Multiple award-winner of the SpaceX Hyperloop Competition, and founder of the EPFLoop team. He graduated as a Valedictorian in Electrical Engineering and is a current PhD candidate at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, EPFL, working on a thesis focused on Electrical Energy, Optimal Design and Operation Strategies of the Hyperloop Transportation System.

Multiple award winner of the SpaceX Hyperloop Competition with the EPFLoop team. He has extensive technical experience, ranging from medical device development to engine design of FA-18 fighter jets. He holds a degree with a focus on Mechanical Design and Materials Science and is the current Mechanical Engineering Lead of the Mechanical Metallurgy Laboratory at EPFL.

With a product design and entrepreneurial background, Vlad brings both technical and business strategy experience to the Swisspod team. He is the co-founder of both Oupio, a consumer electronics company, and Creative Pill Design Studio, a design & engineering consultancy. He holds a degree in Architecture with an area of expertise in Architectural and Product Design.

Leonard is a computational and bio-engineer from EPFL and has won the global iGEM Competition, ranking #1 out of 353 teams worldwide. He was responsible for all communications, whose presentation and live demo won the Grand Prize and was nominated for Best Presentation by a panel of 120 judges. He previously worked in R&D at Novartis Gene Therapies (prev. AveXis, acq. by Novartis for $8.7B), where he researched on next gen AAVs to cure rare neurological diseases.

Gila joined Swisspod with more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry, working at leading international regulatory agencies and airlines such as Swissair, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and DSV-Panalpina. Her expertise in Risk and Governance covers Safety, Supply Chain Security, Sustainability, Cross-Border Facilitation and Quality. She holds an MBA with concentration on Market Research as well as a BSc in Technology.

Dario is a specialist in Electromagnetic Systems Design, Construction and Operation, Magnetic Materials and Multiphysics Simulation. He has acquired over 20 years of experience in the field and is a Principal Investigator in multiple research projects funded by academia, industry partners and governments.

Teodor holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering at EPFL, focused on Nanoscale Device Engineering and Microfabrication. He has a background in Analog Integrated Circuit Design and also has great interest in hands-on mechanical engineering and prototyping.

Materials, Processes and Systems engineer with experience in design, manufacturing, inspection, and testing of AM parts combining strong hands-on experience with modeling, statistical analysis, and theory. Experienced in process method development, validation, control and optimization for innovative advanced and high-performance materials. He holds a PhD in Materials Science in conjunction with ESA and the Swiss Space Center.

With a scientific and entrepreneurial background, Maria understands the technological and business challenges that deep tech start-ups are facing. She is passionate about science and technology-based start-ups, game-changing innovations, and purpose-driven businesses that focus on creating value and impact. She holds a PhD in Physics, an MBA, and she brings more than 10 years of experience working with deep technology start-ups in business development and strategy.