Experts
We are a community of entrepreneurs united by our passion for innovation, growth and excellence. Aware that many innovative companies do not always receive the right advice from experts or structures specialized in the support functions crucial to their governance, we have chosen to join forces to offer tailor-made support, aligned with the ambitions and specific needs of each organization.
Our commitment is to build lasting partnerships with founders and investors, bringing proven expertise and a results-oriented approach. With our personal experience and international network, we are committed to optimizing our partners’ time and avoiding the mistakes we have encountered over the years. We are committed to bringing significant added value to every project we support.
Members
Benjamin
Saulnier
Founding Partner
Resume
Benjamin is the founder of The Scale Group, with a career marked by 7 years of experience in Private Equity and 13 years of entrepreneurship, during which he co-founded 5 companies. His extensive experience covers various fields such as ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), data management, and healthcare.
Benjamin imagined The Scale Group based on his own entrepreneurial adventures. He created this community to offer innovative companies strategic and operational support that he himself would have liked to have. Aware of the costly mistakes and wasted time he could have avoided with a partner like The Scale Group, Benjamin is determined to help other founders navigate their projects more efficiently.
Its commitment to innovation and growth, combined with its international network and practical experience, are the driving forces that propel The Scale Group towards the goal of becoming a reference in supporting entrepreneurs.
Benjamin is a certified InnoSuisse Scale Up coach 
Benjamin graduated from ESSEC Business School, France
Diane
Freymond
Managing Partner
Resume
Diane is an expert in HR and business management, with over 15 years of experience specializing in strategy and operations for startups and scale-ups. Having collaborated with companies like Legartis, Lumiphase, and 9T Labs, she now focuses on helping Swiss-based companies turn their people into their greatest asset through her fractional HR services.
Diane is a certified Innosuisse Start-Up coach.
Cara
Tobin, PhD
Managing Partner
Resume
Cara has over 20 years of international experience as an environmental engineer in supporting sustainable innovations to scale-up globally (focus on US and emerging markets). As a former entrepreneur she supported climate adaptation and mitigation projects / innovations in raising over USD 300 million in financing. Cara acts as an impact investor and a Venture Partner with a Boston-based VC fund.
Cara has mentored over 100 start-ups since 2018 and was rated as the top Entrepreneur-in-Residence in 2022 and 2023 for Mass Challenge. Cara coaches companies (from start-up to scale-up) to use sustainable product and business design and to integrate circularity as much as possible. She is a specialist in conducting streamlined Life Cycle Assessments and in quantifying impact metrics to align innovations with the Sustainable Development Goals. She also supports companies with carbon markets and in developing sustainability reports to capture impact investment.
Cara is a certified Innosuisse Special coach.
Cara holds a Master’s from Stanford University and a PhD from EPFL (Switzlerand).
Alex
Khachaturyan
Managing Partner
Resume
With 15 years of experience in investment origination, execution, and value creation, Alex has successfully partnered with over 30 founders and business owners, securing USD 3 billion in investments to fuel business growth across Europe the Middle East and Africa. His expertise lies in designing customized financing strategies, building strategic partnerships, and developing business models that prioritize long-term growth and value creation.
By leveraging a strong international network of partners and clients across Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, Alex identifies emerging opportunities and fosters high-impact collaborations. His global outlook allows him to expand market reach while adeptly navigating complex international dynamics.
Alex’s experience spans a diverse range of industries, including Consumer, Energy & Infrastructure, Cleantech, Manufacturing, and Metals & Mining.
Alex holds an M.S. in Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique, France.
Charles
Azanlekor
Managing Partner
Resume
With over 19 years of global experience in Information Technology, Charles has held pivotal roles such as IT Architect, PMI-PMP & Scrum Certified Project Manager, Chief Technology Officer, and IT Innovation Entrepreneur. Renowned for leveraging technologies like AI, Blockchain, Web3, and Big Data, he develops strategies that deliver measurable business value.
Charles has advised major organizations, including the State of Vaud, SNCF, the State of Geneva, Atos, AlpineTECH, Swibeco, and Groupe Carrefour, guiding them in implementing cutting-edge technology solutions on projects with budgets reaching up to 6 million Swiss francs.
Since 2016, Charles has mentored numerous startups, helping them build innovative IT products and secure over 12 million Swiss francs in funding. His expertise in blockchain technology is well-regarded; he has led groundbreaking projects in Web3 and AI and shares his knowledge as a blockchain trainer. Contributing insights to journals like Le Temps, Charles remains committed to empowering businesses at every stage—from startups to established enterprises—to thrive through technological innovation.
Charles holds a Master in engineering from Telecom Saint Etienne (France).
CHARLOTTE
BEL
Partner
Resume
Charlotte is a product leader with 15 years of experience scaling B2B software products and product organizations in agile & international environments. She has a background in computer science with hands-on experience across travel tech and fintech. She specializes in bringing structure, focus, and execution reliability to growing organizations.
She helps startups & scale ups maintain product focus when they scale: when the volume of requests explodes, stakeholder pressure intensifies, teams start operating in silos, delivery becomes unstable and the product roadmap increasingly becomes part of the sales and customer negotiation process.
Charlotte holds a Master’s degree from HEC Paris and an engineering degree from ENSIMAG. She is PMP® certified and SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager certified.
PHILIPPE
GRIVAT
Of Counsel
Resume
Philippe Grivat is a Swiss attorney-at-law based in Lausanne, admitted to the Vaud Bar and practicing at VOX Legal, a boutique firm he co-founded in 2023. His practice focuses on business law: commercial contracts, corporate governance, intellectual property, technology law, and the legal structuring of startups and growth companies. Having built and run his own company, he approaches legal counsel with a founder’s mindset, keeping strategic and commercial realities at the center of every decision.
Philippe is the co-founder and CEO of LegalPass SA, a Swiss legaltech company developing technology solutions to make legal services more accessible to SMEs. In 2023, LegalPass orchestrated Switzerland’s first coordinated legal action on behalf of over 3,500 Credit Suisse shareholders, an initiative covered by the Financial Times, NZZ, Le Temps, RTS, Bilan, and AWP, among others.
As Of Counsel at The Scale Group, Philippe provides independent legal counsel to founders and investors on corporate structuring, fundraising transactions, and governance, from incorporation and shareholder agreements to the full legal documentation of financing rounds.