Our Global Engagement Partners

Based in Zurich, Switzerland, Katja zwilling brings over 17 years of experience across entrepreneurship, education, innovation, and ecosystem development, making her a strong global partner for outreach efforts of NOA Sustainability Lab in Europe.

She has worked extensively within the Swiss education and innovation system, from apprenticeship programs to applied research projects with universities. Her experience at an Institute for Innovation within a University of Applied Sciences strengthened her expertise in applied research, innovation management, and multi-stakeholder collaboration—directly aligned with NOA’s mission to connect startups, academia, corporates, and institutions globally.

Katja is deeply embedded in the Swiss startup ecosystem and maintains a strong international network. A hands-on entrepreneur, she has founded two companies and led numerous initiatives in entrepreneurship and innovation, enabling her to translate strategy into execution.

Working at the intersection of business, education, and public institutions, Katja specializes in building trust-based, cross-border partnerships. As Global Engagement Partner, she enables NOA to activate global collaborations and scale sustainable innovation beyond borders.

Dr. Maria Frangieh is an entrepreneur, educator, and global ecosystem builder with over 20 years of experience supporting startups, institutions, and enterprises in scaling across international markets. She is the Founder & CEO of Socialprise, an award-winning business development and digital growth agency operating globally since 2005, and has founded multiple ventures enabling SMEs to access large regional markets, particularly across the GCC.

A recognised leader in entrepreneurship and innovation, Dr. Maria has been honoured with the Marketing 2.0 Influencer Award (2022) and Women Entrepreneur Award (2023), and named among the 50 Under 50 Female Founders - Middle East & Africa (2024). She actively mentors international startups, government bodies, and accelerators, and has partnered with leading global programs including MBRIF, Berytech, GTF, SKEMA, GEM, and Bloom, helping them expand into new markets with measurable impact.

Dr. Maria is also a university lecturer in entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and e-commerce, holding a Doctorate in Web Technologies and Knowledge Sharing, and teaches across leading international universities.

As Global Network Partner of GCC & UAE , she enables NOA Sustainability Lab to activate global deal flow, strategic partnerships, and international market access for climate and innovation-led ventures.