CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 12 2024 10 Highlighting Alchemy Crew Ventures’ Dedication to its Craft adalina’s unique trajectory through academia and industry has shaped her into a thoughtful innovator. While teaching modern British and American literature across European universities, she resonated deeply with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s words: “Books are like brothers and I am an only child.” This academic foundation fostered a nuanced understanding of diverse perspectives and emotional intelligence, echoing the timeless wisdom: “whenever you feel like criticising anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had. Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.” During her academic years, she mastered the power of storytelling and embraced continuous learning – skills that define her leadership approach. Her expertise helps entrepreneurs craft compelling investor pitches, transforming ideas into narratives of opportunity and impact. As Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn, notes, “The best pitch decks don’t just present data; they tell a compelling story about opportunity and potential.” While researching her comparative literature thesis, she explored how storytelling and mythology fortify cultural resilience, exploring their role in shaping the collective subconscious during times of oppression in Ireland and Transylvania. By examining these narratives, she uncovered the power of stories to preserve identity, inspire hope, and unify communities in the face of adversity. Oct24400 Madalina Preda’s expertise lies in supporting and cultivating high-impact ecosystems across education, insurance, healthcare, and deep tech sectors, where cutting-edge technologies drive transformative change through servant leadership. Her journey spans academia, life sciences, finance, insurance, automotive industries, and alternative mobility solutions across 8 countries. M While at Corning Inc., Madalina learned three crucial lessons about innovation. First, collaboration – between corporations and startups – sparks groundbreaking innovations, as evidenced by Corning’s pivotal contributions to Thomas Edison’s lightbulb and the iPhone. Second, innovation requires serndipity, disciplined processes, and patient capital. Third, the longterm impact of innovation is profound and changes people’s lives: Corning developed Pyrex cookware, TV tube glass, the hair-thin glass strands forming the internet’s backbone, and Gorilla Glass, now used in over 8 billion devices worldwide. While working for LeasePlan Corporation (currently Ayvens Corporation) Madalina led the transformation in customer experience for the automotive and leasing industry during Europe’s shift to electric vehicles (EVs), with Scandinavia and the Netherlands spearheading adoption and expansion into Central and Southern Europe. Her focus was on working with the global organistaion on adapting traditional processes to meet the unique demands of a transition industry, including EV-specific assets, safety standards, and service models, while tackling the complexities of insuring new vehicle types. This transformation required close collaboration across internal stakeholders, driving an organizational culture shift to embrace sustainability and innovation. These efforts involved navigating regulatory landscapes, developing charging infrastructure, and aligning with the evolving expectations of eco-conscious customers. Under her leadership, the organization positioned itself at the forefront of a sustainable, tech-driven future, setting a new industry benchmark in a rapidly changing market. As Head of Startegic Partnerships for Innovation Department at NN Group, she led the Startegic Partnerships team, its daily operations and build strategic relationships with global Venture Capital partners. This exposure has provided deep insights into how funds and LPs invest in innovation, what VCs look for in startups, and how they differentiate successful ventures from those that falter. By engaging closely with top investors, fund managers, and entrepreneurs, she remains at the forefront of industry developments. A committed advocate for growing the insurtech and fintech ecosystems across Europe and the U.S., she champions innovation through highimpact projects in both Dutch and international markets. Her collaboration with fintech thought leaders in the Netherlands has further strengthened partnerships between startups and industry incumbents, fostering a dynamic environment for growth and innovation. she has managed relationships with global Venture Capitals in innovation hubs such as London, Barcelona, LA, Madrid, Amsterdam, and San Francisco. She has spearheaded the establishment of innovative healthcare and elderlycare platform services through strategic partnerships in the Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Romania, Poland, Turkey, and Hungary. To strengthen internal collaboration ion inovation, she has build a the Innovation Partnerships Community of Practice. Her commitment to diversity is evident in her efforts to elevate female representation in both Venture Capital and entrepreneurial landscapes, supporting more female investors and entrepreneurs. Recognized by Femtechnology as a thought leader in femhealth, she has championed innovation and investment in femhealth, elderly care, and broader healthcare sectors. A strong advocate for impact investing, she actively supports initiatives that close the insurance gap, foster climate resilience in insurance, and promote the transparent and ethical implementation of AI. As she notes, innovation and impact are realized when stakeholders unite to share resources, ideas, and a vision for transformative change. As a seasoned insurance and technology leaders, Sabine VanderLinden and Madalina have joined forces through Alchemy Crew Ventures to drive transformative innovation in the InsurTech industry. This powerful partnership represents a convergence of exceptional expertise, visionary thinking, and complementary skill sets that positions them at the forefront of a rapidly evolving landscape. Sabine VanderLinden brings over 25 years of deep industry experience to the table, having established herself as a thought leader in the InsurTech space. As the CEO and Venture Partner of Alchemy Crew Ventures, she has demonstrated a keen
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