About me

In a technology-driven and increasingly digitalised world, innovations are the essential key to long-term prosperity and sustainability more than ever. This is my conviction. And as a former CFO it is my ambition to shape growth and innovation in a way that is also economically successful. Investments must pay off.
 
With over 25 years of experience in industries which were first to benefit from digital disruption, I turn digital business models into growth and value - with passion and proven success. Since 2017, I have been using this experience to help companies and investors in other industries to seize the opportunities that innovation and digitization offer for growth and value creation and turn them into successes. In doing so, I can draw on a large network in the digital, corporate and VC scene.
 
As a long-standing Managing Director and CFO of the investment holding company Axel Springer Digital, I helped build and commercially manage the digital investment portfolio of Axel Springer between 2004 and 2017. With more than 150 direct digital investments, this portfolio was the driving force behind the Group's digitization and contributed with an EBITDA of about €500 million more than 80% to the Group's operating result in 2017. Thanks to its early, courageous and consistent implementation, Axel Springer is considered a pioneer for digital transformation across all industries (described in numerous case studies, including two from Stanford University).

In an international best practice analysis of portfolio management in 2016, I was able to further refine the factors for the successful management of digital investments in the course of personal interviews with 18 of the world-leading corporate and venture capital investors (including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, IAC and General Atlantic).

From 2017 to 2019, I built up the Venture Investing business unit at Axel Springer hy where I advised listed and family-owned companies in the area of corporate venturing and corporate venture capital. hy, a majority holding of Axel Springer, was founded in 2017 as an innovative peer-to-peer entrepreneurial advisory firm to support companies of all industries in mastering the digital transformation based on the experience of Axel Springer and other digital experts .

As one of the leading experts, I have given numerous key note presentations and published articles on the topics of corporate venturing and corporate venture capital (see list below).

Before joining Axel Springer, I supported the international growth of Intershop, the pioneer of e-commerce software, in various finance functions, including one of the most successful IPOs in Germany and a dual listing on Nasdaq. Within just three years, revenues rose from €5 to €123 million, the number of employees from 170 to over 1,500, and the market capitalization to over €11 billion. The investor relations work, for which I was responsible among other things, was awarded the title "Best Investor Relations of a New Market Company in Europe" by the Financial Times and IR Magazine. 
 
However, I am not only familiar with periods of growth, but have also experienced a number of crises and accompanied restructurings.
 
After studying business administration at the Leuphana University of Lueneburg, I developed a concept for controlling the innovation activities of companies in my doctoral thesis. Since that time, my interest in successful innovation has accompanied me. 
 
Today, I drive successful innovation in different ways: I am Founding Partner of AI.FUND, a venture capital fund focused on AI, Partner at AI.STARTUP.HUB Hamburg, Founder of CVC Circle Hamburg, Venture Partner at the multi-corporate accelerator fund nca, Advisor at the AI initiative AI.Hamburg and member of the Innovation Committee of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. 
 
My professional stations at a glance:
 
Since 2020: Self-employed as Founder and Managing Director AccentorDigital, Founding Partner AI.FUND, Partner at AI.STARTUP.HUB Hamburg, Founder of CVC Circle Hamburg, Venture Partner at Multi-Corporate-Accelerator-Fonds nca, Advisor at AI-Initiative AI.Hamburg and Member of the Innovation Committee of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.
2017-2019: Senior Vice President Venture Investing, Axel Springer hy GmbH
2004-2017: CFO & Managing Director, Axel Springer Digital GmbH (further managing director positions, among others AS Ideas Ventures GmbH, Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator GmbH)
2003-2003: Head of Group Planning and Reporting, Axel Springer SE
2001-2003: Director Corporate Finance, Intershop Communications AG
1998-2001: Director Investor Relations & Controlling, Intershop Communications AG
1995-1998: Assistant to the Head of Finance and Accounting/Controlling, Axel Springer AG 
 
Privately I live with my family in Hamburg. I like to spend my free time with family and friends, doing sports in nature and at the sea.