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Apexe Global
Management Team

Based in Silicon Valley, Apexe Global is the premier hypergrowth mentorship and global commercialization program for late-stage startups. We build the skills and global business network of local executives so they can achieve hypergrowth towards our shared goal of multi-billion-dollar IPOs and exits. Apexe Global leverages the experience, success and network of four globally-trusted organizations to support a government’s effort to drive economic impact, exports, and job creation.

The Team that Makes our Programs Possible

JF Gauthier

Founder & CEO

  • Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur with 2 successful exits
  • World-leading advisor on innovation policy and programs
  • Worked with over 100 government agencies across 40 countries during the last 3 years alone
  • Previous work in corporate innovation, advising IBM, Cisco, Agilent/HP, JSJ and others

Dr. Susan Amat

VP of Education at GEN and CEO of Venture Hive

  • Founder & CEO of Venture Hive, developer of executive mentorship programs for large corporations (eg. Microsoft, Visa, Walmart)
  • VP of Education at GEN, the 200-country network aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business.

Dr. Susan Amat

CEO – Venture Hive

  • Founder & CEO of Venture Hive, developer of executive mentorship programs for large corporations(e.g. Microsoft, Visa, Walmart)
  • Executive Director of GEN Acelerates; the world-leading program developer for accelerators and goverments

Stephan Kuester

Head of Strategy – Startup Genome

  • Renowned specialist in ecosystem program building
  • Worked with Tech Nation, the UK’s leading ecosystem agency that designed one of the first and most effective scaling programs globally.    
  • Former CEO of digitalswitzerland, the nation’s leading private agency, building one of the largest and most successful corporate-startup innovation program in Europe 
  • Executive Director at Ernst & Young

Richard Tan

President – APEXE China

  • Credited with the tech ecosystem success of the Yangou district and pioneered the incubation + invest model in China
  • Incubated more than 650 startups: with a 6 year survival rate of 68%
  • Launched an accelaration program and propelled 13 ventures worth >US$15M within 12 months
  • Global advisor on China’s innovation space

Richard Tan

President – APEXE China

  • Credited with the tech ecosystem success of the Yangpu district and pioneered the incubation + invest model in China
  • Incubated more than 650 startups, with a 6 year survival rate of 68%
  • Launched an accelaration program and propelled 13 ventures worth >US$15M within 12 months
  • Global advisor on China’s innovation space

Mike Jackson

Program Executive, APEXE Global

  • Dealmaker Global Entrepreneurs Programme at Department for International Trade  (DIT)
  • Formerly Entrepreneur Success Director – Tech Nation:  Led and grew Tech Nation’s Future Fifty and UpScale programs, which produced 9 IPOs and 18 unicorns
  • Tech Nation is the most renowned scaleup program with a 50X ROI

Cristina Fernandez

Mentor Program Director, APEXE Global

  • Decade + experience executing programs to support entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems 
  •  VP for Policy & Research at the Global Entrepreneurship Network HQ, serving as Global Advisor
  • Program Director for annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress
  • Master’s in International Trade & Investment Policy from George Washington University School of International Affairs
  • Fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and working knowledge of French & German

Cristina Fernandez

Mentor Program Director, APEXE Global

  • Decade + experience executing programs to support entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems 
  •  VP for Policy & Research at the Global Entrepreneurship Network HQ, serving as Global Advisor
  • Program Director for annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress
  • Master’s in International Trade & Investment Policy from George Washington University School of International Affairs
  • Fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and working knowledge of French & German

Ravi Narayan

Senior Adviser, APEXE Global

  • Pioneer in the Venture Capital/ Startup Accelerator space
  • Built, Ran and exited 2 startups
  • Indian startup ecosystem influencer as Global Director of Microsoft for Startups, CEO of T-Hub, CIO for Telangana state
  • Founding chair of PAN-IIP (Washington DC), TiE Entrepreneurial Summit (Bangalore), NASSCOM’s Product Enclave (Bangalore) 

Pierre Gauthier

Co-Architect and Director, APEXE Quebec

  • Serial entrepreneur and startup executive
  • Senior advisor experienced in finance and growth

Pierre Gauthier

Co-Architect and Director, APEXE Quebec

  • Serial entrepreneur and startup executive
  • Senior Adviser experienced in finance and growth