Designing the Future
Featured Mentors & Speakers
Rustam Stolkin
A.I. Researcher
UK
Chair in Robotics and Royal Society Industry Fellow in the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham. He leads the Extreme Robotics Lab (ERL), Europe's most prominent university research laboratory dedicated to nuclear and other extreme environment applications.
He serves as Director of the UK's National Centre for Nuclear Robotics and holds undergraduate and master's degrees in Engineering from Oxford University, plus a PhD in Robot Vision completed between University College London and UK imaging industry.
Meg Thomson
Film Producer
Globalgate, UK
EVP Worldwide Content at Globalgate Entertainment.
She has worked in the film business for over 20 years and has produced feature films, shorts, documentaries, commercials, online content, and events worldwide.
Thomson founded ARCANE PICTURES in London in 1998, where she produced independent films including DOT THE I starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Tom Hardy.
She is a BAFTA member, active member of the British American Project, and serves on the advisory board of the non-profit GlobalGirl Media.
She graduated from Harvard in Art History, where she was business manager of the Harvard Lampoon.
Mark Foligno
OSCAR WINNER Producer
UK
British film producer known for his work on acclaimed films including The King's Speech (2010) and Moon (2009).
He has worked as an Executive Producer, Producer, and Co-Producer on various projects including Ironclad, A Lonely Place to Die, Grabbers, Chatroom, and Legacy of Lies.
He produced the spy-thriller Legacy of Lies, which was directed by Adrian Bol and filmed in Ukraine and London Our Work | Gates Foundation. He works with Limelight Ctl and continues to be involved in various film and TV projects in the UK.
Cesar Alan Contreras
UK
CEO and Founder of Emblematic Group, a digital media company focused on immersive virtual, mixed and augmented reality.
Known as "The Godmother of Virtual Reality," she is a pioneer who is widely credited with inventing the genre of immersive journalism.
She was named WSJ Technology Innovator of the Year and one of CNET's 20 most influential Latinos for her pioneering work using cutting edge technologies to tell important stories.
She is a Yale Poynter Media Fellow and a former correspondent for Newsweek.
Machine Learning Researcher
Cristian Onețiu
Entrepreneur
RO
He is the founder of Life Care, the largest Romanian direct sales company in Central and Eastern Europe, with a cumulative turnover of over 100 million euros and over 50,000 independent distributors in over 20 countries.
Featured in TOP 500 Forbes and TOP 300 Capital, he has learned to build successful businesses from the experience of 4 personal bankruptcies.
He was an investor in the Shark Tank franchise TV show for South East Europe, "Imperiul Leilor".
He is the author of the bestseller "Start in Antreprenoriat" and voted by entrepreneurs as "The most inspirational Romanian entrepreneur"
Viorel Chesaru
Executive Producer
RO
Deputy CEO at Chainsaw Europe Studio and a professional in the film industry, widely recognized for his expertise in post-production and his contributions to critically acclaimed cinema.
With a career spanning over two decades, Chesaru has established himself as a key figure in European filmmaking.
His roles have included coproducer, supervising producer, postproduction supervisor, and supervising sound editor, showcasing his versatile skill set and commitment to excellence.
Titus Ardeleanu
Entrepreneur
RO
Entrepreneur and investor known for transforming numerical discipline into growth strategy and for his ability to mobilize large teams toward execution. He leads financial consulting operations with over 200 people across four Romanian cities and invests in public and private markets, including real estate, funds, bonds, and crypto.
As a partner in Transylvania Nutrition, he supports the brand’s strategic growth and scaling. Guided by the principle “systems before people, people before results,” Titus builds efficient, autonomous structures that drive performance.
As the host of the “Din Culise” podcast, he shares insights on business, investments, and leadership, bringing clarity, structure, and actionable frameworks to every stage he steps on.
Andreea Artenie
Lawyer & Entrepreneur
RO
Andreea is a lawyer, entrepreneur, and tech angel investor with over 20 years of experience in administrative and tax law, and founding partner of ASP Advisors.
Previously a Partner at Deloitte Central Europe, she led the DCE Dispute Resolution practice and served on the Global Dispute Resolution Steering Committee.
Recognized in international legal directories, she was listed as "Highly Regarded Women in Tax" and "Highly Regarded in Tax Controversy" in the 2024 ITR World Tax rankings.
Alexandru Baltă
Game Designer & Entrepreneur
RO
Alexandru Balta is a film director, producer, and educator with a Ph.D. in Cinematography and Media from UNATC Bucharest.
He is the founder of Retina Film Production and has worked extensively across film, television, and advertising, contributing to projects for Netflix, major Romanian brands, and international productions.
Alexandru combines his filmmaking expertise with a background in psychology and design thinking (MIT Sloan), and has served as an associate lecturer at UNATC, where he teaches and mentors emerging filmmakers in directing and production.
Toma Nicolau
Gaming Marketer
RO
Toma Nicolau is the founder of Good Game Industry, an advertising agency and content creator label specializing in gaming and esports.
With expertise in digital marketing and the gaming industry, he has built a platform that connects brands with gaming audiences through authentic content creation and strategic campaigns.
Toma's work bridges the worlds of advertising and gaming culture, fostering a community of content creators while delivering innovative marketing solutions for clients in the rapidly evolving gaming and esports landscape.
Ionuț Ionescu
Film Producer
RO
Romanian film producer with over twenty five years of experience in the audiovisual industry. A graduate of UNATC I.L. Caragiale, he has founded and developed ten production companies and produced more than 4,000 hours of film and television content.
His work includes collaborations with The Walt Disney Company LTD, NBC Universal, HBO/Warner Brothers, Netflix as well as seven internationally awarded feature films, including Sabina, Beyond Borders, Love Story in Translation and The Circle.
He is currently producing Angel of Death (dir. Shia LaBeouf) and Those Who Were Sent, an eight-episode series filmed in Romania.
Daniela Ionescu
Researcher in Ethical AI
UK
Dr. Daniela Ionescu is a senior research fellow at the Extreme Robotics Lab, University of Birmingham, UK, where she contributes to major AI robotics projects for extreme environments (nuclear decommissioning, EV battery recycling).
Since 2022, she has been part of the Expert Group on Robotic and Remote Systems for the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency.
Her research focuses on the ethical use of AI, exploring its impact on concepts of liability, intelligence, and higher education.
Ștefan Căescu
Vice Dean ASE Marketing
RO
Vice Dean and marketing professor at the Faculty of Marketing at Bucharest University of Economic Studies, he has an experience of over 22 years in marketing consultancy with expertise in strategic marketing, marketing management and business to business marketing.
He has worked with some of the biggest companies in Romania being involved in developing their marketing strategy.
Alexandru Platon
Producer
RO
Head of Production at McCann Bucharest, where he has worked for over 17 years, producing both regional and global campaigns for brands such as Coca-Cola, Fuzetea, Julius Meinl, Vodafone, Beko, KFC, L’Oréal, Lidl, and Mastercard.
With more than 15 years of experience in film production, he has overseen the post-production process for some of Romania’s most successful blockbusters.
He is recognized for his technological and innovative approach, constantly integrating AI-driven workflows into the creative process — from AI-generated pre-visualizations and animatics to fully digitally integrated productions.
Diana Gavra
Film Director & Producer
RO
Documentary Director and Producer, as well as a lecturer at the Faculty of Communication and Public Relations (SNSPA), and Director of the Career Counseling and Guidance Center at SNSPA.
She recently received the New Perspectives award for her documentary Amar, at the 30th anniversary edition of the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu.
A graduate of the Film Faculty at UNATC and holding a PhD in Communication Sciences, Diana made her directorial debut in 2017 with the short fiction film Vintage.
Bogdan Șerban
Radio Personality
RO
In the early ’90s, I began attending an alternative acting school founded by university professors who had previously developed a similar educational model in Freiburg, Germany. I later obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Acting in a more “institutionalized” setting, at the University of Theatre Arts in Târgu-Mureș.
Since 1995, radio has entered my professional life — starting with Radio Minisat Târgoviște — which I managed to balance alongside rehearsals, performances, and theatre tours.
With the creation of Radio Guerrilla in 2004, I joined those fighting against media-driven alienation. For the past 21 years, I have devoted myself entirely to radio. I do it every single day.
Clash of Minds
Clash of Minds is the electrifying finale where promising projects from arts, business, and tech compete in a high-stakes pitch arena. Innovators present breakthrough ideas to elite investors and entrepreneurs, fighting for funding, mentorship, and the chance to turn bold visions into reality.
Everything culminates with conferences of geniuses from arts, business, and tech.
The Ark, Uranus 150
Bucharest, RO
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