Nathalie Sonne

Head of Accelerator

After a brief trip into the agency world, Nathalie soon immersed herself in the founders’ scene to live her passion for fast-paced environments and strategy in unfamiliar terrain by working for startups both in the U.S. and Germany. As Head of Program at leAD Sports Accelerator, she gets to combine her personal interest in sports with this diverse experience and leverage it – to help promising early sports startups to grow and succeed.

Brett Bivens

Head of Business Builder

Brett is passionate about the intersection of sports and technology, having spent most of his career building and investing in innovative companies that bring those two worlds together. After leading global operations at Krossover Intelligence, a sports analytics firm, Brett helped launch and lead the investment team at TechNexus where he played a role in sourcing, executing, and supporting over 50 venture capital investments.

Fernanda Bartels

Head of Communications

Fernanda is a communication professional with international experience. Thanks to volleyball, she had the opportunity to study and work in the U.S., where she lived for nearly five years. After that, she's worked in Brazil, Denmark, and Germany, mainly in the tech and startup scene.

Steffen Kellner

Strategy & Development

After a decade in different management positions around the globe at Red Bull, he focusses on marketing strategy & innovation at Ignore Gravity. He is also a passionate mentor for startups and young talents.

Aaron Naisar

Investment Manager

Aaron has experience as a strategy and technology consultant and in supporting early-stage startups. He holds a graduate degree with distinctions in Strategic Entrepreneurship from Rotterdam School of Management. In his master thesis, he analyzed the disruptive influence of ICOs on the traditional venture capital ecosystem. Aaron is a sports fanatic and holds a tennis coaching license.

Jan Bathel

Accelerator Design & Host

Jan is the founder of Ignore Gravity. He designs accelerator programs, mindful leadership programs & innovation journeys and works for more than 100 founders, start-ups & top management teams as systemic consultant and executive coach.

Chris Day

Synergy Officer

Chris is a former professional poker player and collegiate tennis player who graduated from Babson College with a Bachelor of Science focused on IT and Strategic Management. He has started a range of ventures from a Cryptocurrency Investor Network to a Property Management firm in London.  His passion now revolves creating equal opportunity in health, fitness, and sport for all.  Chris is based in London with his wife and dog where he coaches at his local Crossfit gym in his free time. 

Theodore Simson

Junior Scout

Theodore has nearly a decade of experience in competitive ice hockey. With an educational background in economics and experience with value and risk analysis in the field of microfinance, he has a keen eye for growth potential in early-stage sports startups.

Linus Ersing

Junior Scout

Linus has been swimming competitively for over a decade while coaching on the side. In addition to his commitment and passion for sports, Linus brings his academic knowledge in sociology and organizational behavior to the role, allowing him to develop a sharp eye to scout the best sports startups in the ecosystem. Prior to joining leAD as a junior scout, Linus worked in the startup scene in Berlin.