Biographies

AnaMaria Meshkurti is the Managing Partner for Europe for Unorthodox Ventures, a Texas based family office investing in medtech and hardware startups. Previously she was the Head of Marketing, Communications and Engagement at the FONGIT (Fondation Genevoise pour l’InnovationTechnologique), the premier Swiss technology startup innovation platform and incubator. Aiming at achieving positive social and economic impact, FONGIT supports startups in the technology sector who are based in Geneva or want to set up their headquarters in the canton. She is a seasonedstartup mentor and judge for startups focusing on emerging technologies including AI, IoT, Blockchain, XR and the Metaverse. She has been a guest judge in many events such as the Experience Accelerators Future of work hackathon and the UN AI for Good Global Summit Innovation Factory.

She worked for the United Nations (UN), as programme officer in the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Office for Europe, in charge of digital inclusion, skills, gender, youth, accessibility and innovation matters with European governments. During her time with the ITU Standardization Sector, she conceptualized and managed the ITU Smart Incubator programme for emerging tech start-ups in developing countries as well as oversaw ITU-T’s non-statutory events including workshops, seminars and forums. She also led trainings for the Bridging the Standardization Gap programme, supporting ITU delegates in the standardization process and worked with various groups on the topic of Fintech, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Internet of Things and more. She was instrumental to the delivery of the European Impact Summit 2020 as part of the Advisory Board of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

She is a communications professional with a strong background in public relation and engagement, tech start-ups, innovation, and digital skills. Prior to joining ITU she worked for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as well as in various UK based NGOs. She holds diplomas in Business Administration (MBA), Marketing and Communications (MA) as well as International Relations and Global Governance (Bs).

She was the Curator for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Shapers Geneva Hub, as well as is currently Chapter Leader for the HULT International Business School Alumni Association of Geneva and part of the Global Hult Alumni Executive Board. She is an angel investor and board member at Swiss Virtual Reality Startup VR4Business.ch. She is a speaker at many international events on topics related to innovation, digital skills, gender, youth, accessibility and standardization. She was awarded the UN ITU Innovation award and recognized as one of the top 100 Swiss Digital Shapers in 2022 and 2023.