About

Hi there. I’m Barbara, startup coach and serial entrepreneur based in Zurich, Switzerland. I built and sold my first company, Trendhaus Pty Ltd, in Sydney Australia in 2012. After several years in the corporate world, I founded Arena Ventures AG in Zurich in 2016 with a mission to help startup founders successfully grow and fund their companies. Over the past ten years, I’ve supported hundreds of startup teams across Europe in raising capital.

In my work, I collaborate with trusted experts in cofounding, legal matters, sales, storytelling, and financial modeling. I see fundraising not as a one-off event, but as a strategic, long-term process that needs careful steering. I help founders move from simply raising money to raising the right money—because investor relationships typically last for many years. At Arena Ventures, we create value by reducing risk, variance, and wasted effort, with the greatest impact coming from strong preparation and clear strategy and communication.