The Core Team
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Rafal Czerniawski
Founding Partner
Read bioClose [x]Rafal is a founding partner of Betatron.
His passion is for helping entrepreneurs to build, launch and scale their products.
Prior to his entrepreneurial itch, Rafal was CTO at CLSA and CIO at SetClear; his career spans thirty years in software and product development for investment banks. He founded IC Studio and Betatron.
Rafal’s expertise covers all aspects of product development, Fintech, software and investing.
Rafal is an advisor to a number of Hong Kong startups, helping them making best technology choices, scaling, fundraising and staying focused on what matters most: building products that customers want.
Outside of work, he listens to Jazz records, takes photos and loves exploring the world.
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Matthias Knobloch
Managing Director
Read bioClose [x]Matthias joined the Betatron team as Managing Director after previously being involved as an investor and mentor for Betatron's cohort 2&3 companies.
Prior to that, Matthias was Managing Director and Head of Debt-Syndicate Asia-Pacific at HSBC where he managed several hundred billion US$ of transactions. Before moving to Hong Kong in 2009, Matthias held various positions at HSBC's capital markets business in London. Matthias holds a Master of Mathematical Finance degree from the University of Toronto as well as an MBA.
Matthias is passionate about helping start-ups build and scale their businesses. He is also active as investor and has launched a boutique investment firm focused on early-stage investing.
Outside of work, Matthias is a keen ultra-distance runner having finished many 100km+ races including a Top 5% finish of the famous Ultra-trail du Mont Blanc, a 170km trail race in the Alps that takes runners across France, Italy and Switzerland which he finished in 32 hours of running. He believes that passion, mental strength and a healthy dose of humbleness are key ingredients to success - in sports as much as for entrepreneurs.
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Erika Cheung
Programme Director
Read bioClose [x]Erika has a background in Silicon Valley startup ecosystems which she brought to Hong Kong.
After working in the biotech industry, she's experienced the highs and lows of the startup world. Erika reported a prolific Silicon Valley unicorn to ensure customer safety spurring the recall of tens of thousands of faulty blood tests. She also worked on a cancer treatment which led to a US$580m acquisition.
Erika is passionate about building entrepreneurial communities. She has been involved with organizations like Innovate Pasadena, Global Biotech Revolution and Women in Tech. Erika has a degree from UC Berkeley and turned down offers from UCSF & Stanford to pursue her career with startups.
As Programme Director, Erika is responsible for operational aspects and founders' needs at Betatron.
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Sam Ameen
Marketing Director
Read bioClose [x]Sam Ameen is an entrepreneur and digital marketer. His focus is helping technology-based startups scale effectively online by acquiring new users/customers using the latest growth hacking strategies.
Coming from an investment and professional poker playing background, Sam uses a logic and numbers driven approach to digital marketing. Instead of chasing ‘vanity’ metrics which don't generate business results, like most creatives in the industry, such as page views and number of ‘likes’.
Sam's expertise covers all aspects of digital marketing, including conversion rate optimization, pay-per-click advertising, building sales funnels, content marketing, and most importantly, reducing customer acquisition costs. Sam writes for a number of publications including Forbes and Tech In Asia, where he regularly shares insights into the startup and investment world.
Outside of work, he can be found playing football, exploring new countries and studying personal development.
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Michael Wojcieszek
Programme Manager
Read bioClose [x]A multi-lingual Cambridge University Science graduate and published researcher, Michael is also the Co-founder of Educational Charity OSCA (Oxbridge Summer Camps Abroad).
He brings expertise in the Biomedical and Educational spaces to Hong Kong, and as Programme Manager of Betatron he runs operations and helps founders to achieve their goals.
Michael is passionate about helping motivated founders build disruptive and impactful startups.
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Don Bosco Choi
Head of Product
Read bioClose [x]Don is a creative with expertise in UI/UX and product development. He focuses on helping startups deliver excellent user experiences and visual clarity in their products.
Don approaches product development with a design and user-oriented mindset. He values taking an active role wherever he can, and thus can often be found collaborating with founders, scribbling down wireframes and ideas. At Betatron, Don works closely with the cohort's startups to identify opportunities and pain points in their product. He guides them in establishing clear visual designs and seamless user experiences in their products to shape them up for Demo Day and beyond.
Outside of the office, he can be found traveling to new countries, hiking atop dangerously tall mountains, and getting a late night bite.
Our Advisors
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David Chang
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Roland Yau
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Arthur Law
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Marc Amez-Droz
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Kevin Kwong
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Tony Zander