About the Innovate Europe Foundation

...is an AI researcher, engineer and serial entrepreneur. After studying industrial engineering at KIT in Karlsruhe, he worked as an AI expert in consulting and banking. He founded two AI software companies in logistics and computer vision. After three years in AI research at Apple in Cupertino, he founded his third AI start-up, Aleph Alpha, in Heidelberg in 2019.

... was the CEO of Deutsche Telekom from 2006 until 2013. Today he holds positions as Partner and Managing Director at the private equity company Warburg Pincus. His areas of responsibility include technology, media, and telecommunication. He is also Chairman of the Board of Airbus SE and IONOS.

... co-founded the German web hosting pioneer Schlund + Partner in 1995, which was taken over by 1&1 three years later. As Chief Technology Officer at 1&1, he developed the world's first web hosting platform for the mass market. In 2010, Achim Weiß founded ProfitBricks, the first German provider of cloud infrastructure solutions (IaaS), which was merged with 1&1's web hosting division into the new IONOS brand in 2018. As CEO of the company, he took the IONOS Group public in 2023.

…is the CEO of Dynamo which brings about the vision of a one-stop-place for Sovereign and Innovative Cloud Solutions, grouping exclusively European Cloud and Solutions Providers. From 2020 to 2023, he served as CEO of the Gaia-X initiative. With over 30 years of experience in IT and consulting, he has held leadership positions at Engineering D.HUB, was Vice President of Confindustria Valle D’Aosta, and mentored multiple startups. Francesco also held executive roles at HP, Avanade, Unisys, and Rational Software.

…is the Chairman of Danish Tech Startups (DTS), co-founder of WhiteAway.com, and a Partner at Nordic Makers. He is also involved with TechBBQ and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO). A passionate business angel, he supports startups in Denmark and internationally, promoting innovation and cross-border investment within the Nordic and Baltic regions. His work has significantly shaped Denmark's startup ecosystem.

… is an Executive Board Member of PHINEO, a not-for-profit think and do tank for impactful community engagement. At PHINEO, Dr. Herrhausen drives the organization’s activities in the fields of resilient democracy and green transformation. A political scientist by training, Dr. Herrhausen is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and of the board of trustees of the Hertie School, the university of governance in Berlin.

…is a globally-active first-check/first-round investor having participated in 90+ deals including Remote.com, Lumalabs, Fly.io, and Acquire. Previously he was part of the founding team & CTO of Product Hunt, VPE of CoinList, Head of Remote at AngelList, and CTO at On Deck.

… is the co-founder of Cleyrop. Additionally, Arnaud is an active member of French Tech and the collective CoData which he co-founded. He is also heavily involved in sovereignty challenges at European and national levels: a committed contributor to Gaia-X and the Institut Choiseul's sovereignty initiative, leader of the Innovation & Formation group of the Strategic Committee for the Trusted Digital Industry launched by the French Ministry of Economy, and Secretary General of Ekitia.

... has been the Chairwoman of the German Startup Association (Startup-Verband) since December 2023 and has been active in the local start-up scene for 13 years. In 2022, Verena Pausder and 5 co-founders took over the women's team of FC Viktoria Berlin. Before that, she founded Digitale Bildung für Alle e.V.. Verena Pausder was named a ‘Young Global Leader’ by the World Economic Forum in 2016. In 2018, she was included in the Forbes Europe's Top 50 Women In Tech list.

... has been co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of GetYourGuide since 2009. Johannes actively supports other startup founders in their early stages by acting as an investor, mentor and board member. He is a long-standing member of the German Startup Association (Startup-Verband), which he joined after founding GetYourGuide. Today, however, he mainly focuses on mentoring as a commitment to give back to the next generation of innovative German founders and companies.

… heads the Innovate Europe Foundation as Managing Director. He is also the CEO of the European Startup Network. Formerly working as a journalist, business consultant and country manager at an international IT-sales network, the American has lived in Berlin since 1998. He co-founded VoIP telephony company Vortel GmbH and was long-standing Managing Director at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.

... has been the Policy & Communications Manager at the Innovate Europe Foundation since 2024. After completing her Bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences at the Freie Universität Berlin, she completed her Master's degree in International Affairs at the Hertie School. In addition, she has studied and worked in England, South Korea, Canada and Switzerland in recent years.

…has supported the Innovate Europe Foundation from its very beginning - initially as Public Policy & Operations Manager and as Advisor with respect to strategic questions today. Felix also serves as a Senior Consultant at Bingmann Pflüger International and as Managing Partner at iconomy.

...has been a Director at Christ&Company since 2023, is responsible for the Digital Economy division and manages various client segments in the specialist areas of cybersecurity, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. He specialises in strategic and political communication as well as strategic management consulting. After holding several positions in the private sector in Germany and abroad as well as in state politics in North Rhine-Westphalia, he was a Research Fellow at the Brandenburg Institute for Society and Security from 2017 to 2023 and worked on national and European projects on various social, security policy and economic issues relating to cybersecurity.

... is founder of the IE.F and was Chairman of its Advisory Board from 2016 to 2024. He founded the company 1&1 in 1988 and guided it through its initial public offering and introduction into the stock market in 1998. At the time it was the first internet company to be introduced on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In 2000 1&1 was rebranded as United Internet AG, and it is now comprised of brands such as GMX, WEB.DE, Versatel, Fasthosts, arsys, home.pl, InternetX, United Domains, STRATO and Sedo. Furthermore, United Internet AG is the main shareholder of 1&1 AG.

… is founder the IE.F and was the Chairman of the Foundation Council from 2016 to 2024. He has worked in leading positions in politics, administration, the private sector and academia for over three decades. He is founder and CEO of Pflüger International GmbH in Berlin and senior advisor at Roland Berger. From 2009 to 2021 he served as Honorary Professor for International Relations at Kings College London, where he led the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS).