With the 2025 UNLEASH Startup Award now open for entries, here’s your chance to get to know the judging panel on the hunt for the best and brightest technology startups in the HR world.

Returning for its 13th year at UNLEASH World 2025, the award shines a spotlight on the most exciting and valuable innovations taking place in the HR technology world.

With a sponsorship package prize from UNLEASH worth €50,000 available to the winner, the UNLEASH Startup Award will showcase the best new businesses and ideas.

The finalists will pitch before a panel of expert judges and thought leaders in HR tech, competing for the grand prize on 21 October at 11:00 AM.

The competition is a must-see for anybody looking to procure cutting-edge tech or simply curious about what the hottest market trends are today and what the HR tech landscape will look like tomorrow.

Entries for UNLEASH World 2025 startups close on 12 September at 11:49 PST. Learn more about the application process and check out our handy guide on how to make the most of your entry.

Here’s the lowdown on this year’s judging panel:

Chair: Jess Von Bank, Global Leader, HR Transformation & Technology Advisory, Analyst and Now of Work Community Leader, Mercer

Jess Von Bank is an 18-year industry veteran and impassioned evangelist of the modern candidate and employee experience. As both a former recruiting practitioner and an expert in bringing TA Tech and HCM vendor solutions to market, Jess looks to broaden executive mindsets to better design and deliver a workforce experience that exceeds the expectations of talent and the needs of the business.

Jess offers specialized expertise in talent acquisition, recruitment marketing, employer branding, DEI&B, brand-building, and storytelling.

Jess is the Head of Marketing for Leapgen, a digital transformation company shaping the world of work. She also runs ‘Now of Work’, Leapgen’s global community for HR, Talent, and workforce experience professionals.

Jess is an active community emcee, ambassador for women’s and girls’ organizations, and President of Diverse Daisies, a nonprofit for girls’ enrichment and empowerment. She lives in Minneapolis, where she races for free swag and raises her 3 daughters.

Chair: Jason Averbook, Senior Partner, Mercer 

As a Senior Partner and Global Leader of Digital HR Strategy at Mercer, Jason Averbook helps organizations realize the true value of their workforce and the impact that workforce has on the business outcomes. With more than 25 years of experience in the HR and technology industries, Jason has collaborated with industry-leading companies in transforming their HR organizations into strategic partners.

Jason is also a recognized author, analyst, thought leader, and keynote speaker on the topics of human resources, the future of work, and the role of technology in shaping the workforce of tomorrow. He has authored two books, HR from Now to Next and The Ultimate Guide to a Digital Workforce Experience, and is a member of the Forbes Business Council and several advisory boards.

Jason’s goal is to broaden the executive mindset and rethink how to better design and deliver employee services that meet the expectations of the workforce and the needs of the business.

Audrey Handem, Senior Associate, Acadian Ventures

Audrey is part of the investment team at Acadian Ventures, based between London and New York City.

Prior to Acadian, Audrey was a first-check investor at Speedinvest, a pan-European venture capital firm and one of Europe’s most active early-stage investors. At Speedinvest, Audrey specialized in AI, worktech, and workflow automation tools, with investments including Autone.io, FifthDimensionAI.com, GetVocal.ai, Alinia.ai, ContextSDK, and Walt.id. Before Speedinvest, Audrey worked as a consultant for the European Investment Bank’s Venture Debt team, leveraging her background as a trained neuroscientist.

Franco-American and born in New York City, Audrey grew up across Europe, including France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the UK. She is fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, and English, and holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Cardiff University and a second Master’s degree from The London School of Economics.

Kathi Enderes, Senior Vice President Research and Global Industry Analyst, The Josh Bersin Company

Kathi is a Senior Vice President and Global Industry Analyst at The Josh Bersin Company, supporting clients and the market with evidence-based insights on all areas of HR, Learning, Talent, and HR Technology.

Kathi has more than 20 years global experience from management consulting with IBM, PwC, and EY, and as a talent leader at McKesson and Kaiser Permanente. Most recently, Kathi led talent and workforce research at Deloitte. She is a frequent keynote speaker, author, and thought leader.

Originally from Austria, Kathi has worked in Vienna, London, San Francisco, and Spain and now lives in Palo Alto, California. Her passion is to make work better and more meaningful. Kathi holds a doctoral degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Vienna, Austria.

Benjamin Visser, CEO & Founder, allygatr

Benjamin Visser has been shaping the recruiting world for more than 20 years.

He is founder and CEO of allygatr, the #1 operative Venture Capitalist for HR Tech in Germany, which has invested in 17 digital startups (more to come).

The unique concept of operational support and access to its “allyance”, its investor’s network of knowledge and contacts, has been attracting founders, talents and investors.

Matthias Pietsch, Founder & CEO, HRTech Strategy 

Matt Pietsch is a C-Suite Executive, CRO / CSO with over 25 years of experience in Human Capital Management/HR Technology and innovative SaaS products businesses.

A proven business transformer, revenue accelerator and creator of exceptional shareholder value, he has led seven different early stage/startup companies through various phases of growth acceleration, global expansion, fund-raising and successful exit.

Whether in a situation that requires restructure, turnaround, accelerating a successful business, revamping the go-to-market strategy, or global expansion, he positions companies for success.

Marilyn Pearson Hendricks, CEO & Managing Partner, WorkTech Advisory 

Marilyn Pearson Hendricks is an HR technology executive with 20+ years of experience.

Her expertise spans numerous HR SaaS providers, and she has dedicated her career to advancing the technology, processes and mindset that support innovative people management used by organizations globally.

Syed Ali Abbas, Vice President of People, Hello Fresh 

Syed Ali Abbas is Vice President of People – International, SE and HRBPs at HelloFresh, the largest meal-kit company in the world.

In this role, Syed serves as the matrix People leader for the SE corporate HQ in Germany plus all HelloFresh markets around the world excluding North America; and functionally leads the SE HR Business Partner team supporting the Global / International functions including Tech.

He has previously held various leadership roles in other companies including Group HR Director for Global Fashion Group, Chief HR Officer for Pacnet Group, Chief Strategy Officer for Epitome Global and Executive Director of HR for AT&T Inc.

Syed has also served on Boards in Executive Director, Non-Executive Director and Board Committee roles. He is an HR Transformation and HR Tech veteran, who also has experience as a leader, advisor and investor in the HRTech startup space.

Want more information?

For more tips and insights, join the UNLEASH Startup community here.

And for more information on our Startup packages, which provide marketing opportunities to showcase your achievements, please contact:

Kennedy Cook, Startup & Investor Program Lead – at Kennedy@unleash.ai

Aniko Illes, Startup Business Development Manager – at Aniko@unleash.ai or on 00 36 20 255 87 41.