Jan got involved in the European venture ecosystem in 2010. He has led investments in 15 companies such as data Artisans, wunderlist and Blickfeld, and helped lead these companies to significant financings and exits. He focusses on investments in digital services and software companies with a special dedication to open-source based projects.

Prior to investing, he spent seven years in the IT and consulting industry where he gained extensive experience in conception and implementation of IT service management organizations and systems.

Jan has a degree in Computer Science.

Sophie got involved in the start-up scene 10 years ago. She has extensive HR experience from prior operational and leadership roles in companies of various sizes – from early-stage startups to larger organizations. Sophie’s career started in the recruitment industry and she has also gained international experience.

She is passionate about working with people and loves analyzing, developing and aligning an employee's skills with the challenges of an organization. She works with our portfolio companies to develop and grow their human resource management and culture in line with the changing needs. Furthermore she adds experience around how to work with different cultural backgrounds within an organization and how to set up international locations.

Sophie holds a bachelor’s degree with a major in Human Resource Management.

Laura manages our brand's marketing and communication activities.

Having worked in marketing for over 6 years, she’s highly experienced in the areas of brand building, personal branding, event management and public relations. Previously, Laura worked for a management consultancy in B2B-Marketing and helped set up the communication activities of a hospitality startup.

Laura holds a master’s degree in marketing and cultural studies.

Christian has been part of the European venture ecosystem for over 20 years. He closely follows a broad range of industries and has led investments in more than 30 companies, including Zalando, Delivery Hero, Klarna and Global Fashion Group.

Before becoming an investor, Christian was co-founder of a fintech company, worked in business development and sales of leading IT companies, and in the early days of e-commerce was responsible for building the online presences of two major retailers. During his career as an investor, he supported six companies on their journey to IPO and was involved in multiple 9-digit trade sales.

Christian holds a master’s degree in business.

Helmut has more than 10 years of experience in venture capital and leads our legal, finance and operations team.

In addition to his 10+ years in VC he has 25+ years of transactional experience and has been involved in many headline-grabbing M&A transactions, IPOs and corporate restructurings. He served as Deputy Head of Legal and Authorized Officer in a multi-billion family business and worked for a renowned law firm in the Middle East.

As an experienced inhouse counsel Helmut knows how to structure businesses from a legal point of view and to prepare them for the future.

Helmut is a fully qualified lawyer.

Akşar's first touchpoint with the VC ecosystem was a corporate venture capital investment into a fintech while working for an investment bank.

He has 10+ years work experience gained through roles in Investment Banking/ M&A, Strategy Consulting and Private Equity Investments for a family office. Akşar is seasoned in originating and executing transactions, covering the entire deal process, just as in the conceptualization of strategies in different industries. He is passionate about the nexus of digital and vertical business models as well as the digital consumer space.

Akşar holds an Executive MBA in Mergers & Acquisitions and a German/French double master’s degree in International Business.

Laura started working in venture capital in 2018. She supports our portfolio companies in building their finance organizations – from spreadsheet to ERP - and heads our investor relations and finance.

Previously Laura was with a leading auditing, tax and advisory firm and supported transactions, fundraisings and restructurings across industries and stages of the business lifecycle.

Laura holds a master’s degree in accounting and finance.

Carolin became active in the start-up ecosystem with a focus on sustainable businesses in her prior role as an Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) consultant in 2020.

She has worked in Consulting for more than 5 years and has experience in creating and operationalizing ESG-strategies within various industries. She started her career as a research assistant focusing on empirical & normative studies in the field of ESG, while working as an independent consultant for a multi-supervisory board member.

Carolin holds a PhD in Economics with a focus on ESG (summa cum laude) and a master’s degree in finance & accounting.

Mauritz is part of our investment team.

He began his career as a management consultant with a focus on financial institutions. Having gained first insights into the start-up ecosystem during his undergraduate studies in 2016, he is passionate about connecting with inspiring founders and discussing ideas.

Mauritz studied in Dublin, Reutlingen and Lisbon and holds a master’s degree in business analytics.

Maximilian started working in venture in 2018 and specializes in fintech, consumer internet and open-source software companies.

He has experience in developing and executing strategies across industries after previous roles in Consulting and Investment Banking. He started his career as a research associate focusing on empirical studies on financial markets.

Maximilian holds a PhD and a master’s degree in finance & accounting. He is a CFA charterholder.

Daniel started his career as a management consultant in the U.S. and Germany for 5+ years with a focus on financial services and solutions. In 2016 he got involved in the startup ecosystem, joining a German fintech company as part of its management team. He led a broad range of strategic projects and operations, including debt fundraisings from institutional investors.

He is passionate about the intersections between business development, finance, governance and regulation … and the people making it all happen.

Daniel holds master’s degree in management & economics, is a CFA charterholder and an Executive MBA candidate.

Johannes has been working in venture capital since 2018.

He seeks promising early-growth business models via research grounded in first principles and bold narratives. Currently, Johannes is interested in the intersection of networks, processing power and human nature.

Prior to VC, Johannes worked in policy and research at an EU institution and a U.S. grand strategy program, focusing on the future of financial markets.

Johannes studied in the U.S. graduating summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa and with distinction in Ethics, Politics and Economics.

Wilken first got into venture capital about 20 years ago when the European ecosystem was just starting to develop.

Wilken’s professional career encompasses both investment and operational management roles. He was in charge of building and leading the operations of one of Europe’s first online video portals and had the great personal pleasure of managing a professional soccer club in Germany. Furthermore Wilken spent many years in various roles at a global media corporation, where he worked on international growth investments and M&A transactions.

Wilken has a keen interest in enterprise software and the future of digital entertainment and holds a master’s degree in economics.

Sandra manages our accounting and office activities. Also, she supports the team in ESG, legal and controlling.

Sandra previously worked for a company which is specialized in import and wholesale where she created concepts for the planning and realization of innovative product launches. Also, she analyzed product groups for the sustainable optimization of the product portfolio up to the coordination of global delivery of goods. During her education, she discovered her passion for organization and administrative management.

Sandra is Management Assistant for Office Communication.