Sabine VanderLinden

Activate Innovation Ecosystems | Tech Ambassador | Founder of Alchemy Crew Ventures + Scouting for Growth | Chair, Board Member, Advisor | Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow-Bayes Business School

I don't just talk about innovation, AI, workforce or digital transformation— I build the bridges that make things real.

As Founder & Venture-Client Partner of Alchemy Crew Ventures, I run global R&D + Adoption Labs that connect Fortune 500 insurers and corporates with the most brilliant tech ventures on the planet. Think of us as the “fast lane” between startup brilliance and enterprise adoption. My themes include FinTech/ InsurTech and deploying AI at scale responsibly. 

What this looks like in numbers:
📍 Accelerated 160+ ventures and sourced 55,000+ startups worldwide
📍 Invested in 35+ early stage startups
📍 Delivered exits like FitSense → Zurich (2018), MyFutureNow → L&G (2019), and Tia Tech → Sapiens (2020)
📍 Created Insurer-led Acceleration and Scaleup programs that turned pilot purgatory into scalable commercial success

But the real story? I help founders land their first million-dollar client, build authentic personal brands, and help corporates cut through the noise to adopt tech that drives real growth.

My world revolves around:
📍 Venture Clienting 2.0 & Corporate Innovation Frameworks
📍 AI (ethics, adoption, emerging risks)
📍 Climate Resilience, Risk Futures & Sustainability Transformation
📍 The Future of Work (where humans + tech thrive together)

Beyond Alchemy Crew:
📍 Co-editor of the bestselling INSURTECH Book
📍 Wrote forewords for the Future of Insurance and Momentum
📍 Lecturer on Corporate Venturing at Bayes Business School
📍 Board + advisory roles across VCs, Scaleups (The CareVoice), foundations (Women to Watch), standards (ACORD Solutions) & global insurers
📍 Top 10 Business Podcast "Scouting for Growth" 
📍 Recognized with 10+ awards, including Most Influential CEO – Insurance Corporate Ventures (2024/2025)

My channels beyond LinkedIn:
x.com: @SabineVdL
instagram: @sabinevdlofficial
Medium: @sabine_vdl
Podcast: Scouting for Growth and Beyond Tech Frontiers
Newsletter: alchemycrew.ventures

What drives me?
Creating value where others see friction.
Turning hype into measurable outcomes.
And making sure technology becomes a force for good, not just another buzzword.

Award List (10+): Insurance Times-Tech & Innovation Awards Winner (2018), Grant Thornton-Face of a Vibrant Economy (2018), Business Insurance-Women to Watch Honoree (2019), Corporate Vision-Venture Validation Firm of the Year (2021), Finalist Women in Insurance Perseverance Award (2021), Awarded Perseverant Company to Watch in (2021), ACORD Awards (2020/2023), Most Influential CEO-Insurance Corporate Ventures (2024/2025).

Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer & Venture Partner

Delivering venture labs that accelerate, industrialize and democratize the way tech ventures engage with corporations. These labs apply acceleration, co-creation, and commercialization techniques to de-risk the way insurers and financial institutions collaborate, grow, and scale their venture-led growth initiatives.

Also, systematizing for a select group of growth ventures the way their engagement with corporations.

You can find out more 👉🏽 https://alchemycrew.com/

Founder of Mental Health Simplified - Transformational Coach | Speaker - I LEAD professionals through the DARKEST moments of their life.

My name is Corey Preston,

Personally, I have undergone a vast transformation over the past eight years, escaping homelessness on the streets, drug trafficking and three suicide attempts. Previously diagnosed with CPTSD/PTSD, but now mostly symptom-free due to a lot of hard work and commitment. I'm a true Phoenix who has escaped hell and was lucky enough to find my purpose in serving community.

I'm the Founder of Mental Health Simplified. An organization that provides Mental Health Coaching and Motivational Speaking seminars. Our Coaches all have Lived Experience. Meaning they have overcome Mental health & Addiction related challenges. This allows us to better connect and relate with our clients to support their needs. Not just guiding someone from a text-book, but by actually showing them the way from experience.

Corey Preston

SELF FORGIVENESS is a crucial mile stone on our Healing journey. ❤️

#healingjourney #personaldevelopment #livedexperience #overcome #traumarecovery

MASTER COACH 💪 | Leveraging Lived Experience in 🌪️ Trauma Recovery, 🧠 Resilience & Mindset Transformation | 💥 Overcame Homelessness, Addiction and PTSD.

STOP Trusting the WRONG people. 

Just because you trust someone… doesn’t mean you have to trust them fully.
We don’t have to live in extremes. Life isn’t black or white, especially when it comes to relationships..

Everyone has a shadow... A shadow is darkness we carry that comes up as toxic behaviors. We all carry unresolved trauma, and with that comes those toxic behaviors buried deep beneath the surface.

Some people do the work to heal, and because of that, they become more trustworthy.
Others don’t. And when someone doesn’t face themselves, they’re often living a double life, suppressing the parts of them they’re too ashamed to acknowledge.

That doesn’t mean they’re all evil.
But it does mean you need to protect your heart.

In relationships, when you don’t truly know someone, keep one foot in and one foot out.
You’ll never fully know a person who avoids self reflection and doesn't work on themselves...If they’re not vulnerable about their flaws, if they don't take responsibility for their actions, this means they’re wearing a mask.

You don't see who they really are.. You only see an ice berg.

Anyone who doesn’t talk about their emotional challenges or past pain isn’t telling you the full story.
But when you shift your environment and surround yourself with people who are into healing and personal development, trust flows differently.
It’s not forced.
You feel it in your nervous system.
It’s safe because they show up for themselves.

That’s why we need to build our circle around people who are intentional, not those just drifting through life neglecting their growth.

Their neglect affects us more than we realize.
And that’s why we must let go of people who don’t serve our highest path.

Because when you do,
You empower yourself to expand.
To evolve.
To finally stop absorbing the emotional projections of people who refuse to face their own demons.

Sincerely,
Corey Preston,

(Every post is Organic Gluten Free NON-AI.. It takes time to write so if you enjoy please drop a LIKE/COMMENT to support my mission) ❤️

For details on how to REGISTER with me 1-ON-1 or in my Group Healing programs. Private message me or text: 778-330-0437 ❤️

#healingjourney #mentalhealthmatters #overcome #mindset #trauma

I was a victim of severe domestic violence. She was my first girlfriend at 21 years old.

As a kid I was bullied all through school, and my self worth was empty. I was struggling with addiction. And met her in a treatment center. Not exactly a great decision on my part.

Regardless I ended up trying to FIX HER. But her demons were powerful and violent.

Everyday her personality would split. We’d watch a movie in peace. And then she’d be in the bathroom for an hour binge drinking wine. Only to come out with eyes of a great white shark.

She burned me with cigarettes, bit me, hit me dozens of times and tore my soul out of my body with her words. I was a people pleaser. I didn’t defend myself. I just took it over and over.

Until one day I called my dad. And he called the cops after she attacked me. She ended up going to jail for two weeks.

After this event happened I became suicidal. I felt that there was no point to live anymore. After this I kept attracting narcissistic partners that cheated on me, and abused me.

Unfortunately the abuse started to transform me into a very abusive person too. I became everything I hated. And eventually I decided that I needed to exit this world.

That was the moment I felt the shame. The dissatisfaction for my behavior. I abandoned myself and burned everything around me.

Within those ashes I found myself. I screamed to God please help me to overcome this. I made a commitment in my heart to never let the darkness that happened to me ever hurt another person again.

I’m grateful to say that I’ve made good on this promise and have grown significantly on my journey.

Don’t let the people that hurt you create a monster within your heart. Lean into love and let go of the dark.

Sincerely,
Corey Preston,

For details on how to REGISTER for my 1 ON 1 and Group Coaching programs please Private message me for details 🙂 🙏

#personaldevelopment #healingjourney #mentalhealthmatters #overcome #trauma

You don’t fucking love them. You just feel guilty, and that’s why you subject yourself to their abuse.

A narcissistic parent will entangle and warp your mind to feel guilt. It’s a control mechanism. They abuse you and, like a spider, wrap you into a web of guilt tripping to keep you in their grasp.

They will program you as a kid and as an adult, and make you feel that no matter what they do, you can never turn your back on “family,” even if that family has traumatized you and made you feel worthless.

So often I see clients tell me, “Corey… every time I see my parents, I feel dread and destabilized for days or weeks after because of their abuse and triggers.”

This is childhood guilt wired into your beliefs… that if you don’t show up for them, then you’re not good enough. But then you see them, and what happens? You crash and feel devastated after....

This is because of two things: 1) their manipulation, and 2) Self-abuse, because you feel you deserve these agonizing emotions of worthlessness. It’s not love. It’s expectation, and it’s harming your heart...

The way to break this cycle is, firstly, building awareness that you’re doing this. Secondly, tapping into the anger and dissatisfaction of how their hurt affects you. 

Thirdly, letting those feelings of frustration become the catalyst to start deploying boundaries and distance to protect your energy, and potentially working up to cutting them out of your life.

Sincerely,
Corey Preston,

I help people HEAL and OVERCOME Narcissistic famy related childhood trauma. If interested in registering to work 1-ON-1 or joining my Group Healing programs:

Text: 778-330-0437 
Email: Corey@mentalhealthsimplified.ca 
Or PM me for details ❤️

#HealingJourney #childhoodtrauma #traumarecovery

Smashing beers and chain smoking joints was my past mental health routine. When I really wanted to escape, I'd lean hard on cocaine and a cocktail of uppers and downers. If I felt sad or uncomfortable, I always had tools to make myself feel "better."

That was until the high went away, and I ended up feeling even worse than before. I was so stuck in trying to survive day to day that I didn't even know what I was fighting for. In fact, I didn't even know that there was any hope. When you're in the shit, you don't think about sunny days. That only made me more angry because I was in such a dark hole.

Eventually, I got so sick of drugs and binge drinking. Whenever I had the thought of getting wasted, I would think of all the shameful memories I had made. It would bring a certain type of inner disgust that I felt in my stomach. Each impulse I had to do drugs was met with significant discomfort. I'd visualize the worst moments of my life each time.

This actually reprogrammed my mindset with addiction. Previously, I would feel happy at the thought of getting high. But slowly, as I met each toxic thought with this approach, my desire for getting loaded began to fade. I replaced those self sabotaging impulses with healthy ones.

I'd work out, read books, watch personal development podcasts, and created a foundation of tools like grounding exercises, affirmations, cold showers, and practicing gratitude daily. I celebrated every positive action I made, telling myself that I'm proud of my efforts each time an action was achieved. Eventually, the monster within turned into an inner guardian. My inner voice no longer wished to hurt me, and I broke free from survival mode.

If youre struggling with addiction. Don't give up. Replace those negative impulses with healthy habits. Celebrate each win you have with gratitude. You'll shift your addictive mind to crave healing and growth. 

Sincerely,
Corey Preston,

To sign up for my 4-WEEK Group Healing program PM me to REGISTER 🙂🙏 OR TEXT 778-330-0437 ❤️

#healingjourney #overcome

No matter what PEOPLE will JUDGE you! Whether you PRETEND to be like THEM or you just be YOURSELF. So what the fuck is the DIFFERENCE? Just be AUTHENTIC.. Because you'll end up so much HAPPIER in life not SUPPRESSING who you really are!!! ❤️

Normally, soldiers leave the military with PTSD, whereas I went in already suffering from the debilitating condition. 

At the time, I didn’t even realize I had it. Being bullied for seven years in school motivated me to join the military. I never wanted to be hurt again. My dad was a soldier, and I wanted to make him proud. But when I joined the army, I had extreme anxiety from post-traumatic stress. 

I struggled significantly in basic training and battle school. Our instructors had just returned from a combat tour in Afghanistan, and they pushed us to our limits day and night. I almost broke three times and nearly gave up. Out of 52 soldiers, only 24 remained halfway through training.

One of the toughest challenges was a seven-day sleep deprivation exercise, where we were constantly under attack by enemy forces. I started hallucinating from exhaustion. It was brutal, so brutal that one soldier ended up on suicide watch and was later medically discharged.

Despite everything, my heart wouldn’t let me quit. Up until that point in my life, I had always felt worthless. I was tired of not following through on things. Every day, my mind told me to give up. It felt like I had to put in 200 percent just to keep up with everyone else. But I pushed through. Eventually, I graduated as a fully qualified infantry soldier.

Not long after, I was sent back to my regiment and marched in a Remembrance Day ceremony. I remember sitting in a restaurant with my dad and uncle when a little boy came up to me and asked if he could shake my hand. He thanked me for my service, and his father bought me a drink. I had tears streaming down my face. That was the first time in my life I ever felt proud of myself.

I hope this message inspires someone out there who is struggling. Take a moment to look back at the times in your life when you achieved something meaningful. Do not forget that you have the ability to do it again. Never give up. Things will get better. Let's break the stigma of Mental health. 🙏

Sincerely,
Corey Preston,

Many years ago I had a partner that would always flirt with other men. 

I was already pretty insecure, and her behaviour made me go crazy with jealousy.

One time we went on a trip, and a guy was making a move on her. They both disappeared behind a building.

I saw the man give her a piece of paper with his number. After I confronted her, she gaslighted me about the situation, even though there was evidence.

This was when I realized that yes I was insecure, but I also had a partner that was triggering those feelings.

We were not compatible, and that was a hard pill to swallow. Because I loved that woman a lot.

However, if you can't trust someone to be loyal. What's the point of having a life partner?

That type of behaviour unless you're in a non-monogamous relationship is unacceptable. Unfortunately, so many guys and women get stuck with partners that cheat, flirt and hurt them.

The best thing to do is to let these partners go. You may hurt for a while. But if you work on healing and personal development.

You will discover why you're attracted to non-faithful partners. It all stems from Childhood Trauma, and these toxic patterns can be reversed.

Don't settle for just having an attachment. If your partner keeps hurting you, and they're not aligned with your core values.

Do what's right by your heart. Let them go, learn from this and create higher standards for yourself. 

Eventually, you will find the right partner, and that person will help you heal your trust issues. I'm happily married now, and I'm no longer jealous. We can all break this cycle. 🙏

(The beautiful lady in the picture is my wife, and not my ex girlfriend FYI.)

Are you struggling and seeking support? Feel free to private message me for details on our 1 ON 1 and Group Mental Health Coaching programs. 🙂🙏

 #overcome #healingjourney #wellness #speaker #vulnerability

This is why you're DEPRESSED. This is how to OVERCOME it.

Hope this helps many of you! If you need support. Feel free to private message me for details on our 1-ON-1 and Group Mental Health Coaching programs. ❤️

#healingjourney #selfcare #coaching #resilience #mentalhealthawareness

Those who abuse other people HATE themselves. If someone in your past or present made you feel worthless. This message is for you. 🙏

My wife drove me crazy. Her triggers would bring raw aggression. I would then become defensive and fight back.

She wasn’t actually fighting me. She was fighting to be seen and heard. To have a voice. I wasn’t fighting her either. I was fighting for the little boy inside of me who was abused and left behind.

We had a one way ticket to divorce unless we both showed up.

As a healthy masculine man my responsibility is not to control her emotions. Rather to not lose myself in the midst of the storm. To focus on grounding myself to be the leader.

To lead her back to love by showing her empathy even when part of me feels resentful or wants to ATTACK.

When Ava would get triggered I would sit with her until I felt the energy was too powerful. Then I or her would set a boundary of space to calm down.

Upon returning I would think of the person I love beyond the feelings of hurt. Knowing that yes I am upset but that my wife is suffering. First I pull myself out of my dark hole. Then I go back for my wife.

At first she does not feel safe. So she tries to test my foundation by saying things that cause my nervous system to get on guard. But I keep the image of that beautiful soul in my minds eye.

“She needs me right now” I say to myself. I wrap my arms around her, and look her in the eyes and tell her, “I accept you. I love you.” The doorway to her heart opens. 

I feel her powerful energy slowly dissipating. Tears begin to fall down her eyes. Her anger fades and I see her soften.

She did not need me to defend myself. She needed me to be there for her. True masculinity is facing your own demons so that you have enough strength to face your partner’s.

When she sees im not reacting. Ava is able to see herself. Shes able to come back to love.

Sincerely,
Corey Preston

I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder previously, but I also had CPTSD, which is childhood trauma over a long period of time in my early development..

It turns out the “BPD” label is starting to get a lot of heat, and thank God. For many years I knew this diagnosis was wrong, because people who have “borderline” always had complex childhood trauma. 

Our survival responses of becoming extremely aggressive to defend ourselves when triggered were seen as a personality disorder, when in reality it is a normal fight response from trauma.

This diagnosis carried a lot of trauma around it. This label became a mental prison where I felt helpless, because when you go on the internet, you learn about the mental health disorder and think you are screwed from everything you read.

The problem is that in our mental health system, trauma is not a focus. Labels and prescribing pills are the go to because the system is completely overwhelmed and underfunded. So many people carry a label that may not even be true.

My best advice is to always seek a second opinion and to find younger psychiatrists or psychologists if you are seeking a proper assessment. They tend to have less bias and bad habits and be more patient centered with their approach.

And to all those struggling with an identity crisis with your diagnosis, my advice is to let go of the labels. Focus on getting healthy with your mind, body, and nervous system. 

These labels do not define you. The more you focus on them, the more they will disempower your growth. You have the ability to overcome anything in front of you with enough effort and support.

Sincerely,
Corey Preston, 

For details on our 1-ON-1 and Group Mental Health Coaching programs please Private message me or TEXT: 778-330-0437 ❤️

#childhoodtrauma #personaldevelopment #healingjourney

Becoming RESILIENT when you have Trauma is a necessity. At first its to OVERCOME Survival Mode but eventually it allows you to THRIVE and feel happiness and peace. The stronger we are the more we out GROW our past.🙏

To REGISTER for 1-ON-1 or Group Mental health coaching programs. TEXT: 778-330-0437 🙂

Trauma cannot HEAL in ISOLATION. 

To REGISTER for our 1-ON-1 and Group Mental Health Coaching programs. Private message me for details 
 
#childhoodtrauma #traumarecovery #posttraumaticgrowth #resilience #overcome

How to PROCESS our feelings by UNPACKING❤️

To sign up for my 4-WEEK Group Healing program PM me to REGISTER 

#personaldevelopment #trauma #healingjourney #overcome #mentalhealthmatters #traumarecovery #childhoodtrauma

I told my wife lastnight that I didn't think I would make it. My Trauma was so severe, and I thought it was impossible to get better.

It was terrible shaking from tremors almost daily. My PTSD was that bad. There was a seriously sinister inner critic inside of my mind. When rage hit me I became possessed. My body would surge with uncontrollable energy. Because of this I hurt a lot of people I cared about. While sabotaging everything in my life. I'm fortunate to have survived the overdoses and suicide attempts.

This was only 6 years ago that I really started changing who I was and healed significantly. Sometimes it feels like a dream, and that I won the lottery. I don't have any toxic people around anymore. Nor can I accept drama or chaos in my life. Which can be weird at times. Because that's all I knew before most of my life. All I know is I'm grateful, and I don't take this lightly.

If people truly knew how bad off I was. I think most would believe that overcoming Trauma is possible. The same guy leading a Mental health organization was a person that cut himself to get attention, faked seizures and was a violent criminal. I was a certified lost cause in all books, but I proved with the right tools you can make it. Don't give up. Keep learning.

Biggest takeaways...

Somatic grounding exercises for Trauma will regulate your emotions. Affirmations done daily will reprogram your negative mind. Exercise will strengthen your discipline. Most importantly find a meaning in your life. We must feel useful like we're serving or contributing. Otherwise we will remain lost....

Many don't make it because their mindset is stuck in survival mode. But what's beyond survival? What does life look like when you're happy and feeling content? Start thinking in this way and you will overcome your circumstances. Because than your fighting for a better life. Not just to make it through the day.... Hope this inspires someone struggling. ❤️ Dont give up.

Sincerely,
Corey Preston,

🔥 I HELP people OVERCOME major life CHALLENGES 💪 | Leveraging Lived Experience in 🌪️ Trauma Recovery, 🧠 Resilience & Mindset Transformation | 💥 Overcame Homelessness, Addiction & PTSD 🙌

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Sabine VanderLinden

Corey Preston

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