Meet The Team
Co-founder & Commercial Director
Elizaveta Baranova
Elizaveta Baranova is an entrepreneur with a background in nutraceutical startups. Key highlights include: • Leading the development and market launch of a B2C nutritional supplements line, including product formulation, supplier negotiations, and sales channel strategy. • Expanding business operations by establishing strategic partnerships and distributor networks in Europe, USA and GCC countries.
Co-founder
Timur Gazizullin
Timur Gazizullin is an experienced executive with a proven track record in real estate, venture capital, and entrepreneurship. Key highlights include: • Managing commercial and residential properties and co-working space development. • Founding Ecotech VC, a cleantech fund focused on ESG and decarbonization. • Creating and scaling a Bootcamp fitness chain.
CEO
André Neves
André holds a master degree in Chemical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico and an Executive MBA from INDEG-ISCTE. With over 15 years of experience in operations and management across industries such as Pharmaceuticals, Food, and Biotechnology, he brings a broad perspective on building and scaling businesses. As CEO of AGROPHENOLS, André leads the company in strengthening its mission on sustainable purpose while building sustainable and resilient operations.
Business Development
Anastasia Levada
Anastasia is an experienced Business Development Director specializing in new project development across Europe and the Middle East. She has worked at Big-4 firms, focusing on commercial due diligence and strategy optimization for both large companies and startups. In this project, Anastasia will lead the development of new business opportunities and strategy optimization.
Sales
Débora Moutela
With over 15 years of leadership experience, Débora specializes in building and managing high-performance teams and driving global growth through strategic business initiatives. Her proactive, results-oriented approach has been key to delivering impactful projects and achieving sustainable business success. She has a proven track record of turning ambitious goals into reality, thriving in environments where strategic thinking and leadership are essential for long-term transformation.
Operations
Vinicius Silva
Vinicius is an experienced operations professional with over six years of experience in global markets. Holding an MBA from China, he has worked across various industries and companies in China, Brazil, Canada, and Portugal. In this project, he will lead operational management, optimizing the company’s processes while ensuring efficiency and scalability in its operations.
Legal
Karla Morais
Karla Morais is a lawyer with over 10 years of experience and a Master’s in International Law. She brings a strategic blend of Legal Operations and expertise in corporate structuring, company formation, financial regulation, and global mobility. With a strong background in fintech and startup environments, she has extensive experience drafting and negotiating complex technology and commercial contracts, advising on AI and tech products, and building scalable legal frameworks that enable growth. Karla will lead our legal function, focusing on corporate governance, structuring, and investments, ensuring the company scales in a compliant and sustainable way.
Research & Development
Oumaima Boutoub
Oumaima holds a PhD in Biological Sciences, specializing in Biotechnology and Microbiology. She has extensive hands-on experience in laboratory work, including conducting analyses and extracting polyphenols from various plant sources. She also has a background in R&D at a leading international pharmaceutical company. In this project, Oumaima will lead the laboratory analysis and R&D efforts.
Research & Development
Miguel Santos
Miguel Santos specializes in advanced HPLC techniques to optimize the yield and purification of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) for gene therapy. He also brings project management experience from the National Innovation Agency, where he worked on PORTUGAL 2020 and 2030 programs, gaining key insights into scientific innovation and technology funding.
Research & Development
João Silva
João Silva is a skilled researcher with expertise in protein purification, computational biology, and computer-aided drug design. With a Master’s degree in Biotechnology, he has advanced drug discovery and bioprocess innovation through interdisciplinary work. In this project, he supports R&D and optimizes production processes, applying advanced data analysis to drive efficiency and improve outcomes.
Research & Development
Subhi Salman
Subhi holds a PhD in Soil Science, specializing in biochar and soil carbon systems, with extensive experience in both laboratory and field-based research, including biochar characterization, soil carbon sequestration, and biomass valorization. He has extensive experience in biochar systems and has contributed to translating biochar from a raw material into a valuable, market-ready product. He has worked across research, operations, and carbon markets, developing and designing monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks while supporting the scale-up of nature-based carbon removal systems. His background includes translating scientific methodologies into practical, deployable solutions aligned with carbon standards, alongside experience in developing nature-based fertilizers and applied agronomy.
PR & Communications
Anastasia Rumyantseva
Anastasia Rumyantseva is a marketing executive and growth strategist with over a decade of experience. She has led launches across the CIS, the EU, and the Middle East, driving up to 650K USD in additional profit through rebranding, digital channels, and performance-focused campaigns. Her background includes leading marketing for premium brands, orchestrating trade shows and delivering PR campaigns. In this project, Anastasia brings a strong combination of strategic vision, hands-on execution, and team leadership to build recognizable brands and sustainable revenue growth in global markets.
PR & Communications
Sofia Gomes
Sofia Alexandra Gomes studied Communication at UBI and FCH-UCP and International Relations at UMinho. With early experience in cultural, regional and local journalism in Portugal, she has been involved in writing and editing for print and online publications, creating and managing content for social networks, and overseeing digital platforms. At AGROPHENOLS, Sofia brings her knowledge of the country’s media landscape, as well as a broader understanding of communication channels, to contribute to shaping our PR & Communications strategy, especially at a national level.
Production & Packaging
Anatoly Zotov
Anatoly was Deputy Director of the NSC for Innovations, Scientific Development, and Marketing for 11 years. He pioneered Russia’s first integrated facility for processing wet grape pomace and launched a pilot project for extracting grape seed polyphenols. In this project, he will oversee the technological aspects, including equipment selection and production process optimization.
External Scientific Advisor
Ana Barros
Ana Novo Barros is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at one of Portugal’s leading universities, specializing in Food Chemistry. With extensive academic and research experience, she focuses on advanced studies in food composition, quality, and safety, contributing to the development of innovative analytical methodologies and sustainable food processing techniques.