IN A NUTSHELL

Connecting the dots - respecting the odds: Getting your strategy focused and agile without getting lost in theory and metaphysics. Avoiding ideology and rose-colored glasses: balancing opportunities and risks. For startups, enterprises, NGOs, innovation ecosystem builders. Foresight studies. Market and impact analytics. Risk management. Strategy consulting. Policy consulting. Capacity-building. Investment-readiness. B2B, B2G, and industrial. Special focus on Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Germany. More than 30 years of experience in getting things done.

NEWSBLOG

2023/10/09 Berliner Morgenpost (Germany): Business Angels werben um Start-ups in der Ukraine Business are wooing for startups in Ukraine

2023/09/04 Berliner Morgenpost (Germany): Business Angels wollen Start-ups in der Ukraine fördern  Business angels want to promote startups in Ukraines

2023/03/15 Sächsische Zeitung: Finanzspritze für junge Firma  Financial injection for startup

Source: ARD

2022/03/22 ARD:  Ukrainische Grenze: Viel Papierkrieg für Hilfskonvoi  Ukrainian border: Lots of paperwork for humanitarian aid convoy

BACKGROUND

2023 Co-founding Ukraimpulse 2022 Co-initiation and coordination of Bus-loads of Hope Humanitarian aid project Ukraine/Germany 2021 Research on innovation ecosystems in Kazakhstan (FIPRO/EBRD) 2020 Co-founding Gigahertz Ventures GmbH, Germany 2019 Co-founding EDUVISO GmbH, Germany/Kyrgyzstan 2017 - 2018 M&A brokerage for DAX-30 exit (Germany; not disclosed) 2017 Training design and delivery on Internationalization of German SMEs (IHK Chamber of Commerce)

About:

Grew up in Dresden, GDR (East Germany) in the 1970s and 1980s. Moved (or rather: escaped) to West Germany before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Managed a political youth organization and co-founded first startup company as a student in the 1990s in re-united Germany. Academic background in business administration (Diplom-Kaufmann FH, University of Applied Sciences Dresden HTW), East European Studies (M.A. FU Berlin Free University of Berlin) and International Marketing (diploma, RTC College/Atlantic Technological University Sligo, Ireland). Successfully completed carpentry apprenticeship (dual vocational education) in Germany.  More or less fluent in English and Russian. Studied Russian language at Kharkiv Politechnic Institute ХПИ, Ukraine (2000) and at Saint Petersburg State University СПбГУ, Russian Federation (2007). Mother-tongue German. Certified risk/crisis/turnaround manager and consultant.

Deep dive insights include the following: Politics (managing political organizations, policy consulting), entrepreneurship (co-founded four enterprises), education/academia and R&D (management/lead HEI, research, as well as lecturing at HEI), industrial and B2B markets (business development, business analytics, HR, strategy), intergovernmental organizations and B2G (innovation ecosystems, research and education policy), CSR (corporate social responsibility) and humanitarian. Substantial experience in managing intercultural team settings as well as in operating in conflict zones.