ACE Ventures at startup days in Bern

On May 14th, ACE Ventures hosted a dynamic panel discussion, “Inside the Boardroom: Navigating Startup Boards with Seasoned VCs,” at this year’s Startup Days in Bern.

Moderated by ACE Ventures, the panel featured three powerhouse speakers:

• Alessandra Agnello, Principal at ACE Ventures
• Jennifer McCloskey, Investor at Swisscom Ventures
• Isabelle Siegrist, Founder & CEO of Sandborn

Together, they shared honest, experience-backed insights into building and managing startup boards that truly support growth—not just governance.

Highlights from the Discussion

• Credibility on the board starts with leaning into your unique expertise—what you know that others don’t—and developing the discipline to ask focused, thoughtful questions that push conversations toward core issues.
• Effective boards thrive on radical transparency. When founders share both wins and challenges openly, they’re able to make full use of the board’s collective strengths and experience.
• Several pitfalls can weaken a board’s impact. These include members arriving unprepared, advice that ignores context or relies too heavily on past playbooks, and board members who blur the line between governance and management.

Looking Ahead

This session wasn’t just a deep dive into board mechanics—it was a reminder of the human dynamics that power effective governance. It also sparked follow-up conversations that we hope will continue across boardrooms, pitch meetings, and startup roundtables long after the event.

Huge thanks to our incredible speakers—Alessandra, Jennifer, and Isabelle—for bringing their candor and clarity to the stage, and to everyone who joined us in Bern.