Case studies
Pioneering the Digital Twin & Industrial IoT
From 2015 to 2018, I had the chance to gain first-hand insights into industrial IoT development in Germany and globally. This case study looks at industry potentials and at the case of Agilion GmbH.
Key words: Industrial IoT, foresight studies, risk management, M&A, Germany
Period covered: 2015 - 2018
Published: 2019
Organization: Agilion GmbH
Investment in High-Risk Environments: Business Angels & Reconstructing Ukraine
In 2023, a small group of German business angel collegues (myself included) went to Ukraine, guided by the question:
Can European (and other) business angels contribute to Ukraine's recovery already today? For our findings, please use the link below.
Key words: Innovation ecosystems, business angels, early-stage investment, risk management, Ukraine
Period covered: 2022 - 2023
Published: 12/2023
Organization: BACB, Gigahertz Ventures
Agility & Humanitarian: Evacuating 4.500 people from Contested Areas in Ukraine (2022)
Just a couple of days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we (Gigahertz Ventures) together with our partners CFSR and ICC International Chamber of Commerce Ukraine decided to provide humanitarian aid by delivering evacuation buses and aid supply for people in contested war zones within Ukraine.
Just two weeks after the war broke out, we handed over the first buses on Ukrainian soil. In 2022, the buses helped evacuating more than 4.500 people from contested areas to more safe regions within Ukraine.
Industry: Humanitarian aid, logistics, NGOs, conflict areas
Period covered: 2022
Published: 2023
Organization: Gigahertz Ventures GmbH
Higher Education in Conflict Zones
The International Business College Mitrovica (IBC-M) is a higher educational institution located in Mitrovica, Northern Kosovo. The college operates two campuses on each side of the ethnically divided town. This case study provides some inside into my work as college director (rector/head of college) in Mitrovica from 2013 to 2015.
Industry: Education (HEI), conflict areas, risk management, crisis management, Kosovo, Serbia
Period covered: 2013 - 2015
Published: 2016
Organization: Spark International, IBC-M
Incubating the Incubators: Pioneering Innovation Ecosystem Development in Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Lessons learned and research findings in business incubation development during my work in thi field in Eastern Europe and Central Asia from 2002 to 2014
Key words: Innovation ecosystems, business incubators, technology parks, Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Period covered: 2002 - 2014
Published: 2004, 2009, 2014
Organization: World Bank, UN
Pioneering Climate Tech in Eastern Europe
From 2009 to 2014, I was coordinating a scientific project with the objective to establish research collaboration among leading German and Eastern European scientists and research institutions in the area of renewables (bioenergy). This case study (in German) provides an overview on the project activities and outcomes.
Industry: bioenergy, energy, climate tech, renewables, Germany, Eastern Europe (Belarus, Russian Federation, Ukraine)
Period covered: 2009 - 2014
Published: 2014
Organization: Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (German Biomass Research Center)
Global PR on a Shoestring: Establishing the Dresden Christmas Cake Festival
East Germany after the German reunification in 1990 is a fascinating story of hope and new beginnings, but also of frustration and upheavals in personal stories. This is likely true for many, if not all, countries in the former Eastern Bloc. This case study of my former public relations agency Zastrow & Schandera (as co-founder) demonstrates how to get global under heavy budget constraints.
Industry: Food, global PR
Period covered: 1995 - 1999
Published: 2023
Organization: Zastrow & Schandera Public Relations GbR
Business Incubation in Emerging Markets: Global Business Incubation Program (World Bank)
This training program is the first-of-its-kind, drawing from the lessons, models, and examples in business incubation from across Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, and South Asia.
Industry: Innovation ecosystems, international development, business incubation, capacity building
Period covered: 2010 - 2013
Published: 2013
Organization: infoDev, World Bank