Sander Slootweg of Forbion named Chair of Invest Europe

Sander Slootweg, Managing Partner and co-founder of Forbion, has been appointed Chair of Invest Europe for 2026-2027. In addition, Valentina Franceschini, Senior Partner at Wise Equity SGR, and Member of the Mid-market platform, was named Chair-elect.

Sander brings extensive experience in venture capital and private markets leadership at a time when Europe's competitiveness, innovation capacity and strategic resilience increasingly depend on a thriving private capital ecosystem. He succeeds Elias Korosis, Global Investment Partner at Federated Hermes Private Equity, whom we would like to warmly thank for his leadership and dedication to Invest Europe over the past year.

Sander co-founded Forbion in 2006, helping build one of Europe's leading life sciences venture capital firms. Over the past two decades, at Forbion and previously at ABN AMRO Capital Life Sciences which he co-founded in 2000, Sander has backed and scaled innovative healthcare, biotechnology and bioeconomy companies across Europe and beyond. A long-standing contributor to Invest Europe, he has served on the Board and most recently chaired the Venture Capital Platform Council. Sander is also one of the founding members of the European Life Sciences Coalition, recently launched in association with Invest Europe to strengthen Europe’s life sciences and biotechnology VC ecosystem by mobilising greater levels of private and public investment across the sector.

In his address to members at Invest Europe's Ordinary General Meeting, Sander highlighted the need to strengthen Europe's relevance in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical and geo-economic environment. He emphasised the critical role of private capital in supporting innovation, technological resilience, the energy transition and Europe's long-term competitiveness, while promoting Europe as an attractive investment destination for investors from within Europe and around the world.

We are also pleased to welcome the following newly elected Invest Europe Board directors, each serving a three-year term:

• Filippo Cardini, TowerBrook - Global Private Equity Platform

• Jose Maria Munoz, MCH Private Equity – Mid-Market Platform

• Carolina Espinal, Harbourvest Partners - Limited Partner Platform

• Daniela Couto, BioGeneration Ventures - Venture Capital Platform

And serving a one-year term:

• Ingrid Teigland Akay, Hadean Ventures - Venture Capital Platform