Karin Andrea Stephan

The next shout-outs are due: in my work with Founder Institute Berlin I have been mentoring startup founders with different backgrounds and the diversity of ideas is always challenging to work with: you never know what question comes next, but it is fun to figure out new ways to build products together. 🛳 Bernhard van Riessen is working on changing the way how companies deliver and make spare parts, just the fact, that his team has the curiosity and courage to take on such a challenging industry and actually make it more sustainable and efficient brings the wow factor in. We worked on understanding the product direction better and looked at the pitch. 🧠 Ric S. has been building his app in the currently trendy space - ADHD and neurodiversity awareness - but for a really long time. This idea is so amazing and such an easy way to solve scheduling issues for people with ADHD, that I was grateful to have helped to develop it even further and I hope to see it get the success it deserves. Having the trust of the founders I work with is a big deal for me because I do believe in the power of the network and the environment: the better the place you start from - the bigger the chances that your company grows into something worthwhile. That is why it is so important to me to share my expertise with the ones, who asked for it. Stay tuned to see more soon 🚀 #founders #mentoring #successstories

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MeetTheMasterClass 👨‍🎓 ✍️ 👩‍🎓 Meet one of our fellow members in TUM Entrepreneurial Masterclass Timon Grosch 👨‍🎓 💡My idea is an innovative sensor for any standard toilet that analyzes urine for a variety of biomarkers. This sensor delivers personalized dietary and lifestyle recommendations based on the analysis results. By integrating this advanced health monitoring technology into daily routines, users can proactively manage their health, detect potential issues early, and make informed decisions to enhance their overall well-being. Ultimately, this innovation aims to decrease healthcare costs by promoting preventive medicine and reducing the need for more intensive treatments. Sign up for the waitlist at vitalion-health.com 👉 What are you concretely working on within the Entrepreneurial Masterclass? Within the Entrepreneurial Masterclass, I am developing a hardware prototype for a toilet sensor as a Proof-of-Concept for my master thesis. This involves designing and integrating various sensor concepts to analyze urine for biomarkers. 👉 Why are you a part of the Entrepreneurial Masterclass? The EMC grants me access to the extensive ecosystem of UnternehmerTUM and connects me with a network of like-minded people working on entrepreneurial projects

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Ep.17 Drop #20Angel 🎙 The one & only Philipp Moehring, Co-Founder of Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company, joined me in the hot seat for a rare public appearance 🔥 👉 Introducing Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company FUND III ✍ 👉 Higher valuations = higher expectations 💣 👉 Giving Founders the freedom to be extreme 🤪 👉 Your access gives you your price 💰 Some Founder References on Philipp: dennis müller (Amie): "More than most, pmoe is a cheerleader. The journey is already hard enough, some VC's make it harder by sending unsolicited articles with "seen this?". He's the opposite. always fun to brainstorm ideas with him. Differentiated intros relative to others." David Budde (trawa): “He‘s been a great sparring partner and has a ton of experience. I remember, the night before our Pre-Seed closing, we found a minor but important error in our cap table. Unsure what to do, we called Phil late that evening for guidance. To me, it‘s super important to know that I can reach my investors, if it actually matters, and that they‘ll be able to help! + he’s just a really nice guy.” Milos Rusic (deepset): “Phil is amazing! He was actively involved in assembling each of our funding rounds - even in the first round where he committed before we had settled for a lead investor. He actively helped to construct our favourite setup of lead investors for that initial round. He knows everyone and his support is not limited to great intros - he really helps founders to assess and identify which investor could be a right fit for them. 100% reliable, massive value for every company. What they do is really unique.” This was a special one to do, hope you enjoy 🍿 https://lnkd.in/gTRT_SmJ 20VC, #AngelInvesting, #technology, #podcast, #entrepreneurship, #VC, #Founder, #Investing

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The diversity and variety of startups in the WHU ecosystem becomes very clear when we look at the June investment update... 🎇 CUREosity GmbH, co-founded by Caesar van Heyningen, has secured €3.8 million in Seed funding to advance their immersive VR-based therapy solutions in the Med-Tech sector. 🥂 DeepSkill GmbH, founded by Miriam Mertens and Peter Goeke, has raised €1.5 million in Seed funding to enhance holistic personal and professional development through their digital platform. ✨ Vytal | The reuse system, led by Dr. Tim Breker, has received €6.3 million in Early VC funding to promote sustainability with their smart and reusable to-go packaging solutions. 🤘 Fjorden, showcasing the impact and demand for their advanced smartphone accessories and founded by Victor Henning, has recently been acquired. 💪 hellgrün, co-founded by Roman Steigertahl and focused on sustainable solutions for commercial real estate has received significant seed funding. 🤘 Crafthunt, co-founded by Dr. Anna Hocker has raised €3m of funding. Crafthunt, Europe's largest construction career platform, connects skilled workers with construction companies, offering features like anonymous job searches, AI-powered translation, and a community for knowledge exchange. 👌 Narratic Labs, co-founded by Arne Wolfewicz raised €750k in a Pre-Seed round. This AI startup aims to make B2B sales more efficient by leveraging millions of data points to identify and research optimal partners for companies, using advanced AI models for intuitive, natural language searches.

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Wearing fake wedding rings to business meetings? 🤔 The reality of many female founders. New Episode of Confessions of a Start-Up Founder F##kup on: Being a Female Founder (Link in the comments) We talk about, why interacting with angle investors, in rare occasions, can be more problematic than with VCs, fundraising while being single vs. being in a relationship and why we support female founder networks. Of course, this podcast only represents our perspective which represents a limited view and other female founder's might have differing experiences and views. Also, there is great male investors and founders out there who make and effort to be an ally, learn and improve. clare&me Emilia Theye #2 Confessions about: Being a female founder

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Did you know that Antler welcomes already-formed startup teams to our residencies, offering fast initial investment to accelerate your venture's growth? 💼💰 Take inspiration from these remarkable success stories: 🔹 NetBird: Based in Berlin, @NetBird soared to success, securing a remarkable €1.1 million in pre-seed funding. Their mission? To revolutionize VPNs for businesses by simplifying IT infrastructure and networks. 🔹 FERO: Start-up from Amsterdam, @FERO, founded by industry experts from Ekata and Mastercard, raised an impressive €2.8 million. Their vision? To streamline payments processing for end-merchants, inspired by firsthand industry insights. If you're part of an established startup team hungry for growth, seize this opportunity to join Antler's May residency. 💥 #StartupAcceleration #EntrepreneurialSuccess

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📢 What VCs Look for in Startups!   The VC perspective is unique and multifaceted, but there's one thing they all agree on: it's all about the people. The team is a crucial component of any successful startup.   Maria Heeschen-Ollendorff, our external expert on the Organisation & Team discipline and who has worked with due diligence on startup teams, shared her thoughts and reflections with the startups in GreenUP Accelerator.   Here are four of them:   ✨Team Dynamics✨: A balanced team with diverse competencies and personality profiles is essential. Each member brings something unique to the table, creating a robust foundation for innovation and growth. In GreenUP Accelerator, we make use of the TT38 competencies test to acquire insights on each startup's team and define their strengths.    ✨Shared Vision and Coherence✨: Reflect on why you have chosen each other as partners. Understanding the motivation behind your collaboration is vital. You could ask yourself: Are you in it for the long run? Do you share the same visions of purpose and leadership? Will you stick together when the going gets tough?   ✨Adaptability✨: You don't need to have tried everything, but you should have a clear plan for how you will approach new challenges. This adaptability and willingness to explore uncharted territories are critical. For example, you might not have tried selling before, but when meeting with VCs, show them how you have reflected on both your strengths and the gaps you are going to fill.    ✨Mutuality✨: Your relationship with your VC goes both ways. It's about mutual understanding and shared goals. Keep these points in mind as you build and refine your startup journey. Ask for references and get input from other startups that have been on the same journey as you.   GreenUP Accelerator is run by DTU Science Park and supported by Industriens Fond.

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How do I actually get proper money as a founder? I spoke about this in the Für-Gründer.de Podcast with editor Elena Todeva. What financing options are there? How do I find the VC that really suits me? When should I bootstrap? Which financing has which consequences in the end? My personal tip for founders: Do some real networking, exchange ideas with other founders, get tips and advice from everywhere, be brave, talk to experienced founders and ask really deep questions and learn always from the experiences of others. Please listen and feel free to write me feedback. https://lnkd.in/de_ZmdZq

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Strong founders are like benevolent dictators. 👑🤝 How do personality profiles of successful early-stage founding teams differ from those who are not so successful? We analyzed our 83 early stage founders in our Techstars Berlin portfolio to understand the secret recipe of successful founding teams at the early stage. Our founders took an assessment called Profile Dynamics®, which is an assessment designed to analyze people’s individual driving factors and motivation. Cornelius Schaub and Robert Siegers were so kind to introduce this to us. Profile Dynamics breaks personality factors down into 7 main categories 👉 💡 Yellow: Inspires with visionary ideas, forward-thinking, optimism, and is analytical 🏆 Orange: Competes, plays to win and to be viewed as successful 🏎️ Red: Executes quickly and decisively, and not afraid to be confrontational when necessary 💜 Purple: Stays loyal and dedicated to a cause or people, seeking security and safety 📘 Blue: Thrives in a structured environment, seeking stability and reliability 🌿 Green: Seeks harmony among people, listens empathetically, and desires consensus 🌐 Turquoise: Sees situations holistically, integrates difference in perspective, connects dots Here is the pattern in most of our founding teams that were successful in early-stage fundraising: 🏎️ More Decisive Red 🔴 Successful teams have on average 10 more points on their red score than unsuccessful ones. Takeaway: Strong founders are masters of execution. They cut off discussion to act quickly and decisively. They are relentless in working toward their goals, even if it sometimes means stepping on some toes. 💡 Lots of Visionary Yellow 🟡 100% of our most successful teams have at least one co-founder with a score of yellow higher than 10 points (average difference is 7 points). Takeaway: Successful founders are insanely ambitious with a vision for a new future. They can set a clear and inspiring Northstar for their company. They push for data to back up their vision and set the course. 🌐 Some integrative turquoise 🌐 Successful teams have on average 4 more points on turquoise than unsuccessful ones. Takeaway: While being decisive and visionary, it is critical to be able to integrate a diverse set of opinions around the (leadership) table. Strong teams tend to think in “and” not in “or” (e.g. growth AND profitability). 🌿 Less Harmonious Green 🟢 Unsuccessful teams have on average 8 points more in green. Takeaway: Unsuccessful founders often focus too much on building internal alignment instead of making decisions quickly and executing them. Therefore, don’t feel bad about being assertive and making decisive choices from time to time. We define successful as having raised a (pre-)seed round from institutional investors. Our sample size is 83. While this does not qualify for a scientific publication, is should give some practical advice.

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It is only the first edition, but HLTH Europe has already established itself as the leading #HealthTech conference in Europe. Besides my 4 highlights, I also had the chance to moderate a panel on the topic "Last mile: Localising access for underserved areas" with 3 fantastic panelists: · Prathibha (President, Mayo Clinic Health System) · Minal (National Director of Primary Care and Community Transformation, NHS England) · Harmony (SVP, Chief Medical Officer & Head of Global Medical at ViiV Healthcare) PS: Amira (SVP Innovation at Siemens Healthineers): we missed you! Here are the key insights of the panel: Bringing healthcare #access to all, especially to underserved areas, has been a challenge since the inception of healthcare. With all the technology of our modern world, is #Healthcare access on the verge of being solved? The short answer is no. But there is hope. In the UK: ➝ There is a 15-year life expectancy gap between deprived areas, and wealthier neighbourhoods nearby. ➝ Funding struggles to keep up: In the next 15 years, a 37% increase in "ill-health costs" is expected, while the working population will increase by 4% over the same period. ➝ Increasing productivity is essential to solve the problem: A 1% decrease in productivity costs 1.5 billion pounds. In the US: ➝ The zip code is (still) a better determinant of health than the genetic code. ➝ Enabling access to underserved areas can also be seen as an opportunity rather than a problem. Tech adoption will be faster due to higher unmet needs, accelerating innovation that can later benefit well-served areas. Debunking one myth: ➝ For HiV, there is now a better access and coverage in Africa than in certain parts of developed countries (US and Europe). Pockets of innovation: ➝ To unlock HCP capacity, the NHS has a national program to move towards a modern General Practice, moving away from "first come first serve" to a new model based on population health and segmentation: the right care for the right person in the right way. First results show that 30% of GP appointments could be done via "messaging only" (instead of F2F visits), bringing massive efficiency gains. ➝ Mayo Clinic already has 75 specialties that are technology enabled, bringing the “Mayo medical care" in the rural areas via virtual and hybrid models, and also embedding the 50+ AI algorithms already active at Mayo. ➝ But increasing access is not only about Tech. Sometimes, it is about boldness: Viiv Healthcare, a pharma company specialised in HiV, gave the patent of its drugs away in 90+ underserved markets, enabling cheap and at-scale production. What does the future hold? Will someone living in an underserved area be able to visit the "Mayo Clinic in the metaverse with his / her digital twin?" Special thanks to Katy, Lina and Henry for this fantastic conference!

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I have news to share: In the upcoming months, you will see more of me in Business Insider Gründerszene as I share some of my perspectives on the startup ecosystem as a founder turned investor. First up: Why do start-up companies with remote-only employees face significant disadvantages, and why am I reluctant to invest in them? A take that I’m aware everyone won’t agree with... but I rest my case here! Here are three key takeaways: The importance of a strong corporate culture: A strong corporate culture, built when actually working together, is essential for the success of all startups. It fosters engagement and builds loyalty - crucial for a company’s stability and growth, especially during uncertain times. The risks of remote work: Remote work increases the risk of communication errors, delays in information sharing, team-building challenges, and potential employee isolation, which can hinder team development. The importance of a balanced approach: Hybrid teams must invest in building and maintaining a strong corporate culture through regular in-person interactions, team-building sessions, and coaching to keep employees motivated. Thanks to the team at Gründerszene for a great collaboration – more to come! Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dgD-KUBr

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The best part of work is always at the terminals. Yesterday at the HHLA Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG Container Terminal Tollerort. Supporting the incredible works of founders Marcel Wiegand and Nico Marks and their exciting venture passify that secures and automates gate processes. The roll-out was a blast. Speaking with hundreds of truck drivers all day long and showing them the easiness of the gate process via smartphone App. This is another great example why founders who have years of terminal work experiences make the difference when it comes to gate integration, process knowledge and smooth software roll-outs. And this is just the start. passify simplifies and streamlines the access management process for both truck drivers and facility operators, while providing real-time information on pick-up and delivery availability. Definitely a startup to watch on an exciting growth path. #smartport #terminalaccess #startup #truck #gateprocess

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🔸 🔶 🔸 AI is going vertical 🔸 🔶 🔸 In a new guest article for Gründerszene / Business Insider I talk about how vertical AI is revolutionizing the work environment: After genAI took the world by storm it has rapidly commoditized. To train an advanced LLM costs hundreds of millions of $$$. But the usage of LLMs has become commonplace. Now the AI world is turning vertical: How can genAI solutions successfully be deployed within industry verticals? Not on the surface but solving some of the tough industrial challenges in a substantially new way, driving an increase in productivity by a factor of 2-5? That has become a core area of interest for AI in 2024. Vertical AI is already making inroads into a number of core industries such as consulting, finance and healthcare but is also being used in less obvious sectors such as wind energy generation or sports. Over time it is likely to affect our work environment across all sectors. And - unlike earlier automatizations - it is going to affect mostly white collar rather than blue collar work. Welcome to a new and lasting technological disruption. Gründerszene, the leading online magazine for the startup scene in Germany (operated by Business Insider), got interested in the subject and has featured an article on the subject this week. Take a look at the online article following the link below (in German): https://lnkd.in/ecJcUwHK (the Gründerszene article as a pdf: https://lnkd.in/eimBKSQP)

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Reading tip for all startup founders with fundraising plans in DACH: Investoren Report 2024 by Startup Insider. This report provides valuable insights into the venture capital landscape, and is a must-read for anyone looking to secure funding. Plus, it includes bonus material from IRIS on the latest developments in our ecosystem. Get your copy here: https://lnkd.in/dU-5AMPz #startups #founders #VC #LP #fundraising

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MAKE IT IN SAXONY ❗ ❗ ❗ 35% more start-ups in Saxony compared to the previous year 🚀 According to a report by the data service Startupdetector and Hightech Gründerfonds, the number of startups founded in Germany rose by 17% in the first quarter of 2024, indicating a recovery in the sector. Saxony recorded particularly strong growth with an increase of 35%, highlighted by innovative start-ups in cities such as Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz. As LaunchHub42, we are happy to be part of this innovative start-up ecosystem and to help innovative teams in the field of cutting edge communication technologies and robotics to achieve greater visibility and feasibility of their solutions. This is never possible alone, but only with committed partners such as e.g. the Smart Systems Hub, HighTech Startbahn GmbH or Robot Valley Saxony. Let's continue on this path together. Find out more about launchhub42 at https://launchhub42.com/ The report is available at https://lnkd.in/evKg25JE

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💡 I have asked the experts: what is the best piece of advice for us, the morphiq founders, in our early start-up phase? ✅ Anouk Moll: continuously adapt, be ready to change your (initial) business idea/s, tune into your customer needs; ✅ Julian Lange: consider/don’t discard pivoting, even in a context of already having a few customers. Seize opportunities that may arise down the road; ✅ Jan Miczaika: fuel your talent pool; be a few steps ahead of your needs. Good quality talent is scarce and not immediately mobilisable. Thank you! 🙏 Thanks Merantix for having invited morphiq.ai to attend the Fintech AI Breakfast (https://lnkd.in/eWmBpTAR). Thanks Janette Wiget for having greatly moderated the debate; here are my takeaways from it: 1️⃣ EXPERIENCE AND PATIENCE: building solutions for #regulatedindustries (such as the financial industry) is a massive challenge, not quite for impatient or industry outsider type of entrepreneurs; 2️⃣ EXPERIENCES vs. JUST AI: think of building new experiences, not just building an AI powered solution; look around, spot real needs/pains, address those; there's a lot that can be improved (e.g. customer interface, #personalisation, provide #real advice, #productivity increase at all levels etc.) ; 3️⃣ DATA vs. LLM: LLM commoditisation is a fact. Data, instead, is becoming critical, both for building new AI verticals (e.g. #hyperpersonalization, #riskmanagement etc.) and for ensuring models accuracy; 4️⃣ PREDICTIONS: we shall experience a series of incremental changes, already improving our lives, before a new cycle will bring fundamentally new AI driven experiences. For the entrepreneurs, there was a 🍒 on the 🎂: funding is available, for truly good ideas and strong teams. Otherwise, revenue is the best funding a start-up could aspire at. #ai #fintech #bigdata #aipredictions #startup #banking #llm #hyperpersonalization #algorithms #pivot #embracechange #stayalert

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"As a VC for 20 years, here's a confession: I should have trusted my gut more often." Something that Rainer Märkle, General Partner at HV Capital. Shared with us at EUVC We all know VCs are supposed to be data-driven guided. We're trained to believe perfect analysis leads to perfect investment decisions. But sometimes, your gut feeling is your best friend. As a highly analytical person, Rainer has learned this valuable lesson. Intuition matters. Yes, due diligence is essential. However, take a break and look from a different perspective. Experience tells you when to trust your instincts. How do you balance data-driven analysis with intuition? Share your experiences in the comments! #venturecapital #angelinvesting #startupfunding #europe

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In a recent @Brutkasten article, I shared my view on the @European Union's Nature Restoration Law, and I'm proud that inoqo and Triple Impact Ventures stand with 375 Austrian companies supporting this initiative! The law aims to restore 20% of the EU's land and marine areas by 2030 and address all ecosystems in need by 2050. It's a bold step to revitalize our planet. A big thank you to Leonore Gewessler for taking a bold step and making this important law a reality! @Blühendes Österreich - BILLA gemeinnützige Privatstiftung non-profit foundation has launched a business initiative to support the law's implementation in Austria. Here the link to the article: https://lnkd.in/dF6JkCa7   ✍️Show your support and sign here: https://lnkd.in/dTjSbVYt #Sustainability #EU #NatureRestorationLaw #EnvironmentalProtection #Austria #SustainableDevelopment #Ecosystems

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Episode 17 of the FemInnovation Podcast is now live! In this episode, we're talking all things product commercialization for #femtech and #healthtech with Swathi Rangan and Daniella Kapural from Herspiegel. Commercializing your femtech or healthtech product can be challenging, especially for early-stage founders. Bringing a product to market often involves detailed customer research and product testing, developing impactful launch and communication strategies, removing barriers to consumer adoption, identification of the proper reimbursement pathway, and more. In this episode, we discuss the secrets for product commercializing success, diving into what product commercialization means, when femtech founders should start thinking about a product commercialization strategy, common product commercialization mistakes, how to identify applicable business models, how to determine product differentiators and develop a value proposition, and much more! Don’t miss this in-depth discussion to enhance your product commercialization strategy and experience. Listen on all major podcast channels and at the link in the comments! #productcommercialization #startup #startupjourney #startupstrategy

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