Our new Investment Manager Maria Jose Alvarez starts this week
We are all looking forward to Maria Jose’s presence at regular WNT Monday morning team meetings and because of her founder focussed approach to investing in early-stage startups we already feel like she is part of the team.
MJ’s passion for championing deep tech founders started during her undergraduate degree in Biotechnical Engineering. While studying she founded and operated VidAoX, a deep-tech start-up focused on the Agritech sector. Taking this from lab to market gave her experience of what it is to build a deep-tech company. Commercialising her deep tech innovation and working as a commercialisation manager then led her into obtaining her Masters in Bioscience Enterprise.
Looking back she believes the support of a deeptech incubator guiding her through the many challenges of building a startup would have been invaluable. Because of this, taking the role with the team of Investment Manager’s at WNT Ventures gives her the opportunity to give founders the help she didn’t have from the unique perspective of having been an academic founder herself.
MJ is a Top-Diverse Board Director, and a finalist for NZ Women of Influence 2021 in the Diversity category for her work in tech and venture capital. She is also a mentor to young entrepreneurs, early stage companies, and females in STEM, and was recognised in the first cohort of the WILD programme (Women in Leadership Development) which seeks to advance the leadership and governance skills of women with a STEM background. This is something WNT also believes in, and MJ will help founders and directors to incorporate diversity of thought and experience into their executive team and Boards as their companies grow.
Along with Agritech her career has included active involvement in the biotech, foodtech and healthtech sectors.
MJ is an important part of the NZ deep tech ecosystem and we know as a WNT Investment Manager she will share her expertise and experience with deep tech founders and provide them with customised support for their journey.
Her start date with WNT is 10th November 2021
Do you have a technology or company that needs funding and support? We are looking for innovative, pre-revenue companies with strong intellectual property and global potential.
