Our Team
A veteran of the software industry, Stephen has started and sold a number of software companies including DataEase (global DBMS company) and Sapphire, Inc. (emergency management software). He is a director /advisor to over 20 start-ups and is passionate about allying top entrepreneurs to finance and mentoring.
Angelika Burawska holds Master degree in Business Management from top European universities. Her professional career started with international brands in Poland and Italy. She merged into startup world after moving to London. Her experience covers starting, running and investing in businesses. She joined SFC in early 2014 as the Chief Operating Officer.
Joseph Zipfel joined Startup Funding Club in 2014 and is responsible for managing the execution and syndication of SFC's investments and supporting portfolio companies with their fundraising strategy. Joseph previously worked in Investment Banking focusing on corporate finance and global markets roles. Joseph holds a Master in Management from ESCP Europe.
Having graduated from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Raphael joined SFC in 2017 and is responsible for investor relations. Prior to joining the team, Raphael worked in consulting in Switzerland. Before starting his career in Finance, he was leading a department and running the daily operations for several years, building his skills in operational management and process optimisation.
Rohallah Ghasemi holds a Master degree in International Political Economy from Kings College London. He joined Startup Funding Club in 2018 as a Deal Flow Manager and is responsible for the screening and selection of candidates. He has previously been involved in different startups working as business developer and is a co-founder of Crowdpondent.com, the world's first social network for citizen journalists.
Jerry Zhang holds a master in Finance from Newcastle University with distinction. He joined Startup Funding Club in 2017 and is responsible for managing overseas investors. Before, he worked in Chinese banking organization. He was also acted as CIO in Chinese PE company(Shanghai Mingshui Investment and Management Company).
Ausra joined Startup Funding Club as an Executive Investment Assistant after completing a Master degree in Behavioural Economics and Finance at the University of Exeter. She is responsible for startup on-boarding and investment processes as well as for producing portfolio and investment reports. Before starting her Finance career, Ausra gained business management experience in the Hospitality sector, where she honed her leadership and business acumen skills.
Marguerite has been working for more than two decades as a Management Accountant in the software industry and has been involved with supporting startups through Startup Funding Club for more than five years. She joined Startup Funding Club in 2017 to ensure credibility of SFC and its investee companies.
Gino is Professor of Pharmaceutical Innovation at King’s College London and Director of Rainbow medical engineering. Professor Martini has occupied many roles in like Senior Director of Preclinical and Pharmaceutical Development for Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific at GlaxoSmithKline. Gino advises SFC on medical and pharmaceutical opportunities.
Mark is a Director of Startup Funding Club, a technology start-up co-founder and experienced investor. Mark has exited one technology start-up as co-founder and COO as well as having experience within the fund management industry, having overseen multi-million pound projects at Fidelity and New Star.
Stephen is Co-Founder and Head of Business Development at Ixty. Before moving to the angel investing and startup world, Stephen developed his career in financial services and sales and worked in countries like Singapore and France. His main role at Startup Funding Club is introducing new investors to tax efficient investing through the Fund and angel network.
