Top 9 Hot Men of ETRE 2008

Maybe it was the fact that we were in Stockholm or that there were more entrepreneurs and VCs from the region, but this year, as with the Top Ten Hot Men of IBC 2008  there are a lot of Swedes on this list. We could call this the year of Scandinavians, but why don’t we just stick with the fact that these men are more than a pretty face.  In fact, two men didn’t even notice right away until we ended up spending time talking, dining and drinking with them and then it was quite obvious that they had to be on the list.

There were some that seemed like sure things from the photo alone or from the submissions we got from other women attending (thanks Yvonne!), but it takes more than that pretty face to make this list. We are looking for the well rounded man - the gentleman, the humorist, endearing charmer, the conversationalist, the genius, the innovator. (okay Andrej Nabergoj, Noovo.com and Phillip Boutellier, smeet.com were not here and it’s hard to even come close to their brains and their natural appeal as well rounded man  Esquire would write about)

So without any more delay, here is the Top 9 Hot Men of ETRE 2008 - and remember gentlemen, these are in NO particular order.

• Sascha Frank, Executive Director, Espiridon - This first time attendee caught our eye from the very beginning. Maybe because he bears an uncanny resemblance to a past Men of Venture winner, Johan Van Vulpen (CEO of Greetz) or maybe we are just into men with glasses this year. He’s a quiet one from Germany but those eyes and that smile made us lapse into a silly school girl and chatter away about nothing in the hope that he would stay a bit longer (he didn’t). The one thing about Sascha that kept him on the list was the way he truly listens when you talk, it’s like every one else on the planet is gone and you are the only one he wants to talk to - that is a talent. Did we mention the eyes?

• Per Holmlund, Stockholm Business Region - We had a relationship with Per long before we met him and liked his aggressive and decisive style, but then we met him he took our breathe a way. He channeled an 80s alternative band style and looked like he could be Beck’s brother which we like an awful lot. And, he could carry on a conversation in earnest, not waiting for someone better to come along, but when he was talking to you, he was talking to YOU. See a theme here?

• Magnus Wiberg, CFO, Test Freaks - First, he is a CFO - which means numbers and number   crunching, second, have you ever seen a CFO look this good? I mean the hair, the eyes, the clothes, that smile. Please, had we known that studying finance and math would lead to working with a man like this, we would have paid better attention in school instead of making dreamy eyes at the English lit majors. Magnus, another Swede, is not only good with numbers but has propelled TestFreaks into the spotlight because of its unique approach to market. Check them out before you buy your next device.

• Richard  Muirhead, CEO, Tideway - Men with glasses. Tall men with glasses. Smart, tall men with glasses. Smart, tall, debonaire men with glasses. If they are looking for the next Bond when they get sick to death of the blond Daniel Craig, then they should run to Richard. Even the tagline for his company is Bond-like; “XRay Vision for IT” We listened to him on a panel and could not decide what was hotter, the companies technology or him. Either way, he makes us happy that a super tech guy can look this good. (candid photo of Richard in a long trench coat coming next week)

• Jakob Berg, CEO, PopCatcher - Imagine this: Prada decides it needs a new model that can channel a classic, yet modern smoldering look that evokes the feeling of  walking hand-in-hand along a recently dampened, dimly lit cobblestone side street in Prague with his trench coat draped around your shoulders and the scent of almonds  in the air after lingering on the Charles bridge gazing at the sunset over the Vlatava River - this is the face they are looking for. We digress, but we think you get the picture. Plus, he’s all about the music - PopCatcher records your favorite songs on the radio and then puts them on your MP3 player -sans those annoying commercials. See what we mean?

• Tomas Wenstrom, Editor, What’s Next - The first time a journalist has ever made the list in this space and you will know why if you ever get to talk to Tomas. A quiet  yet aggressive journalist, Tomas brings together the basic elements of being a modern man in today’s larger than life tech egos - he is a charmer, even on via SMS he makes you smile and want to run all over the conference to track down Tim Draper for him and his smile will make you even want to fetch him a cup of coffee. Yes we admit it, we wouldn’t mind fetching him a cup of coffee.

Jonas (L) and Daniel (R)

• Daniel Arthursson, CEO and Jonas Thornholm, CFO  — both of Xcerion and icloud -These are the two spectacular Swedish men that snuck up on us. First, we can’t get enough of the Cloud and icloud. As brand new users, we are blown away even more than getting a pair of Jimmy Choos on sale. This service is the future of computing and we haven’t been this excited about something since Noovo. Now, back to the reasons why these men are on the list - both for two separate reasons - for Daniel (on the R in the photo) it is because he is the quiet storm, the innovator and passion behind icloud- you can feel it and see it when he talks to you, he is a believer. Daniel is also effortlessly stylish and his boyish good looks remind us that charm goes a long way in our books.  For Jonas - it’s the fact that again, we have a hot CFO that can do more than just talk numbers. Jonas is engaging and versed in the power of the message which appeals to us - he draws you in instantly and the conversation is fluid, compelling and oddly makes you not want to stop talking to him. Did we mention the eyes? Don’t forget your map, cause you might not get out without it.

• Tim Draper, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson - Very little introduction is necessary for this winner, except for this. We never really spent a lot of time with Tim before - just passing, brief chats over coffee, etc. But this conference, we got to spend some real one-on-one time with him and found that we actually should have had him on the list before because of four things: Boyish good looks, long on charm with a deceptively charming smile, Jon Stewart sense of humor, channeling Howard Rourke-like qualities in his approach to everything and the fact that he can sit in a chair like the one in this photo and do an interview with Telecom Finance. Come on - a man that doesn’t take him self too seriously and sits on top of the Venture world and is completely acessable. Pay attention to this recipe, it’s appealing, alluring and makes him who he is today, oh and on this list. (new photo coming next week)

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Tags: Andrej Nabergoj, Cloud computing, Espiridon, icloud, Noovo.com, PopCatcher, TestFreaks, Tideway, Tim Draper, What's Next