Zuzana Kasanova

Zuzana Kasanova, PhD is a tech transfer and innovation professional with over ten years of experience working at the interface of academic research, early-stage innovation support and venture creation.

She works at KU Leuven Research & Development, the university’s technology transfer and innovation arm, where she focuses on shaping business models, governance structures, teams, and funding strategies for early-stage projects, particularly in health, biotech, and deep tech. Zuzana designed and led the Ignite accelerator program, supporting POC de-risking of research and mission-driven projects and helping to build a broader venture creation ecosystem within the university, including Experts-in-Residence and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence program.

In parallel, she contributed to the setup and governance of an innovation investment fund embedded within the university, supporting project selection and milestone-based development. Zuzana has also been advising the TenU Proof-Of-Concept Working Group and exchanging best practices in that domain. Trained originally as a molecular neuroscientist, Zuzana brings a strong scientific foundation to her work and is particularly interested in sustainable and inclusive venture creation, further honed in through the TenU Future Leaders program.