Vanessa Cann

AI Manager, Entrepreneur and Investor

Vanessa Cann is one of the most recognized voices in Europe’s AI ecosystem. She is Managing Director and Data & AI Innovation Lead at Accenture, where she advises board members and C-suite leaders of Europe’s largest companies on how to generate real ROI from artificial intelligence. She also leads Accenture’s Data & AI merger  and  acquisition  activities  across  Germany,  Switzerland,  and  Austria.

Alongside her professional role, Vanessa is an active business angel, investing in vertical Saas and deep-tech Startups.

Previously, Vanessa co-founded nyonic, one of Europe’s leading deep-tech companies developing domain-specific large language models, valued at over €100 million. As CEO Europe and Managing Director, she built international teams in Berlin and Shanghai, drove global fundraising, and positioned the company as a key player in the global AI race.

Earlier, as Managing Director of the German AI Association, Vanessa scaled the association to more than 500 members, making it the largest AI company network in Europe. She also co-founded the European AI Forum, which today represents over 2,000 members in 10 countries and gives European startups a united political voice in Brussels.
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Her career began in digital policy, advising the world’s leading tech companies on European regulation before joining the German Startups Association, where she built AI and mobility platforms connecting more than 1,000 startups, corporates, and investors.

Vanessa’s leadership has been recognized by Forbes (Top 30 Under 30), Capital (Top 40 Under 40), and Manager Magazin (Top 23 Women in AI). She is a sought-after keynote speaker and trusted advisor whose thought leadership is regularly featured in major media. Combining entrepreneurial drive, policy expertise, and corporate leadership, Vanessa’s mission is to empower Europe not just to adopt AI, but to shape it.

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