I was founder of Visual Meta GmbH and acted as shareholder and managing director until 2018, when I sold my remaining shares to Axel Springer / idealo. Together with "Saarbrücker 21" (SB21) - a group of friends and successful entrepreneurs - I invest in innovative startups.

We are focused on supporting the founders and companies we invest in. We only invest our own money and take a long term approach, without any pressure for exits. We also like sustainable dividend models. All of us run or have run successful companies and thus can provide useful insights, make introductions and support with follow-on financing rounds.

 Startups:

1. ARX Robotics: ARX is committed to pioneering the robotics revolution by providing modular, autonomous, and cost-effective solutions for dual-use-applications. Their innovative robot platforms offer unique add-on functionalities that enable intuitive, fast, and effective problem-solving both in the armed forces and for civilian emergency services.
2. Nelly-Solutions: B2B SaaS management and invoicing tool for dentists and medical practices. 
3. saas.group: Acquires promising SaaS companies with a founder-friendly process in order to elevate their product - and their people - to the next level.
4. SWARM Biotactics: SWARM is a dual use company, offering an animal cyborg system that integrates natural locomotion and efficient energy use of animals with advanced sensor, computing, and communication technologies.
5. Omira Systems: Founded by a Ukraine war veteran and a retired USAF Electronic Warfare Colonel, Omira is developing comprehensive hardware and software solutions to manage and counter electronic warfare, keeping the comms working when everyone else fails and developing the next gen comprehensive battle spectrum management technology.
6. MittePadel: Creating the leading padel operator in Europe.
7. Innkeepr AI: Innkeepr is a platform for data-driven targeting. Their predictive capabilities help innovative e-commerce businesses to acquire, convert and retain customers at scale.
8. a360o: Creating a health journey where every step is clear, well-supported, and easy to navigate. Whether you’re searching for answers or seeking expert help, a360o is your trusted partner, committed to acting in your best interest.
9. Evela Health: Making Menopause easier through personalised care for perimenopause, menopause and beyond.
10. Andercore: B2B SaaS platform for modern conversational construction procurement.
11. Spread.ai: Simplifies management of complex products by teaching machines digital product perception.
12. Knowunity: Deutschlands beliebteste & schnellst wachsende Schülerplattform für Zusammenfassungen, Präsentationen, Lernzetteln, Karteikarten, Lösungen etc. in allen Fächern.
13. packmatic: Digital B2B platform for flexible packaging sourcing.
14. Salonkee: B2B SaaS for hairdressers, barbers, beauty salons and masseurs.
15. Synergy Insights: Synergy Insights is an AI-empowered analytics platform bringing investment banking intelligence to the next level
16. Floy.ai: Floy develops AI to inform radiologists about rare diseases in medical images.
17. PraxisEins: A platform for doctors' offices, network for primary care. 
18. Patient21: Patient21 is reinventing the primary (medical) care experience. The focus is on building a digital platform that helps to run and connect clinics so that value-based healthcare care is finally becoming a reality.
19. Lingoda: Online language school.
20. Blockbrain: A secure and fully automated analysis platform for web3 investments. 
21. Secjur: A digital compliance office offering an AI-based solution for data protection and information security.
22. Float: Offers non-dilutive growth capital for European SaaS companies and other subscription businesses. Provides loans up to 70% of companies' ARR.
23. Lillydoo: Establishing a new baby care brand.
24. Wundertax (Studentensteuererklärung). A SaaS tool to create and turn in electronic tax declarations.
25. Elephant: Automating creation and maintenance of training content for blue collar work force.
26. kfzteile24: Online shop for car parts. 
27. Silvertalent: Job portal for retired workers.
28. Logistikbude:  The software infrastructure for reusable systems, enabling companies to use their reusable objects more efficiently and with fewer staff.
29. TukToro: TukToro / a2zebra specializes in educational technology for elementary school students, e.g. mathematics for preschool to 2nd grade: playful, tangible and without any pressure.
30. enneo.AI: AI-driven customer service platform. enneo is building a service and operations automation solution specifically designed for the energy sector to automate all service workflows.
31. Laserhub: Platform to optimize the acquisition of metal sheets. 
32. xolo3d: Volumetric 3D Printing.
33. Bitbond: Bitcoin loans for ebay sellers and businesses from around the world.
34. StoYo: Next generation social video advertising agency and D2C label with brands like aava.
35. alphin (formerly freachly): The one-stop shop for all local marketing solutions.
36. Comtravo: Business travel made easy for SMBs.
37. Lineavi: Nutritional supplements to lose weight.
38. Thiocyn: Hair restorer.
39. Linkbird: Online marketing management tool.
40. 8returns: A self-service returns center for eCommerce stores that want to automate their returns process and improve their customers experience.
41. Komi: A platform to connect users with their favorite talents and their content.
42. coboworx: Leading the way for mass adoption of robotics by making robotic automation affordable and accessible.
43. Ekko: Simple digitalization of assembly and logistics processes in factories.
44. Academa: Digital professional trainings for administrative staff.
45. Seqstant: Live gene analysis portal. The solution for metagenomic diagnostics in real-time.
46. Synctive: Industrial subscriptions: Synctive enables machinery manufacturers to launch and scale their equipment-as-a-service business model.
47. Seventhings (formerly Itexia): A central digital inventory platform with interfaces to existing solutions. By digitizing and automating the inventory asset management they create a simple overview of every object within a company.  

VC Funds:

1. PlanetA: Supports founders tackling the world‘s largest environmental problems by providing early stage funding and mentoring to highly scalable green tech companies.
2. Worldfund: Backs entrepreneurs building climate tech for a regenerative world.
3. AUXXO Female Catalyst Fund: Early stage VC fund backing female founders.
4. GreenfieldOne: Early stage crypto fund. 
5. Project A Ventures: An early-stage VC fund investing in the fields of e-commerce & marketplaces.
6. Cherry Ventures: Berlin-based VC, founded by a team of entrepreneurs with substantial experience in building fast-scaling consumer businesses.
7. HV Capital: One of Germany's leading VC funds for early and growth investments.
8. Robin Capital: Berlin based solo GP fund with focus on pre seed and seed investments. 

Family:

Supporting my wife as personal trainer in Sankt Augustin.

1. Visual Meta: Sold successfully a majority stake to Idealo (Axel Springer Group) in December 2011 and sold successfully my final stake in 2018 also, to Idealo.
2. Kranus Health: Sold successfully in a secondary transaction in March 2024. App providing a holistic and sustainable approach to treating erectile dysfunction.
3. Fotograf.de: Sold to EQT in 2023. Professional online shop solution for photographers.
4. PlusDental: Sold successfully to Straumann in May 2022. Straightening teeth using state-of-the-art, invisible aligners at an affordable rate.
5. Vaayu: Sold successfully in a secondary transaction in April 2022. B2B SaaS company helping online retailers track and cut their carbon emissions in real-time.
6. Flaschenpost: Soled to Dr. Oetker in Nov-2020. Delivery service for beverages.
7. Gastrofix: Sold successfully to Lightspeed in Jan-2020. Professional iPad POS-system for restaurants, hotels and shops.
8. SevenSenders: Sold successfully in a secondary transaction in June 2019. Optimizes cross-border shipments for eCommerce.
9. Xletix: Sold successfully to Infront in May 2018. Running events with hardcore obstacle courses.
10. CarJump: Sold successfully to Peugeot in Nov-2016. All car- and bike-sharing services in one app.
11. Audibene: Sold successfully to EQT/Sivantos in March 2015. Online shop for hearing aids.
12. Amorelie: Sold successfully to Pro7Sat1 in March 2015. Online shop for sex toys and lingerie.
13. 9cookies: Sold to Delivery Hero in April 2014. Tablet- / smartphone based cashier systems for restaurants.
14. PrioriData: Sold to AppScatter. One of the largest independent databases of global app information.
15. MediDate: Sold shares to co-investors with losses. Lead generation for plastic surgery.
16. Minodes: Sold to Telefonica. Delivers fast and intelligent analytics of customer behavior for store operations.
17. Movinga: Sold my shares via a secondary transaction with losses. Booking moving companies and moving services online.  
18. ZenMate: Sold for low price to Kape Technologies. Encrypts and secures all browser activity. IP is hidden and privacy protected.
19. GetJob: Founder disappeared. Lost my money. Job app for blue collar jobs.
20. Alcandia: Went out of business. Platform for reselling booked trips instead of cancelling a trip with high losses.
21. Lesara: Went bankrupt. Online shop for non-branded products at best prices.
22. Hombell: Sold for low price. Marketplace for craftman services
23. Discandoo: Sold for low price. Online discount for well known brands.
24. Convida: Went out of business. Fresh Mexican Food Chain.
25. Doozer: Sold for low price. Digitizing professional real estate renovation management.
26. Leonyte: Went out of business. Protecting the world from harmful bacteria.
27. Loopline Systems: Went out of business. A lightweight cloud solution for managing your performance reviews.
28. The Breakfast Company: Went out of business due to Covid. Professional breakfast / snack solutions for companies. 
29. Little Tummy: Went out of business. Providing organic chilled baby meals using high pressure processing technology.
30. Contiamo: Went out of business. SaaS: Combines and explores data from popular software and applications.
31. TVSmiles: Went out of business. TV bonus scheme.
32. CrossEngage: Was sold for low price. Cross-channel marketing cloud solution allowing to orchestrate campaigns across all relevant channels (e.g. E-Mail, RTA, Onsite, Push Notifications).
33. Opinary: Was sold for low price. Content solutions for publishers.
34. Expertiger: Was sold for low price. IT support. 
35. Mycs: Was sold for a low price. Online shop for made-to-measure furniture.
36. Fancurve: Went out of business. Fancurve is a digital sports fashion platform empowering fans to express their passions, personalities and connection through digital sports wearables.
37. EqualTo: Went out of business. The No Code Sales Commission Operating System.
38. Verbally: Went out of business. SaaS solution to make meetings and calls more productive and structured by setting agendas and monitoring speaker times. 
39. Opto:  Went out of business. All-in-one banking service for truck companies. OPTO is a financial platform that helps companies operating vehicle fleets to untrap their cash, improve their finances, secure their expenses and simplify their accounting.
40. TVSmiles: Went out of business. TV bonus scheme.