Personal Life of AnaMaria Meshkurti
The Worlds Times: Explain your background in detail.
AnaMaria Meshkurti: AnaMaria Meshkurti is Managing Partner for a private family office investing in medtech and hardware startups. She leads the investments and partnerships for the European continent.
Previously she was the Head of Marketing, Communications and Engagement at the FONGIT (Fondation Genevoise pour l’Innovation Technologique), the premier Swiss technology startup innovation platform and incubator. Aiming at achieving positive social and economic impact, FONGIT supports startups in the technology sector who are based in Geneva or want to set up their headquarters in the canton. She is a seasoned startup mentor and judge for startups focusing on emerging technologies including AI, IoT, Blockchain, XR and the Metaverse. She has been a guest judge in many events such as the Experience Accelerators Future of Work Hackathon and the UN AI for Good Global Summit Innovation Factory, Infoshare event and more.
She worked for the United Nations (UN), in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Office for Europe, in charge of digital inclusion, skills, gender, youth, accessibility and innovation matters with European governments. During her time with the ITU Standardization Sector, she conceptualized and managed the ITU Smart Incubator programme for emerging tech start-ups in developing countries as well as oversaw ITU-T’s non-statutory events including workshops, seminars and forums. She also led trainings for the Bridging the Standardization Gap programme, supporting ITU delegates in the standardization process and worked with various groups on the topic of Policy and Regulatory matters, Fintech, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Internet of Things and more. She was instrumental to the delivery of several AI for Good Global Summits and the European Impact Summit 2020 as part of the Advisory Board of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
Prior to joining ITU she worked for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as well as in various UK based NGOs. She holds diplomas in Business Administration (MBA), Marketing and Communications (MA) as well as International Relations and Global Governance (Bs).
She was the Curator for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Shapers Geneva Hub, as well as is currently Chapter Leader for the HULT International Business School Alumni Association of Geneva and part of the Global Hult Alumni Executive Board. She is an angel investor and board member at Swiss Virtual Reality Startup VR4Business.ch and Secondworld.ch. She is a speaker at many international events on topics related to innovation, digital skills, gender, youth, accessibility and standardization. She was awarded the UN ITU Innovation award and recognized as one of the top 100 Swiss Digital Shapers in 2022 and 2023.
The Worlds Times: Give us one word that describes you the best.
AnaMaria Meshkurti: Positive
Goals & Strength of AnaMaria Meshkurti
The Worlds Times: What are your goals?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: My professional goals are related to supporting entrepreneurs in making their companies successful through investment as well as guidance on entering new markets and thriving in them.
My personal goal is to support further the Albanian entrepreneurship ecosystem, as I am originally Albanian and want to see that ecosystem thrive. There are a lot of very talented individuals in the country that with the right support can take over the world.
The Worlds Times: What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself right now?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: My biggest strength is the confidence I have in myself and the positive attitude. I feel that nothing is impossible, and I can achieve everything. This is something that my mother developed in me since a young age and for this I am very grateful to her.
Work Path & Challenges Faced
The Worlds Times: What was the path you took to get to where you are today?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: When I was young I always wanted to go to the United Kingdom and study there. Even though it was difficult and there were challenges to get there, I made it happen with the support of many. After the UK, where I had the chance to meet a lot of different people and grow personally, I decided to move to Switzerland. I always wanted to work for the United Nations and this is why I moved to the country with the highest number of UN agencies. I moved from 8 years in the UN to working for the Swiss government in supporting startups, to lastly moving into the private investment sphere.
The most important thing throughout this path was the support of people whom I knew or met who helped me to get where I am today. Nothing can be done alone in this world and this is why we must help where we can and accept the help that is handed to us.
The Worlds Times: Why did you start your profession?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: I started working in the UN because I studied politics and I loved the UN as an organization. However, the department I was in focused on technology and this was something new to me. In that department I grew and learnt a lot, but most importantly I learnt that I had a deep interest in tech and also in supporting startups when I started the ITU Smart Incubator programme.
The Worlds Times: What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome during the journey towards your dream?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: For me when I look back nothing is a challenge. The biggest challenge to overcome is the mindset and the barriers that you put to yourself. Everything is truly possible. Some things can take longer and others are faster, but in the end you can do it if you are focused. Sometimes I lost my focus and I would say the biggest challenge would have been to decide what to focus on as at times I was passionate about many things and also lost at the same time.
The Worlds Times: What are the key values which helped you to overcome the challenges in your path? Tell us something about your memorable incident in your leadership?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: The biggest value I always keep with me is gratefulness. I believe if you are grateful for everything you have and for those who helped you, you can achieve anything. Many years ago, I started managing a small team and one of the team members really saved us during a difficult moment. I could have taken the credit myself but I remained grateful to that person and ensure he received the praise. You have to be a servant leader and support others by putting them in front. Their work will make you grow as they grow.
Vision of AnaMaria Meshkurti
The Worlds Times: What are the strategies of you and how do you stand unique from others?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: My strategies focus on three things:
- Excellence: Being the best at your job so that no one can say you did something badly or did not deliver.
- Community: Network and create a good group of people that can be around you so that they can help you and you can help them.
- Learning: Continue developing yourself. Learning never stops and even though it sounds as a cliché I try to keep learning daily from others as well as from literature.
Future & Benefits
The Worlds Times: How do you see yourself changing in three years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: Change happens daily. I see myself creating more expertise in the spaces I have more interest in and really becoming that expert investor. How am I doing this? – surrounding myself with the right people and gaining knowledge as the best strategy.
The Worlds Times: What benefits are clients getting from you in this competitive world?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: For those who work with me not only with my investment hat on, but also with my consulting hat on when it comes to marketing, events, social media, PR, leadership and more – I try to bring a straightforward and honest approach to everything I do. Efficiency is key and creating a mini verse around what we are working on, meaning bringing the right stakeholders to the table is an approach I always use for every project. In the end I am always delivering to the highest standard possible.
Advice from AnaMaria Meshkurti
The Worlds Times: Would you like to say anything else to our viewers?
AnaMaria Meshkurti: As I am currently looking for medical device startups, I invite any entrepreneur in Seed to Series A stage in this space to reach out to me.
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