Forum UnternehmerTUMSave the dateApril 3, 2025 Munich

Nikola's journey in the start-up & food ecosystem started when she did an internship in San Francisco during the time Beyond Meat went public. The insights she has gained were pivotal and since then she has dedicated her academic as well as her professional career in the area of meat alternatives and later in the area of future–proof agriculture as she believes that the change in our food system, including agricultural practices is crucial in combating the climate crisis. Nikola is dedicated to shape a meaningful food system and for achieving that, she has started to build up an AgriFood Hub.

David Bender is the commercial director of Heraeus Remloy, one of the leading recycling companies for rare earth magnets. He acts as a point of contact for industry and politics to secure critical raw materials for European industry. The main priority is to address the challenges of a market economy influenced by politics. With over 10 years of experience in various industries, his expertise lies in the holistic consideration of technical and economic aspects. He started in plant and mechanical engineering and developed from the technical to the commercial area. After several years in sales management consulting, he took over the management of Heraeus Remloy. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Darmstadt and specialized in management at ESADE in Barcelona.

Amanda Birkenholz is a venture capital investor passionate about tech startups solving important problems, particularly in Climate and DeepTech. Her portfolio includes companies like Planqc, DeepDrive, and STABL. Prior to VC, she co-founded the award-winning B2B IoT startup VISN and led the PropTech venture Raumgold. She also has experience as a Venture Architect Director, creating B2B startups and mentoring others. With a multicultural background and global experience, Amanda holds an Industrial Engineering degree from RWTH Aachen. Her upcoming book, "CHAMP – Jagd auf den Trojaner" (September 2023), aims to make STEM more accessible to children.

Francesca Bria is an innovation economist specializing in technology, geopolitics, and society, serving as an Honorary Professor at UCL and a Senior Fellow at Stiftung Mercator, leading the EuroStack Initiative. She advises the European Commission and is a member of the High-Level Round Table for the New European Bauhaus, and the Spanish International Council on Artificial Intelligence. Previously, she led digital innovation for the City of Barcelona, co-founded the UN Cities Coalition for Digital Rights, and directed Italy's National Innovation Fund. Bria has taught at various universities and advised global organizations, receiving numerous accolades, including being named a Top 50 Woman in Tech by Forbes.

Dr. Johanna Bronisch is responsible for topics at the intersection of e-mobility and energy. She heads corporate co-innovation projects, bringing together experts from the mobility, energy and tech sector to jointly built novel solutions and prototypes within a six month program. Her projects focus on electrifying the transport sector, integrating it into a more and more decentral grid and tracing and mitigating CO2-emissions associated e-mobility. Johanna is a trained psychologist and has a PhD in Neuroscience.

Zarah Bruhn is a German social entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of socialbee. Since April 2022, she has been the Commissioner for Social Innovation at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 
Socialbee, founded in 2016, helps companies employ and train refugees. Zarah's accolades include the Bavarian State Medal for Social Merit and recognition as Social Entrepreneur of the Year by Handelsblatt. She holds degrees from the University of Mannheim an TU Munich and is an Ashoka Fellow. 

Jean-Michel Dalle is a Professor at Sorbonne University and serves as the Managing Director of Agoranov, a leading science-based incubator in Paris. Agoranov, cofounded by several leading universities and research centers, has supported the launch of over 600 innovative, primarily deeptech startups, including 5 unicorns, that have collectively raised over 6 billion euros in private funding. Prof. Dalle is also the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for Pôles Universitaires d’Innovation, a recent framework initiative that supports French universities in the scaling of their innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities, and a member of France 2030 Supervisory Board. M. Dalle graduated from École Polytechnique, ENSAE and EHESS, and holds a PhD in economics from École Polytechnique. He is a co-initiator of Rise Europe and serves as member of its program committee.

Herbert Diess has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Infineon Technologies since 2023. In his previous positions as CEO of Volkswagen AG and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Škoda Auto, Seat, and Audi (2018-2022), he advocated for the further development of electromobility. One of his latest projects is the establishment of a solar factory in Germany.

Stefan Drüssler is passionate about driving innovation and scalable start-ups in Europe. He is responsible for the entrepreneurship education and start-up journeys at UnternehmerTUM. He supports the organization with about 400 employees to thrive for operational excellence, facilitate its international partnerships and organize its major events. Before joining UnternehmerTUM early in 2017, Stefan Drüssler worked as strategy consultant for the Boston Consulting Group.

Benjamin specializes in Robotics, Quantum Computing, Fusion, and Industrial Software, leading investments in companies such as Tacto, Proxima Fusion, Planqc, Fazua, and TWAICE.
Before joining UVC Partners in 2017, Benjamin was among the first employees at High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), where he played a key role in building a portfolio of over 480 investments over eight years. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Deniz Ficicioglu is revolutionizing the food industry with seaweed-based products. Her visionary approach of a regenerative ocean economy sets new standards for healthy nutrition and food security. Under her leadership, the company has established itself as a pioneer in the field of marine raw material refinement and as a leading brand for fish alternatives in the DACH region. She has been recognized for her entrepreneurial pioneering spirit as an EY Entrepreneurial Winning Woman and a finalist for the EIT Woman Leadership Award.

Andrea Frank has been in her role since 2022. She is responsible for the Stifterverband strategy and initiatives to promote education, science and innovation. Andrea Frank is a member of the university councils of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and the University of Applied Sciences of Ostwestfalen-Lippe. She advises the government on various federal and national committees. She studied Regional Science North America, Political Science and Sociology in Bonn and South Hadley (USA) as well as Public Management at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.

Benedikt Franke is Vice-Chairman and CEO with the Munich Security Conference (MSC). Before joining the MSC, he served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Affairs at the CSU and previous to that he was the Special Assistant for former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan. Benedikt holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He publishes regularly on foreign and security policy topics and sits on a number of relevant committees such as the Foundation Council of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen and the International Commission of the CSU. In his (limited) leisure time he works as Special Envoy of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Bastian Gierull aims to revolutionize the German energy market by providing green, fair, and affordable energy. He champions the energy transition through technological advancements like the Kraken platform, smart meter rollout, and heat pump installations. His leadership emphasizes modern management principles, fostering innovation and team empowerment. Gierull previously held leadership roles in product, marketing, and technology, founding successful startups. He holds a Master's degree in Media and Communication Studies.

After international assignments at TÜV Süddeutschland AG, Dr. Werner Götz joined EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG in 2000. There, he held key executive roles, including as Managing Director of EnBW Energy Solutions GmbH and EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH. Götz then served as the Technical Board Member of EnBW Erneuerbare und Konventionelle Erzeugung AG and later led the Generation Operations division of EnBW AG. At the beginning of 2015, Götz was appointed to the management board of TransnetBW GmbH. Since 2017, he has been its chairman.

Philipp Herkelmann is a driving force behind strengthening Europe's position as a global tech leader. He co-initiated EU Inc., the largest startup petition ever launched, calling for the creation of a pan-European entity to foster a thriving tech hub. Building on this momentum, he is currently developing "Futur II," an early-stage venture fund specifically designed to support ambitious founders and their groundbreaking ventures originating from research hubs across Europe. This fund aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and market-ready innovation, fueling the next generation of European tech companies.

Oliver is currently responsible inter alia for the programmes EXIST (start-ups from science), German Accelerator (internationalization of start-ups) and INVEST (start-up-Financing through Business Angels). 
He joined the BMWK in 2001 and held various post in the areas of central services, international trade policy (WTO, bilateral trade agreements), export financing and export credit insurance (“Hermes guarantees”) and special financing for large companies (state guarantees). 
Degree in Administrative Sciences from the Universities of Konstanz and Manchester (UK).

Jennifer Kaiser-Steiner leads innovative educational and strategic initiatives. With over two years of experience at UnternehmerTUM, including her role as Senior Expert for Strategic Projects, Jennifer specializes in fostering impactful learning environments. Her diverse background combines academic research, strategic project management, and educational leadership, contributing to a dynamic and forward-thinking approach to innovation and learning.

Olaf Koch is a founding partner of ZINTINUS a venture capital fund focussing on sustainable, healthy and impactful innovations in the Food sector. Before starting ZINTINUS he served as CEO of METRO AG a leading international wholesale group. He has a great passion for tech innovation, the food & hospitality industry and positive impact.

Andreea, a business development leader at Givaudan, specializes in strategic partnerships and innovation. With 16+ years in B2C and B2B innovation management for leading FMCG companies, she accelerates the go-to-market process for new solutions and creates business opportunities through collaborations with start-ups, suppliers, and partners. She serves as a strategic advisor to leadership, providing insights to guide investments and prioritize opportunities. She manages the European start-up and partnership portfolio and leads the Front End Innovation programs in Europe.

Together with his team at CIRCULAR REPUBLIC, Dr. Niclas-Alexander Mauß works closely with board members, executives, innovators and founders in corporations, SMEs and startups, driving cross-company projects to realize circular value chains, especially in the manufacturing, electronics and energy industry. Previously, he lead a start-up incubator at UnternehmerTUM, for a decade shaped a manufacturer’s growth and transformation to a multi-award-winning circular economy pioneer and launched CirculaTUM, Europe’s largest circular economy research hub. He was appointed to the expert group “Circular Manufacturing Systems” of the German Federal Environment Ministry and is an early advisor and pre-seed investor of one of Europe’s leading cleantech start-ups.

As co-founder of DigitalSchoolStory, Nina brought the social education start-up to life and is constantly developing it further with a team of over 100 people. The creativity-promoting learning method anchors new learning paths in schools in a practical and realistic way in order to develop students from pure social media consumers to active creators. Through DigitalSchoolStory, students in grades 5 to 13 learn to acquire these skills through independent work and creative video productions. DigitalSchoolStory links the world of adolescents with school lessons and thus promotes personal, social and methodological skills. The scientifically evaluated learning method is used in schools and universities throughout Germany, as well as in Austria and Switzerland.

Sabine Nallinger is a board member of Stiftung KlimaWirtschaft (formerly Stiftung 2°), a climate policy initiative of CEOs, managing directors and family entrepreneurs. From 2008 to 2020, Sabine Nallinger was a member of the Munich City Council for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, where she was primarily responsible for energy, urban development and transport policy issues. In 2014, she ran for the office of Lord Mayor of Munich. She is active on numerous committees, including as a member of the supervisory board of sustainable AG and a member of the advisory board of the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM) as well as a member of the advisory board of Fraport AG.

Miriam is a senior reporter at Sifted, The Financial Times-backed publication covering European startups and technology. Based in Berlin, she reports on the DACH startup and technology scene and writes Sifted's Startup Life newsletter. Miriam has previously written for publications such as Deutsche Welle, New Statesman, BBC Tech and Courier. She continues to write for independent art and design publications in Berlin and London.

Jana is passionate about supporting start-ups that are building innovative digital and technological solutions challenging the status quo and disrupting industries. She has gained practical experience in start-ups, big corporates, and consulting, besides working on her own projects. Jana is excited to support driven founders in scaling businesses that are contributing to a better tomorrow.

As Co-CEO of DeepDrive, Felix Poernbacher is responsible for all entrepreneurial and strategic aspects. He brings valuable expertise from his previous roles as an M&A investment banker at Rothschild & Co in London and Frankfurt and as a start-up advisor and consultant at Deloitte and Simon-Kucher.

Empowering the next generation of Germany’s entrepreneurial talents is Dr. Dorothea Ringe’s mission. She is an expert in entrepreneurship education and early-stage start-up support - especially in the area of deep tech. Dorothea holds a PhD in economics and looks back on 10 years of international work experience in leading international innovations ecosystems such as Oxford, Copenhagen and Stanford. Building bridges and sharing experiences for a more successful transfer of innovation is therefore at the heart of her approach to strengthening the German innovation start-up ecosystem. 

Marisa Schneider connects the organisation with like-minded institutions and stakeholders from abroad and therewith fosters the international dialogue in the world of innovation. While Munich is continuously developing into one of Europe’s entrepreneurship hotspots, Marisa is helping tech start-ups worldwide to get access to the local innovation ecosystem. Currently, she is running Rise Europe.

Bringing promising start-ups to success and inspiring people for innovation and entrepreneurship that is the passion of Prof. Dr. Helmut Schönenberger. As an aerospace engineer and investor, he pursues the goal of supporting and sustainably promoting scalable high-tech start-ups, founders and scientists from the initial idea to the successful product. He is part of the German Startup Verband.

Ben is Partner at BCG and co-leads the firm’s agriculture activities in Europe. He holds a M.Eng. degree in Industrial Engineering and has 15 years of experience in the agri-food industry. He is passionate for transforming the agri-food system by implementing techniques for higher resource efficiency and sustainable intensification and co-authored several studies on topics like Regenerative Agriculture, Soil Health and Water Use Efficiency in Crop Farming.

Maximilian is responsible for all visible, content-driven collaborations BCG engages in across the region. He is part of the UnternehmerTUM ecosystem and is committed to strengthening Germany and Europe as drivers of innovation. With a focus on DeepTech, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and cross-sector collaboration, Maximilian and BCG play their part in bringing together the brightest minds from startups, academia, and corporate players.

Dr. Leopold von Schlenk-Barnsdorf is a family business expert with FamilienUnternehmerTUM at UnternehmerTUM. His work focuses on the unique opportunities and challenges facing family businesses, particularly in innovation and transformation management, the role of SMEs in innovation ecosystems, and start-up-family business collaborations. As a 5th generation shareholder of SCHLENK SE, a leading international manufacturer of metal powders, pigments, and foils, he also brings practical experience to these topics.

Georg Weber was appointed in 2017 to the Executive Board of Wilo SE and has been CTO & Member of the Executive Board since then. He is responsible for R&D, Operations, Quality, Purchasing & Supply Chain, Sustainability, the global Location Management and the H2 activities of the Wilo Group. At his former employer - the Philips Group he held various leading positions in Operations, Supply Chain Management and Product Development in Europe and Asia. His goal is to positively contribute to address the global challenges of our time with sustainable technologies and strong partnerships.