Our story
Meet Our Team
Our Partnership
Philippe Bernet
Born and raised in Switzerland, Philippe lives mostly in Zurich. He is extremely passionate about great business models that have an environmental or social impact. A particular focus of his is the future of food though we haven't noticed him as particularly adventurous during our Christmas dinners. Philippe loves to travel, be it Bali, Lisbon or to Burning Man.
Miklos Stanek
Miklos was born in Zurich, Altstetten and lives still in the same city with his family. Being a former entrepreneur and operator he adds value to our portfolio companies by sharing learnings from his background in sales and leadership. Miklos loves sports, played football for a long part of his life and is currently training for the Ironman Mexico.
Janic Frölicher
Born and raised in Zurich, Janic began his professional journey in finance before co-founding Backbone Ventures alongside Miklos and Philippe. He is our expert in consumer and D2C business models but also has a penchant for Fintech and B2B SaaS. Janic's passions extend beyond merely chasing and supporting entrepreneurs; he is an avid ice hockey player and enjoys hitting the slopes, particularly in Klosters.
Dr. Jan Claudio Muñoz
100% "Frankfurter Bub", Jan Claudio (or "JC") is the secret reason why we chose the "Heart of Europe" as domicile for our 5502 fund. A former lawyer turned VC, Jan Claudio is a true generalist, focussing on the most exciting founders rather than on specific industries. JC loves watching football and enjoys "groundhopping" when and if his 3 kids let him.
Louis-Paul Zuppinger
Born in the US and raised in Zurich, with a French and Swiss family background, Louis-Paul definitely adds a cosmopolitan flair to our partnership. After having worked at a hedge fund for several years he joined us to manage our finances and operations, including the myriad of regulatory requirements our 5502 fund has to comply with. Louis-Paul loves skiing in the mountains and enjoys what is probably the most exotic hobby within the partnership - fly fishing.
Our Board of Directors
Mark Hoffmann
15+ years of experience in digital business models - having worked at Turtle Entertainment, GIGA Televsion and Fyber, among others. Before becoming CEO of meinestadt.de, Mark co-founded the digital publishing company Vertical Media (publisher of gruenderszene.de), which he sold to Axel Springer.
Etienne Boitel
Having previously served as the Head of Bank Syz SA, Zurich Branch, Etienne is a seasoned professional with 37 years of investment experience. Since 1988, he has honed his expertise as an investor in PE and VC, contributing to private markets.
Dr. Heinrich Baumann
Former CEO of HSBC Guyerzeller Bank and a former member of the Board of Directors of Julius Bär, where he served for over 12 years as Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Josef Ming
Partner and former global board member of Bain & Company. Previously, Josef served as the CEO of KKR Capstone and was a key member of the global portfolio committee of the private equity pioneer KKR.
Philippe Bernet
Born and raised in Switzerland, Philippe lives mostly in Zurich. He is extremely passionate about great business models that have an environmental or social impact. A particular focus of his is the future of food though we haven't noticed him as particularly adventurous during our Christmas dinners. Philippe loves to travel, be it Bali, Lisbon or to Burning Man.
Miklos Stanek
Miklos was born in Zurich, Altstetten and lives still in the same city with his family. Being a former entrepreneur and operator he adds value to our portfolio companies by sharing learnings from his background in sales and leadership. Miklos loves sports, played football for a long part of his life and is currently training for the Ironman Mexico.
Janic Frölicher
Born and raised in Zurich, Janic began his professional journey in finance before co-founding Backbone Ventures alongside Miklos and Philippe. He is our expert in consumer and D2C business models but also has a penchant for Fintech and B2B SaaS. Janic's passions extend beyond merely chasing and supporting entrepreneurs; he is an avid ice hockey player and enjoys hitting the slopes, particularly in Klosters.
Dr. Jan Claudio Muñoz
100% "Frankfurter Bub", Jan Claudio (or "JC") is the secret reason why we chose the "Heart of Europe" as domicile for our 5502 fund. A former lawyer turned VC, Jan Claudio is a true generalist, focussing on the most exciting founders rather than on specific industries. JC loves watching football and enjoys "groundhopping" when and if his 3 kids let him.
Louis Paul Zuppinger
Born in the US and raised in Zurich, with a French and Swiss family background, Louis-Paul definitely adds a cosmopolitan flair to our partnership. After having worked at a hedge fund for several years he joined us to manage our finances and operations, including the myriad of regulatory requirements our 5502 fund has to comply with. Louis-Paul loves skiing in the mountains and enjoys what is probably the most exotic hobby within the partnership - fly fishing.
Our Partnership
Andreas Guggenbühl
ETH graduate in mechanical and robotics engineering, co-founded Switzerland's largest student-run startup association, the ETH Entrepreneur Club. Having co-founded multiple ventures, including fashion-tech startup Selfnation, he passionately supports tech startups. Consulting the ETH AI Center in research-to-business transition, Andreas serves as an advisor and active investor for startups in Europe and the US.
Joel Roos
Holding a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and Robotics from ETH Zurich, Joel co-founded VAY, a pioneering ETH spin-off in the field of human motion analysis, in 2018. VAY's success led to its acquisition by Nautilus Inc. in 2021. His ongoing passion for startups manifests itself in angel investments and initiatives dedicated to advancing the Swiss entrepreneurial landscape.
Marcel Kubli
As serial entrepreneur and investor with a track record in leading retail expansion, Marcel offers valuable insights to our team. Formerly part of Digitec Galaxus and the VIU leadership, he ventured into medical retail and co-founded CARE. Notably, he co-founded bestsmile in 2018, winning the Swiss Economic Award in 2020, and successfully selling it to Migros after four years of growth.
Yannick Ritschel
With a finance background from Unil and HSG, he progressed from Business Manager at Bank Pictet to directing Fondation Valery, championing innovation and sustainability through new technologies. His expertise drives cross-functional initiatives for emerging markets, actively supporting and offering financial insight to startups in the French-speaking region of Switzerland.