Meet our team
of venture builders

Lukas' professional passion can be found at the intersection of innovation, (digital) technologies and new ways of working. He thrives in dynamic teams which are ready to improve every day, bit by bit. With a background in digital transformation, innovation and agile he is well-equipped to apply modern approaches, making our partner's endeavours successful. At the same time, several years at a corporate taught him the needs, challenges and dynamics of larger organizations first-hand - ready to apply it.

Kristina’s mission is to empower people to be the best version of themselves. Her people-first attitude and creative and communicative nature motivate her to maximize each individual's learning and development. Having a very diverse background and startup experience, she knows how to cultivate a collaborative and supportive culture.

Andy is our go-to guy when it comes to telling visual stories and bringing pictures to life. Having an academic background in marketing and sales the self-taught video creator combines his knowledge about customer needs with his passion for the camera and lets his work speak for him.

Rebecca brings first-hand experience in scaling successful corporate innovation internationally. Having worked for years in venture clienting, she has specialized in connecting cutting-edge technology solutions with real-world needs. She has a track record of leading roles in marketing & communication, solution/portfolio management, and sales operations. Passionate about creating sustainable impact, she aims to innovate with quality and integrity.

Having built digital products both as Product Manager and Software Engineer, Daniel gained a wide range of experience from early-stage and scaling startups, to enterprise companies. Originally from Germany and having lived in Italy, Luxembourg, and now Austria, Daniel seamlessly blends entrepreneurial ingenuity with agile methodologies, all while maintaining commitment to a customer-centric approach.

Federica brings an in-depth experience with both new ventures and corporate innovation. After having executed market validation and market entry for one of our portfolio company gaining customers in 15 countries around the world, today she is program manager and coach in intrapreneurship programs and Corporate-Startup collaborations, supporting the identification, validation and implementation of various business ideas and the development of innovation strategies.

Yannick discovered his curiosity for innovative business models during his economics studies in Lyon and Vienna. Drawing on his creative thinking and hands-on mindset, he co-founded an urban mobility start-up while graduating from university. Due to his international background and open-mindedness, Yannick easily navigates dynamic environments and quickly makes an impact on any project.

Max has many years of experience designing and implementing innovation strategies at organizations across Europe. Having joined WhatAVenture early on he played a vital role in developing the company to its current stage with offices in 3 countries and a diverse team guiding countless ventures to success. Having worked with so many organizations in a variety of sectors he quickly identifies the ideal path moving forward for new ventures and how to establish an innovation portfolio that generates impact and growth.

With her open and objective orientated mindset Martina is always eager for discovering how innovative ideas in various fields can take shape. With an academic background in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and a gained experience in open innovation and corporate-startup collaboration projects, she supports in an agile way clients and new businesses in their innovation journey.

Timon embarked on his entrepreneurial journey by assisting the inception of an accelerator program in Northern Europe, marking the onset of his passion for innovation and startups. His path led him to Berlin, where he became an integral member of a Venture Builder, actively participating in the development and growth of startups. Driven by his commitment to company building and his passion for innovation, Timon subsequently brought his experience and expertise to Vienna, where he joined the WhatAVenture team.

Friedemann creates magnetic brands and impactful campaigns. He leverages his experience in communications strategy, brand management and digital campaigns to increase marketing's contribution to WhatAVenture's growth. Friedemann combines a systemic approach with know-how gained from over ten years of working with clients ranging from tech start-ups to global players.

After seven years of experience with a tax consultant, Thomas has an excellent understanding of numbers and brings a lot of know-how to the team. He manages the accounting of WhatAVenture and its venture building projects to keep finances up-to-date. In addition to accounting, he is also responsible for controlling and IT for all companies to ensure that all processes run smoothly and without obstacles.

With eight years of professional and academic experience in the hospitality industry, spanning seven countries, Alex discovered a passion for business model design and innovation. Armed with a double MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship and a CEMS certification, he transitioned into the startup world as a Founder’s Associate and Chief of Staff at two early-stage ventures, where he drove a wide range of business initiatives. Drawing from his background in the luxury service industry, Alex blends creativity, analytical thinking, and a solution-oriented mindset with a people-first, service-driven approach. He thrives in collaborative environments and brings energy as a natural connector and social butterfly.

With experience in coaching and facilitation, finance, and project management, Caroline brings different perspectives to designing new processes. Sustainability and diversity are topics that drive her to build innovative solutions with corporates for lasting change.

Are you passionate about building new ventures, new business models, products and leaving your mark on the industry? Write your entrepreneurial story. Join our team.

Stefan is our innovation all-rounder. With his 10+ years of international experience in innovation, he contributes to implementing innovation strategies, co-creation and intrapreneurship programs, and the launch of corporate ventures. Stefan’s unique skillset combines an entrepreneurial mindset with a deep understanding of the corporate world and true cross-industry experience. His passion to help others succeed makes him a great leader for WhatAVenture - and your next innovation project.

Karyna is a driven innovation manager, project lead and marketer. She's on a mission to kick-start impactful corporate ventures and help them reach their desired audiences. She has developed and executed marketing campaigns for both newly founded ventures and Fortune 200 companies. She gets the ball rolling when it comes to operationalizing innovation, managing multiple stakeholders and getting things done.

Georg is an experienced two-time founder and business consultant who knows how to speak startup and corporate. With his founding experience spanning from e-commerce to SaaS and machine learning, Georg is versed in all venture steps from ideation to market launch or even exit. As a Swiss born, originating from a small village, Georg's urge to explore brought him to study, work and live in many countries all over Europe and beyond. A strong passion for ventures, business models and innovation is what brought Georg to WhatAVenture, where he helps teams and clients in achieving their growth targets.

Marc’s passion for venture creation is fuelled by his experience in corporate innovation spaces, management consulting, and early-stage startups. Having lived and worked across various countries, his open-mindedness and adaptability enable him to approach challenges from unique perspectives. Marc thrives in culturally diverse environments and is dedicated to developing innovative and sustainable business models that not only drive business growth but also create a positive societal impact.

With over 15 years of engineering experience, Mario not only successfully established and scaled his own international electric mobility company to seven-figure revenue with a team of 20, but he also played a crucial role in guiding numerous startups, either as their first team member, consultant, or during M&A processes. His passion for environmentally impactful startups is deeply intertwined with his background in engineering and management. In addition to his excitement for developing new products, Mario is committed to building the teams and organizations necessary to scale these ventures around innovative products, services, and business models.

Alex’s passion is building innovative products and making them fly. As a serial entrepreneur, he knows by heart how to validate and invalidate ideas. He creates prototypes within hours, draws the correct conclusions, and builds unique brands that sell. As our Head of Marketing, he has over 12 years of international experience in marketing and branding.

Cristina liked to consider herself an allrounder. She brings experience in talent acquisition and management from her previous roles, as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Vienna and multilingual skills in German, English, French, and Romanian. She has a bubbly personality and likes to helps people and put a smile on their face as often as she can.

Stefan has more than 10 years of experience in supporting 150+ established companies in innovating and building new ventures. As one of the Co-Founders of WhatAVenture, Stefan’s hands-on attitude drives him to seek new challenges on a regular basis. His passion is to build new ventures in the digital and non-digital field, and continue to drive our own portfolio of ventures, that already has 100+ employees and received multiple investments.

Veljko uses his curiosity and hands on approach to take a business idea from zero to hero. Apart from his entrepreneurial attitude, he also brings the skills to deliver, whether coding up an MVP or managing an agile growth process, Veljko leverages technology and creative marketing to achieve exponential growth.

Hannah discovered her passion for Innovation through her background in Management and Entrepreneurship. Her earlier roles in Marketing, Advertising, and Project Management have given her the opportunity to collaborate with companies across various industries, execute successful campaigns, and lead impactful workshops and events. Now, her passion for fostering innovation and driving forward-thinking initiatives shapes her work in the startup and venture capital ecosystem. Committed to making a positive impact for businesses and the environment, Hannah thrives in dynamic environments, working with inspiring teams and cultivating meaningful connections.

With her broad knowledge in curating and executing impactful innovation programs at Austrian Startups, Ipek now sparks and drives innovation within corporates. Being deeply invested in successful project management and putting an emphasis on building strong relationships with stakeholders, she successfully led and coached a founder's program, ensuring that 20+ early-stage ventures have the tools and knowledge they need to become successful. Ipek has lived and studied in the MENA, Europe and the US, making her fluent in four different languages. Knowing the startup environment, Ipek thrives in rapidly changing and international environments.

Philippe has shaped the innovation landscape in Austria and Germany for more than a decade, having supported more than 150 corporates in their creation of sustainable innovation structures and governances. Through WhatAVenture's focus on venture building, Philippe has supported the creation and growth of numerous corporate ventures. Projects that Philippe has been involved in have received funding of more than €500 M.

Sascha uses his broad marketing expertise in growth, performance, brand and content marketing to develop and implement go-to-market strategies and scale our client projects and ventures. His passion is the best possible combination of upper and lower funnel measures for the efficient and sustainable development of ventures. As our Head of Venture Scaling, he has over 15 years of international marketing experience in various industries and business models, both B2B and B2C / D2C.‍

David's passion for creative work, design, and innovation began in childhood and deepened throughout his academic and professional journey. Originally from Italy, he graduated from WU Vienna with a specialization in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, building an initial foundation in creative and analytical thinking as well as various innovation methodologies. His first practical experiences in startup and consulting projects further sharpened his skills in the field. Through his international exposure, David has cultivated an open-minded and collaborative approach and is dedicated to supporting clients in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Elisa makes growth happen - with her experience in all fields of marketing and the in-depth knowledge in digital and performance marketing she gained working in hotel tech and omnichannel e-commerce, she finds the most efficient marketing mix to grow. Developing customer centric strategies in paid advertisements are the key for her, while always having an eye to numbers and performance.

Her primary role is to set up and execute growth marketing strategies and experiments for our ventures. She is an expert in effectively using the broad marketing spectrum to foster the value ventures create for their customers. What she enjoys the most in marketing is setting up processes for newly established teams and seeing a venture she worked on become a known brand.

Franziska has long years of hands-on experience in consulting DAX30 / MDAX companies as well as SMEs in her field of expertise, namely: Innovation Strategy, Corporate Innovation, Venture Building and Service Design. She has a strong international project background and a deep understanding of cross-industry requirements. Additionally Franziska has a passion for leading and implementing innovative flagship projects against all odds, never loosing the big strategic picture out of sight.

Having lived and studied in Austria, the USA, Spain, and India, Gunther unites an innovative and creative mindset with a strong analytical foundation. Through previous experiences within startups, consulting, and non-profit organizations, Gunther built his passion for developing new ideas and building systems for long-term sustainable growth.