How did you become a venture capitalist, and why?

I started my career at Giesecke+Devrient in an innovation office, analyzing technology fields such as blockchain and biometrics. After some time, I was asked to work on G+D's biometrics strategy and to do a market analysis. I realized that not only established companies offer great solutions, but startups often offer much more. After talking to my future colleagues at G+D Ventures and my first startups, the topic fascinated me so much that I decided to join G+D Ventures...to find the next big thing!

How can you help founders and startup teams succeed?

The team is a startup’s biggest asset. As a VC, I see it as my duty to support the team wherever I can. To give an example: being a tech savvy person but also understanding both corporate and investor “needs”, I can help a startup formulate its value propositions in the right way. 

Which technologies and sectors are you mostly interested in?

From day one, I was fascinated by Web3 and the so-called distributed ledger technologies. In my opinion, these technologies will revolutionize the world in a similar way as the Internet did. I am also heavily involved in payment related TrustTech topics such as fraud prevention and anti-money laundering. You can also talk to me about biometrics anytime. 

What do you do in your free time?

I love to try new things! In general, I like almost any outdoor sport, eating good food and spending time with my loved ones. For many years I was a table tennis player and coach - sometimes I still enjoy hitting the little plastic ball (yes, it's plastic now).