Our Team — ORTUS Brand Venture Studio

GIOVANI FRANCO

Founder · Venture & Brand Building

Venture Building · Brand Building · Business Development · Operations

Giovani leads ORTUS across venture building, brand development, business development and operations. He is also the founder of Nuvem.Lda and Noctem AI, bringing direct experience from building and operating his own ventures. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Air Transport Management. At ORTUS, Giovani focuses on connecting the opportunity to the business — deciding what should be built, how it should work and how it moves from idea to market.

Based in Lisbon, Portugal

KIANO

Co-Founder · Marketing & Brand

Brand Strategy · Marketing · Consumer Insight · Growth

Kiano focuses on marketing, brand strategy, consumer understanding and growth. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and previously completed a CTeSP in Marketing. Kiano is also Giovani's business partner in Nuvem.Lda. The original Nuvem.Lda idea came from Kiano, while Giovani developed and operationalised the project together with him. At ORTUS, Kiano focuses on understanding consumers, shaping brands and turning attention into demand.

Based in Lisbon, Portugal

IVERSON

International Trade & Sourcing

International Trade · Sourcing · Suppliers · Procurement · Global Markets

Iverson focuses on international trade, sourcing, suppliers and procurement. He is studying International Trade in China and is based in Changzhou. Being based in China places Iverson directly within one of the world's most important manufacturing and sourcing ecosystems. At ORTUS, he helps turn product concepts into real production possibilities by researching suppliers, comparing manufacturing options and supporting the sourcing process.

Based in Changzhou, China

ELIANE

International Strategy & Development

International Strategy · Market Development · Partnerships · International Expansion

Eliane focuses on international strategy, market development, partnerships and international expansion. She holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a Master's degree in International Development. Based in Leicester, United Kingdom, she brings an international perspective to how ORTUS evaluates markets, opportunities and potential expansion. At ORTUS, she focuses on identifying where brands can grow next and understanding the markets, partnerships and opportunities required to get there.

Based in Leicester, United Kingdom

Distributed studio

ONE STUDIO. FOUR LOCATIONS.

LISBON

CHANGZHOU

LEICESTER

EUROPEAN BASE. GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.

Our team is distributed across three cities and two continents. Lisbon — Giovani + Kiano. Changzhou — Iverson. Leicester — Eliane. This gives ORTUS perspectives across European markets, international development and global sourcing. These are team locations, not ORTUS offices.

Operating system

DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES. ONE BUILD.

GIOVANI FRANCOVenture Building / Brand Building / Business Development / Operations → ORTUS

KIANOBrand Strategy / Marketing / Consumer Insight / Growth → ORTUS

IVERSONInternational Trade / Sourcing / Suppliers / Procurement / Global Markets → ORTUS

ELIANEInternational Strategy / Market Development / Partnerships / International Expansion → ORTUS

Experience

WE'VE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES.

Before building brands for others, members of the team have built their own. Nuvem.Lda is one example of that experience — a consumer brand built from an initial idea through development and operation. That experience shapes how ORTUS works. We understand that behind every brand there is a product, supplier, customer, website, operations, distribution and numbers. We don't build from the sidelines. We build with you.

Team principle

OWN YOUR PART. BUILD THE WHOLE.

Everyone at ORTUS has a clear area of responsibility. But nobody works in isolation.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BUILD.