Number of Portfolio Companies 1
Number of Exits 
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  • Investor Type  Investment Partner, Individual/Angel
  • Investor Stage  Seed
  • Number of Exits 

Mr. Fries founded Ecosystem Ventures in December of 2005 to address the pending need for investment and support in European technologies and pre-seed-stage companies. Mr. Fries began his career as a telecommunications analyst for Credit Suisse, and went on to build and prepare MCI WorldCom in Switzerland for the European telecommunications

liberalization.

Mr. Fries then moved on to work as Executive Vice President of sales and marketing for Advance Visual Communications, a Boston-based venture-backed content company sold to USWeb, and as a senior market manager for Europe and Latin America at the Lucent Technologies Wireless Broadband Division.

Mr. Fries brings over 20 years of progressive experience in founding, funding, and managing global businesses that provide technology, products, and services to telecommunication operators, enterprises, and consumers. His most recent entrepreneurial experiences include the co-founding of Playspan Inc (e-commerce & mirco-payment platform for online gaming) and sold to VISA International in 2011 , SDK Biotechnologies Inc. (Diagnostics) and PURE SWISS AG (Beverage brand). In 2001 Mr. Fries also co-founded the ETH spin-off SVOX AG, a venture-backed company in Switzerland, where he led the marketing, business development, and strategic partnerships teams and sold to Nuance Communications Inc in 2011.

Mr. Fries is founder of the European-American Angels Club, a Silicon Valley-based organization that actively invests in European Start-ups. He also heads the Club Entrepreneur, a sub-chapter of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce in Northern California, where he is also a member of the Board of Directors. In 2010, Mr. Fries was also appointed to the Board of the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative, the first of its kind in Switzerland.

Mr. Fries received a BA in finance and an M.B.A. in telecommunications and international marketing from the University of San Francisco. Prior to moving to the United States, Mr. Fries accomplished a Swiss Banking Diploma at UBS. He has lived in Hong-Kong, Switzerland, Chile, and the USA, and speaks fluent German, Spanish, French, and English. This background allows Mr. Fries to interact professionally in a multilingual, multicultural business environment.

Number of Investments 1
Alex Fries invested in Appstores.com on Aug 1, 2011. This investment - Angel Round - Appstores.com - was valued at
$565K
.
Announced Date  
Organization Name  
Lead Investor  
Funding Round  
Money Raised  
Aug 1, 2011
Appstores.com
No
Angel Round - Appstores.com
$565K
Number of Partner Investments 10
Number of Exits 
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Alex Fries has exit - Appstores.com.
  • Appstores.com Appstores.com develops tools that indicate the relevant applications required for catering to users' needs.
Number of Current Jobs 2
Number of Past Jobs 7
Alex Fries has 2 current jobs as Advisor Investment Fund at Energie360° and Partner at InnoQube Swiss. Additionally, Alex Fries has had 7 past jobs including Co-Founder & Partner at Alpana Ventures.
Organization Name  
Title At Company  
Start Date  
End Date  
Alpana Ventures
Co-Founder & PartnerJul 2018Oct 2021
Polytech Ventures
Managing PartnerSep 1, 2015Jun 30, 2018
Credit Suisse
Telecommunications Analyst
SVOX
Co-founder2001
PlaySpan
Co-Founder
Ecosystem Ventures
President & Founder2005
Lucent
Senior Market Maanger
Number of Current Board & Advisor Roles 5
Number of Past Board & Advisor Roles 2
Alex Fries holds 5 board and advisor roles including Board Member at CodeCheck, Board Member at emonitor, and Board Member at GYANT.
Organization Name  
Title At Company  
Start Date  
End Date  
Car IQ
Board MemberApr 20172021
Tinamu
Board MemberAug 2020
Alex Fries studied at University of San Francisco.
Number of News Articles 3
NewsSep 2, 2019
Startup Ticker (Switzerland) — Your Role as Startup CEO
NewsMar 22, 2016
Funding RoundAug 1, 2011
Appstores.com raised $565,000 / Angel from 500 Global and 10 other investors