Based in Zurich, Switzerland
Michaela is an experienced Talent & People Partner, certified Career Coach, and Head of Talent at Founderful (Switzerland’s leading pre-seed VC firm). With over 17 years of experience spanning Venture Capital, Google, and organizational design and carer development, she specializes in helping professionals navigate career transitions, scale high-performing teams, and secure leadership roles in tech, deep tech, and venture-backed startups. Michaela's niche is that she has been on the hiring side as an active recruitment lead and headhunter for more than a decade. Hence, she understands the current market and the shift in recruitment linked to AI, which impacts how roles are defined, positioned, and secured, especially at the C-level. In her current role, she actively supports hiring across C-level positions (CEO, CTO, COO, CCO, CoS, CRO, CIO etc.) in Switzerland, as well as in Europe and the US.
Prior to VC, Michaela spent 8+ years at Google in Zurich as a Talent Lead supporting cross-functional teams (in sales, strategy, operations and engineering) across EMEA and globally. Her expertise spans executive career strategy, internal mobility, total rewards, organizational culture, and diversity & inclusion. Having previously served as an HR Consultant for INSEAD, where she helped redesign career development strategies for MBA students and alumni, she brings a deep understanding of the INSEAD network and global talent markets.
