The jury members —
Andrea Faroppa
Head of Sónar+D – Sónar Barcelona
Graduated in Communication, Cultural Management, and Creative Economy, Andrea has over a decade of expertise in cultural and innovative event management, been involved in projects in Uruguay, the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain in leading companies in the sector such as Live Nation Entertainment, TEDx and Sónar, where’s she’s currently the Head of Sónar+D. Sónar, launched in 1994, is a leading European festival in Barcelona, renowned for spotlighting advanced music and digital culture. It merges influential artists with emerging trends across music and technology. Complementing this, Sónar+D initiated in 2013, serves as a global gathering for art and digital innovation, uniting artists, technologists, and thinkers. Together, they offer a dynamic blend of performances, talks, and immersive experiences, making both events pivotal in the creative and technological landscape.
Kristian Horsburgh
Creative Industry Cluster Manager, Luxinnovation
Kristian James Horsburgh is the Creative Industry Cluster Manager at Luxinnovation, where he focuses on fostering innovation and growth in the Cultural and Creative Industries. Kristian’s career is rooted in his passion for bridging the worlds of creativity and entrepreneurship.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and initially worked in the financial sector, but his love for the creative industries made him found Trust in Talent, a non-profit organization dedicated to advising artists contractual issues and project management. He also developed a matchmaking platform for artists to build new business relationships.
He eventually earned a second degree in Media and Event Management. This shifted his career towards managing media channels and launching creative projects, including his work at the Luxembourg cultural center Rotondes. His expertise in event management and media strategy allowed him to work independently before joining Luxinnovation in 2023.
Kristian’s focus is to ensure the continued dynamic growth of Luxembourg’s creative industries through innovation, collaboration and digitalisation.
Michael Petychakis
Chief Technology Officer, ORFIUM
Michael Petychakis is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of ORFIUM, the global technology leader providing software, data, and licensing solutions to the entertainment industry. As CTO of
ORFIUM, he is head of the Research & Development department which, despite the international activity of the company, is based in Greece and consists of more than 220 talented
professionals, mainly Data Scientists, Software Developers, Product Managers and Designers.
Michael has been involved in numerous research projects on topics related to artificial intelligence, robotics and future versions of the WWW and the Internet. In recent years, he has transferred his knowledge and experience as a mentor to many start-ups. In 2021, ORFIUM was honored with the First National Young Enterprise Award of Elevate Greece, for its significant
technological contribution to combat the use of unlicensed works and copyright infringement, for
the benefit of creators.
Michael is a graduate of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the National
Technical University of Athens, where he has also conducted extensive research in Application Programming Interfaces (API) research.
Casandra
Strauss
Director, New Digital Business & Innovation, Universal Music Group
Casandra joined UMG’s Digital Innovation team in April 2022 to partner with tech startups and the wider accelerator ecosystem. In this role, she drives new business opportunities and supports entrepreneurs developing music projects. Prior to UMG, Casandra served as Director of Innovation & Special Projects at the BPI, UK’s recorded music industry trade body, where she spearheaded the Music & Tech Springboard Programme and developed partnerships in this space. Earlier in her career, Casandra held roles at INgrooves and Sony Music, developing digital partnerships and supporting music partners including Apple and Spotify, among many others.
Patrick Zucchetta
Serial Entrepreneur into digital cinema and music intelligence
Over the last 20 years, Patrick ran a career of serial entrepreneur investing into various markets from Digital Cinema to Music Intelligence & AI based Ed Tech, reinvesting from successful exits into new ventures. Initial expertise into technology with engineer background, expanding into Business Development through years with international expertise and networking from USA to China.
Mar
Galtés
Corporate Development Director, Tech Barcelona
During her 27 years in the Economics section of La Vanguardia newspaper
(1991-2018), Mar was a reference writer for the Catalan industrial, technological and digital ecosystem. As a journalist, she has followed the evolution and transformation of hundreds of companies, both startups and multinational corporations. And she has interviewed entrepreneurs and presidents of major global corporations and visited companies and factories on different continents.
Between March 2019 and December 2020, she worked for the communication consultancy LLYC, where she developed a business area focused on technology companies and startups.
Arnab
Naskar
co-CEO, STOKR
Arnab, the co-CEO of STOKR – a Web3 investment platform supervised by CSSF, Luxembourg as a virtual assets service provider – is a staunch advocate for decentralized capital markets. With a legal background, he’s passionate about law-tech intersections and has influenced EU blockchain policy as INATBA’s Finance chair for well over 2 years. Managing a Luxembourg crypto fund and a regular at European blockchain events since 2017.
