area. The aim of the project is to help combat the declining wild bee population by improving their living conditions, spreading knowledge to the population and motivating measures in private gardens.
Dr. Anthony Giannoumis
Action researcher, social entrepreneur, equality advocate.
Anthony’s work focuses on technology policy and practice. He is an internationally recognised expert in universal design of information and communication technology (ICT). He leads several large-scale research and innovation projects based in over 27 countries.
Anthony is an Associate Professor of Universal Design of ICT at the Department of Computer Science at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet). He maintains several international appointments including at the Harvard Law School Project on Disability at Harvard Law School, the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, the Department of Science and Informatics at the University of Eduardo Mondlane, and the Department of Education at Roma Tre University.
Kristina Tsvetanova
CEO & Co-founder, BLITAB Technology
Kristina Tsvetanova (CEO and co-founder, BLITAB Technology) is an acclaimed social entrepreneur who has reached a high level of achievement in the field and has established herself as one of the most remarkable talents who is changing the world through her innovation. She co-invented BLITAB – the World’s first tactile tablet for blind and visually impaired people.
In 2015 she was recognized as European Winner of Social Entrepreneurship and Disability, awarded by the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen. In 2017 she received the EU Prize for Women Innovators under 30 and MIT Innovator 35under35 Europe. Recently Kristina was selected among 2,800 applications from over 130 countries as the European Laureate of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards which major aim is to drive change by empowering women entrepreneurs across all continents.
Yvan Bayisabe
Co-founder at VibrantCreator
Yvan is a serial entrepreneur based in Oslo with a Master's degree in law at the University of Oslo, and currently studying part-time Computer science at Oslo Metropolitan University.
He has recently launched a tech startup called VibrantCreator with a bold aim to provide universal access to successful entrepreneurship. The startup provides entrepreneurs with a virtual business partner that formalizes and structures ideas into businesses. Heavily passionate about impact development.
Sumita Kunashakaran
Manager, Civil Society, Zero Project
Sumita Kunashakaran is the Manager of Civil Society outreach at the Zero Project. This includes the civil society engagement portfolio, which boasts partners in over 180 countries.
In addition, she actively manages the Impact Transfer Program, a joint initiative between the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme and Ashoka. The program is the first accelerator to support the internationalization of innovative disability solutions for a barrier-free world.
Sumita is the former Advocacy Lead with the Disabled People’s Association (DPA) based in Singapore. As such, she is interested in policy matters regarding intersectionalities and marginalised communities. She led the working group for Singapore’s first ever parallel report for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and has also published several papers for Universal Periodic Review (UPR) processes, Gender Equality Reports, and position statements for policy and legislative issues in Singapore and ASEAN. With her background in Terrorism and Security, her past research has also been featured by the Contemporary Security Policy journal.
Sumita Kunashakaran holds an M.Sc. in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh, and a B.A. in Sociology from the University at Buffalo, SUNY.
Fulvio Ananasso
Senior Advisor on Digital Economy
Full marks Master Degree in Electronics and Telecom Engineering (University of Rome) in the 70’s, he held a number of technical & management positions both in Manufacturing and Services Industry -- VP / Director of Marketing & Regulations, Senior VP / Director of Studies, Senior VP / Director of Iridium Program Office (66-satellite personal communications system), Managing Director of Iridium Italia, Telecom Italia Group company providing Iridium services (Europe-South America).
Concerning P.A. senior job positions, from 1987 to 1990 he was Associate Professor at the University of Rome-Tor Vergata, and from 2007 to 2012 Director General of Studies & Research at AGCOM, the Italian independent Authority for regulations and guarantees in electronic communications.
Since 2012, as a Business & Innovation Angel, he has been delivering education, strategic advisory and interim / project management of ICT-driven initiatives, as well as open innovation / technology transfer for small business acceleration, startup / SME mentorship in the digital economy paradigm.
He is President of Stati Generali dell’Innovazione, not for profit Association for promoting Innovation in the digital EU ecosystem, Board Member of CDTI Roma (première Association of Information Technologies Managers) and AM/FM GIS Italia.
He is author of an Academy book, chapters of advanced technology books and 200+ international papers on technical, regulatory & market issues of telecommunication systems and services.
Ayanna Samuels
PhD Research Fellow | Aerospace Engineer | Gender Advocate | Intl. Dev. Professional | Motivational Speaker
Ayanna is a PhD Research Fellow at the Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway. Her research is focused on understanding the Mechanisms for Promoting Gender Inclusive Innovation Ecosystems with a particular focus on the ICT and STEM arenas. She is also an Aerospace Engineer, Technology Policy Specialist, Gender Advocate and International Development Professional. Ayanna has run a consultancy practice for over 18 years specializing in a) the intersection of International Development, Gender, ICT and STEM policy b) the use of ICTs and Technology Policy as enablers of access to basic human rights, socio-economic empowerment and poverty eradication, c) gender equity in STEM and d) the role Space Technology can play in realizing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and bridging the digital divide. She is also a Health and Wellness Consultant, Motivational Speaker and determined athlete.
Ms. Samuels holds three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology comprising two M.Sc. degrees in Technology Policy and Aerospace Engineering respectively, and a B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering with Information Technology. In 2005, Ayanna broke ground by being the first black woman since 1972 to earn an M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. Ayanna has pursued further education in ICT and Technology Policy for Development, Gender and Human Development from august institutions such as the UN, since graduating from MIT.
Continuously weaving a wide professional footprint, Ayanna has worked with governments, academia and industry-leading private sector entities in the Caribbean, the USA, Africa and Europe. Ayanna has coordinated research, taught, managed projects and/or working with several distinguished institutions including UN Women, Oslo Metropolitan University, the Association for Affordable Internet, MIT’s Space Enabled Research Group housed at the Media Lab, the World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Inter American Development Bank, the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO), CARICOM, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, the Latin America and Caribbean Network Information Centre (LACNIC), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization, the International Institute for Communications and Development, the German International Development Corporation and the St. Lucia Coalition of Services Industries. She has also worked with private sector companies such as mSurvey in Kenya and Citibank and also with the Government of Jamaica. Ayanna was also stationed at the ITU’s Geneva, Switzerland office in 2004 and 2010. Her body of work has resulted in ICT4D related knowledge products and the establishment and execution of tangible capacity building programmes.
Alicja Pawluczuk
Digital Inclusion Expert & Research Consultant
Dr Alicja Pawluczuk has over a decade of experience in co-designing, facilitating, and evaluating digital inclusion, digital literacy and ICT-enabled or/and focused education programmes internationally. She is a 'digital thinker & doer' - meaning, she's passionate about meaningful digital inclusion research and its implementation in practice (e.g., learning design and facilitation).
Dr Pawluczuk has experience working both on high-level projects and publications (e.g. United Nations University, ITU, EQUALS-EU, Council of Europe) as well as smaller-scale community-led projects (e.g. digital literacy workshops, digital rights). She has a track record of peer-reviewed publications and cross-disciplinary public engagement activities. Dr Pawluczuk’s research-informed a number of policy-making efforts and recommendations in the context of digital inclusion.
The key areas of her expertise include digital inclusion, gender digital divide, digital youth work, and digital and data literacies. Her research and educational practice work are grounded in democratic, participatory, experimental, and interactive methodologies (both online and offline). She aims to cultivate authenticity, tolerance for ambiguity, critical thinking, and empathy in her work.
She has a track record of peer-reviewed publications and cross-disciplinary public engagement activities. Dr Pawluczuk’s research-informed a number of policy-making efforts and recommendations in the context of digital inclusion. She is the founder of a digital literacy collective called Digital Beez.
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Incubator Program
Go to the incubator program plan by heading over the link below.
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Training Materials
Here you will find all the mentorship training materials in one place.
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Where to begin?
Here you will find suggestions on what you can do today to help you get started developing your idea.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101006396.