EBAN ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP TRANSITION:
Jacopo Losso to Depart After a Decade of Growth; Martin Skea Appointed Director General
EBAN, the pan-European trade association representing business angels, seed funds and early-stage market players, today announces a leadership transition at the helm of its secretariat. Martin Skea has been appointed Director General, effective 29 June 2026, succeeding Jacopo Losso who departs the role having built EBAN into one of Europe’s most recognised voices in early-stage investment.
Since joining EBAN in 2015, Jacopo Losso has been pivotal in shaping the organisation into a recognised and respected voice in European early-stage investment. Over more than a decade he built solid financial, membership, and institutional foundations, quadrupling EBAN’s revenues across his ten years. He grew the community and expanded EBAN’s footprint across Europe, including in France and Germany, and forged global partnerships with sister associations like the Angel Capital Association (ACA) in the US and the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) in Canada. During his tenure, Jacopo oversaw more than 20 EU-funded projects on startup investment readiness and angel capacity building, and delivered over 30 training workshops worldwide, forming hundreds of new angel investors. He hosted eleven editions each of the EBAN Congress and the Winter University — rebranded as the European Angel Investment Summit in 2019 and co-organised with the European Commission in Brussels ever since. He also represented EBAN in Commissioner Zaharieva’s Startup and Scaleup EU Task Force, contributing to policies such as the 28th Regime, Jacopo has decided to step down to continue his career in angel investment and venture capital, a field he is passionate about. The Board thanks him for his commitment and wishes him well.
Martin Skea brings to EBAN a senior executive career spanning financial services, international management consulting, and entrepreneurial venture development on both sides of the Atlantic. He has held senior leadership roles at Wells Fargo, where he served as Managing Director overseeing large-scale client engagement, product and brand development across complex, multi-stakeholder organisations — including the launch of Wells Fargo Private Bank and the introduction of a segmented affluent client offer. More recently, Martin has been based in Belgium and Ireland, leading Skye Advisory and founding ToGather Homes (Skye Real Estate BV) — a European Certified B Corporation and alumnus of the EU’s New European Bauhaus Catalyse Accelerator. Through ToGather Homes, Martin has engaged directly with EU institutions including the Affordable Housing Task Force, as well as the EIT and NEB communities, as an entrepreneur operating at the intersection of housing innovation and EU policy — experience he brings directly to his new role. His academic background includes an undergraduate degree in Economics and executive programmes at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, The Wharton School, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management
QUOTE — JACOPO LOSSO, OUTGOING DIRECTOR GENERAL
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have had to lead EBAN over these years, and for the trust placed in me by our members, our Board and our partners. This is not a goodbye to the community: I will very much remain part of the angel investment ecosystem, and I hope to keep contributing to growing and fostering angel investment across Europe and between countries. It has been a privilege, and I am excited for what comes next — both for EBAN under Martin’s leadership and for the wider community we have built together.”
QUOTE — MARTIN SKEA, INCOMING DIRECTOR GENERAL
“Across DG FISMA, DG GROW, and DG CONNECT, the European Commission is advancing an agenda that requires private early-stage capital at scale — from tech sovereignty and strategic autonomy, to the advancement of the Savings and Investments Union, including key files such as PEPP reform, the Market Integration and Supervision Package, and the 28th regime. EBAN is the community that deploys that capital, and ensuring its voice is heard in those conversations is central to this role.”
QUOTE — JESPER JARLBÆK, PRESIDENT OF EBAN
“What sets Martin apart is not just his financial services background but his track record of actually building — organisations, partnerships, networks — across Europe. It’s a unique combination, and exactly what this role demands. We couldn’t be more pleased to have him.
EBAN is a key interlocutor with the European Commission — including DG FISMA and DG GROW — and with EU bodies including the European Investment Fund and the European Innovation Council, on policy matters affecting early-stage investment, angel investing, and startup financing across Europe. Martin Skea will be based full-time in Belgium.
About EBAN
EBAN — the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and Early Stage Market Players — is the pan-European representative body for the early-stage investor community. Founded in 1999 with the support of the European Commission, EBAN gathers over 100 member organisations across Europe, facilitates cross-border investment, and engages with EU institutions on policy and regulation affecting entrepreneurship and early-stage financing. www.eban.org
