Arijana (Rageth) Walcott

Arijana Walcott is the Founder and Managing Partner of DART Labs, an accelerator located in Zurich and San Francisco that invests in breakthrough technologies that positively impact people and the planet.

She is the Director of Studies in CAS Disruptive Technologies, a part-time certificate course that examines both existing (ready-to-use) technologies and those that have not yet reached market maturity (emerging), at the Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich HWZ.

With over 15 years of experience in technology, she has previously worked with several Fortune 500 companies, and is the Board member of many startups including Imverse, is a 3D/VR technology company and an EPFL spin-off, developing tools and solutions for 3D content creators; Birdly/Somniacs, a platform that creates an extremely vivid full-body experience with virtual reality (VR) and robotics technology SOMNIACS; and aiaibot.

She held several positions at Swisscom, where she served for more than 8 years. She is also a Board Member of Swiss Startup Association. 

Arijana has contributed and appeared for mediums like Swiss National Television, NZZ Podium, and Blick.ch. She is involved in various speaking engagements including as a keynote speaker and panelist at many events, like VR World, London: State of XR (May 2017), European Investor Fair, Rueschlikon: AR/VR in Enterprise (Sept. 2018), and Digital Design Day, Business Edition, Geneva - Virtual Reality for social good (Feb. 2019), to name a few.

Arijana did her Bachelor of Applied Science in General Management from HSO Wirtschaftsschule Schweiz. She received her Venture Capital Certificate from the School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, and Startup Board Member Certificate from ZHAW School of Management and Law.

Arijana started her career at ProLog Logistics in San Diego, U.S.A, holding multiple roles for about four years. She, then, joined Swisscom in 2010, serving the organisation for more than 8 years. During her time at Swisscom, Arijana upskilled herself by finishing her Bachelor's in Applied Science in General Management from HSO Wirtschaftsschule Schweiz in 2015 and also doing courses in Emerging Technologies like IoT and Big Data, and other leadership programmes.

Her inclination to encourage the growth of emerging technologies leveraged her to become the Board Member at IMVERSE, a 3D/VR technology company and an EPFL spin-off that develops tools and solutions for 3D content creators. 

Appearing in Blick.ch, Switzerland's most-read newspaper in 2017, Arijana created a 7-week series on ‘Our future with emerging technologies’. Drawing from her experience in Silicon Valley, she made complex concepts easily understood and outlined a promising future using technologies being developed today.

Since 2019, Arijana is the Director of Studies in CAS Disruptive Technologies at Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich HWZ. The part-time certificate course examines both existing (ready-to-use) technologies and those that have not yet reached market maturity (emerging). 

Traversing her journey through various prominent corporate roles, Arijana co-founded DART Labs in 2019, an investment firm and an accelerate for early-stage Swiss & European startups building breakthrough technologies that positively impact people and the planet.

Arijana is passionate about data and technology, and is committed to creating innovative solutions that help businesses make better decisions. She also has a strong belief in the power of data to drive positive change in the world.

At DART Labs, Arijana has been instrumental in leading the development of new products and services, such as the company’s artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions. She has also been involved in the development of the company’s open-source projects, and its collaborations with other technology companies.

Arijana’s leadership and vision have been instrumental in driving the success of DART Labs. She is committed to building a strong and innovative culture that fosters creativity and collaboration.