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In today’s fast-paced business world, the ability to navigate flexibly between the dynamic environments of startups and the structured processes of large companies is invaluable. My career so far has taken me on an exciting journey at the intersection of these two worlds, and I would like to share some of my key experiences and insights with you.
My professional journey began more traditionally in the dual Bachelor’s programme in cooperation with Deutsche Bank, as well as the subsequent Master of Finance at Frankfurt School. During my studies, I was able to learn the banking business from the scratch and get to know the entire spectrum of a major international bank, from the private customer branch to investment banking. After graduating, I moved to DB Management Consulting, where I was able to lead large IT transformation projects and, above all, strategic digital projects. This time was shaped by structured processes and a clear focus on efficiency and professionalism.
A key moment in my career was the founding of a corporate venture for Deutsche Bank in Berlin, where I was responsible for the expansion strategy. During this time, we were able to scale the product, a mobile app for payment and loyalty cards, to a six-figure number of users and four European markets. When the project was discontinued following a change in the Group’s strategy, it was time for me to finally change my perspective.
After a short period in venture capital, my path led me to two successful scale-ups in the fintech sector: Penta and Qonto. At Penta, I was significantly involved in the development of strategic partnerships with corporates, the product strategy and ultimately in fundraising and the successful sale to Qonto. At Qonto, I was able to contribute my knowledge of the German market and drive the customer migration after the merger. This period was characterized by rapid growth, innovation and constant adaptation to new challenges.
I am now working in a corporate setting again, in Asset Management at DWS. Here I am responsible for strategic partnerships and investments in startups, and drive our B2B solutions business, exactly at the intersection between corporate and startup. This role allows me to combine my experience from both worlds and develop innovative partnership models and solutions that meet both the requirements of a large corporation and the dynamic needs of startups.
A key factor in transferring the output speed of a start-up to the corporate context is the active promotion of an innovation culture, including a “trial and error” mentality, as well as the importance of teamwork. The success of a new business project often depends on supporting creative ideas from the bottom up and creating an environment in which team members can contribute their strengths independently. Especially in the start-up world, it has proven successful to have an agile, diverse and well-connected team that can react quickly to change. This way of working can be successfully transferred to larger companies by promoting and implementing agile methods and an open communication culture. In this way, innovative solutions can also be developed and implemented more quickly in large companies in order to meet the dynamic requirements of today’s markets.
Looking back on my career so far, I have always been keen to take on new challenges and take risks to keep my personal learning curve high. In particular, the combination of start-up dynamics and corporate structure has made me both versatile and adaptable. Both worlds provide complementary skills that enable me to successfully structure goals and projects and develop innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions for various challenges.
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