MEET OUR FOUNDERS
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Luis Novella
Co-Founder | Lead
Luis is an executive and entrepreneur with experience in energy, cybersecurity, insurance, FinTech/DeFi, and consulting.
Over his 30+ year career, he’s had extensive hands-on experience in the US, Europe, and Latin America. Luis specializes in turning businesses around into profitability and scaling up tech companies. He has been a board member of several start-ups and is highly experienced in matters of International Corporate Governance. He has also managed the EMEA and LatAm operations of several US technology and professional services companies and held senior leadership positions at KPMG, Accenture, The Hackett Group, and Areva.
He is a Chartered Director, FIoD and former Chairman of the IoD in France. He Chairs IXI Labs, is an Executive Director of BanSivar, and is the COO at Hownd.
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Sammy Tuffaha
Co-Founder | Tampa Bay Lead
Sammy Tuffaha is a technology innovation and FinTech expert with more than two decades of diverse experience in conceptualizing new products and orchestrating the global launch of solutions for industry leaders such as IBM, AT&T, Orange, and Etisalat.
During his leadership of the Etisalat FinTech accelerator and advisory roles with Orange incubators and Orange Techo-Center, Sammy played a key role in facilitating the deployment of innovative startups’ solutions across diverse markets. As a partner at Vivat Group and the founder of multiple startups, he continues to offer instrumental support to technology companies, contributing to their overall growth and expansion into the US and Florida markets.
Complementing his entrepreneurial ventures, Sammy is also the co-founder of Tech Florida Advocates helping to connect tech leaders around the globe.
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Maryem Sader
Women in Tech Lead
Maryem is a creative branding, marketing, and strategic communications professional with 20+ years of experience in international and global markets, with a particular interest in leadership and innovation.
Her background ranges from working in North and South America, to the ME and Europe; from Corporate brands to PR Agencies, startups, and scaleups; from press relations, go-to-market and positioning strategies to art, tech, and innovation.
She is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at AKARi and a Board Member at Funtasia Impact. She also serves as a Fractional CMO.