Category: Insights

Thoughts Diary #08
Change of Perspective

As long as there’s music, there’s dancing. Considering the current mood in the German and European venture capital industry, the dance floor is only moderately crowded and the music is not party music, but rather melancholic blues.

Thoughts Diary #07
Charting AI value creation

According to McKinsey, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will increase the global gross domestic product by 16% by 2030. PwC even expects an increase of 26%. In both scenarios, this means growth in the double-digit trillion-dollar range. However, the question of where the value will be created is far more exciting than the exact percentage.

Thoughts Diary #06
Misplaced Restraint

The fear of selling out German innovations and technologies is back. It was recently fueled by the takeover of Viessmann’s heating business by the US company Carrier. The call for more legislative control follows almost reflexively. However, it is not the politicians in Berlin who can really ensure that innovative technologies remain in Germany, but the board members and managing directors of German companies.

Thoughts Diary #04
Selective fundraising

The fat years are over. Sky-high startup valuations, limited partners who are desperate for investment opportunities and subscribe for practically every new fund – the almost heavenly conditions for venture capital are over for now. Fortunately.

Thoughts Diary #03
Europe’s location advantage

The startup and venture capital scene is tense – especially in the U.S. Ever since it became known that Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was in trouble and then went bankrupt, the nasty L-word has been haunting the sector. Is the sector having its Lehman Brothers moment?

Thoughts Diary #02
More of a beginning than an end

“The race in the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is decided. Start-ups hardly stand a chance against the technology of OpenAI (and thus Microsoft) and Google.” If most of the German and international media had their way, founders and investors would withdraw from the AI market …

Thoughts Diary #01
Surprise – or not

War, inflation, interest rate hikes – it is a toxic mix that potential IPOs have been battling with for the past year. At the same time, many investors are still reeling from the disillusionment of IPO valuations that collapsed with the end of the Covid boom…