Who we are

At PanGeo Nature Risk, we are driven by a team of interdisciplinary experts with deep research backgrounds and a strong entrepreneurial mindset. All four of our founders are teaching at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), where they are leading cutting-edge research in environmental sustainability, geospatial analytics and finance. Currently in the R&D phase, we are developing innovative solutions that will lay the groundwork for future business operations in the nature risk space. Due to our long-standing practical industry experience, we understand the actual needs of our clients. Our experienced business advisor is guiding our business strategy.

Meet Our Founders and Advisors

René Itten

Role Chairman of the Management Board & Co-founder

About René Itten attained more than 15 years of experience as a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) specialist at the consultancies ESU-services Ltd. and treeze Ltd, as well as a researcher at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. In 2015, he started his work at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, building up a new research group on life cycle assessments with Matthias Stucki. Today, he is a senior researcher and lecturer in the LCA research group with 10 team members. René Itten is involved in many national and international research projects supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Horizon Europe research programmes. As a scientist, he sets value on communicating his findings not only to the scientific community but also to the broader public. His mission is to contribute to research and education that supports the integration of science-based life cycle thinking as a basis for sustainable decisions in science, business, politics, and society. Since 2023, he has been part of the board of directors of the Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation FSLCI e.V.

Peter Schwendner

Role Managing Partner & Co-founder

About Peter Schwendner is leading the project consortium "Spatial Sustainable Finance" from University of Zurich (UZH) and Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) that delivers the scientific foundations of our company. Peter gained 15 years experience as a quant in the financial industry before he joined the School of Management and Law at ZHAW. In his research, he is working with financial institutions like MunichRe Markets and the European Stability Mechanism. Peter holds a PhD in physics.

Jan-Alexander Posth

Role Partner & Co-founder

About Alex Posth is leading the "Digitising Environmental Impacts using Geospatial Analytics" project funded by DIZH. He is a Professor of Asset Management at the Institute for Wealth and Asset Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law, with a research focus on GreenTech and AI in Finance. Alex has a professional track record of over 12 years in the financial industry. He is a partner at EconSight AG and represents ZHAW as a Board Observer in the Swiss Green Fintech Network. Alex holds a PhD in theoretical physics.

Martin J. Fengler

Role Business Advisor

About Martin Fengler is a trained Mathematician with a PhD in Numerical Weather Prediction. In 2005/2006, he started his professional career with Meteomedia AG (later renamed MeteoGroup and DTN) in Gais, AR. Within Meteomedia AG, he was head of IT & Development. In summer 2011, he left Meteomedia and founded Meteomatics early in 2012 in St. Gallen. Since 2012, he has been CEO of Meteomatics AG. Meteomatics is a meteorological service providing data subscription services (SaaS) to its 700 B2B customers around the globe. And Meteomatics has grown now to a team of 160 employees.