Campus To Capital

What does it take to identify exceptional founders before the numbers exist, and win the right to back them in an increasingly competitive venture market? In Episode 29, we sit down with Christian Meermann, Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures . Christian shares how scaling Zalando across Europe shaped his view on growth, brand, distribution, and company building. We discuss how Cherry evaluates mo...

What does it take to outpace a wave of well-funded competitors and build one of the fastest-growing AI startups? In Episode 28, we sit down with Dennis May, former Associate at Lakestar and now Chief of Staff at Peec AI, one of Germany’s fastest-growing AI startups. Dennis shares why he left venture capital to join the operator side, what convinced him to bet on Peec, and what the Chief of Staff r...

Why do nearly half of European household assets still sit in cash while retail investors in the US continue compounding wealth through the markets? This week we sat down with Maximilian Meyer, Chief Marketing Officer of Scalable Capital, one of Europe’s leading investment platforms with more than one million clients and over €50 billion in assets. Before joining Scalable, Max founded his own start...

Why is hardware still dramatically harder to build than software? This week we sat down with David Stålmarck, Co-Founder & CTO of Atech, one of the most exciting early-stage hardware startups coming out of Scandinavia right now. Backed by Lovable, Nordic Makers, Emblem, and scout-linked capital connected to Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz, Atech is tackling a problem that has existed for decad...

Why are organizations still structured around management principles that are thousands of years old? This week we sat down with Niels Martin Brøchner, Founder of Paradox, a Danish startup building what might become one of the most ambitious infrastructure layers in enterprise software. Backed by SpeedInvest and already working with leading Danish companies, Paradox is tackling a problem most organ...

What happens when universities move beyond teaching entrepreneurship and start shaping it? This week we sat down with Yerrie Kim, who holds degrees from Harvard and MIT and has worked across finance, consulting, and venture building, before recently taking on the role of Executive Director at the Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship. At CSE, the ambition is not to replicate a VC fund or accelerat...

What does it take to back the most ambitious technology companies before the breakthrough? This week we sat down with Hendrik   Brandis, Co-Founder and General Partner at Earlybird VC and one of Europe’s most experienced venture capitalists. After starting his career as an aerospace engineer and later moving through consulting, Hendrik co-founded Earlybird nearly three decades ago and has since he...

How should a European business school position itself in a world shaped by AI and geopolitical fragmentation? This week we sat down with Peter Møllgaard, President (Rektor) at Copenhagen Business School. From his early career in economic research and public policy to leading one of Europe’s most international business schools, Peter reflects on how universities are evolving in an era of technologi...

How do you invest in founders before there’s a company, a product - or even an idea? In this episode of Campus To Capital , we sit down with Michael Wiatr Aagaard , General Partner at @ Antler , one of the world’s most active early-stage investors with more than 1,300 portfolio companies across 27 global locations. Michael shares his journey from real estate finance and consulting into entrepreneu...

How do you turn millions of financial data points into faster, more objective investment decisions? In this episode of Campus To Capital , we sit down with Deniz Schütz , CEO & Co-Founder of StrategyBridgeAI , a fintech startup automating data-driven business analysis for private equity funds, M&A advisors, and consultants. Before founding StrategyBridgeAI, Deniz worked at institutions lik...

The past years reshaped Europe more than any decade since the end of the Cold War: war returned, energy systems fractured, AI accelerated, and political extremes gained ground. We spoke with someone who stood at the center of these shifts: Robert Habeck , former German Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Recorded just months after leaving office, this conversation...

How do you turn study stress into study success - for millions of students worldwide? In this episode of Campus To Capital , we sit down with Kim Rants , Founder & CEO of Alice.tech , the Y Combinator-backed EdTech startup that’s redefining how students learn and teachers teach through generative AI. Kim began his career as one of the youngest Engagement Managers at McKinsey , taught for over...

How do you decarbonize a country’s heat supply from the ground up? In this episode of Campus To Capital, we sit down with Herbert Pohl, Founder & CEO of Deutsche Erdwärme and former Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, to explore how deep geothermal energy can become a scalable pillar of the energy transition. We talk about: - The full life cycle of a geothermal project – from site select...

How is technology reshaping the future of asset management? In this episode of Campus To Capital, we sit down with Joseph Pinto, CEO of M&G Investment Management, to discuss how one of Europe’s leading investment firms navigates transformation across technology, sustainability, and leadership. From his early career in at AXA Investment Managers to global executive roles at Natixis and now M&am...

Ever wondered how venture capital can scale smarter with technology and community? In this episode of Campus To Capital, we sit down with Bastian R. Larsen, Founder & CEO of BlackWood Ventures, to unpack how AI, data, and a strong angel community are reshaping early-stage investing in Europe. From working on the globally fastest growing hedge fund at BlackRock to launching his own VC fund, Bas...

Ever wondered how to scale real-world innovation without the hype? In this episode of Campus To Capital, we sit down with Laurits Bach Sørensen, Co-Founder of Nordic Alpha Partners, to unpack economic sustainability and the operator playbook behind Europe’s industrial reboot. From BCSA (Better, Cheaper, Simpler, Available) to GP/CoE, Laurits shows how fundamentals - not buzzwords - drive adoption,...

Did you ever wonder how interspecies communication really works? In this episode of Campus To Capital, we speak with Fiona Korwin-Pawlowski, Chief Strategy & Programs Officer at Project CETI - a research initiative that uses cutting-edge AI to decode the communication system of sperm whales. Fiona shares insights from a career spanning humanitarian work at UNICEF and Global Citizen to leading...

In this episode of Campus To Capital , we sit down with Andreas Schwarzenbrunner – General Partner at Speedinvest and one of Europe’s leading voices in early-stage venture capital. But this conversation goes far beyond term sheets and cap tables. With a background in politics and a deep focus on industrial and climate tech, Andreas shares what it truly takes to build globally competitive startups...

In this episode of Campus To Capital , we sit down with Ruben Benjamin – a German visual artist whose sculptural, three-dimensional works are collected and exhibited from Seoul to Los Angeles. But this conversation goes far beyond aesthetics. Recorded on-site at Ruben’s studio in Munich, this episode captures not only his voice but also the atmosphere of his creative environment – from raw materia...

In episode 10 of Campus To Capital , we sit down with Jonas Gjørup Larsen, CFO at Bitpanda, to explore what it takes to build resilient financial structures in a rapidly evolving fintech landscape. As the company transitions from a crypto trading app to a full-stack investment infrastructure provider, Jonas offers a rare inside look into the financial strategy behind Bitpanda’s growth—and what the...

In this episode of Campus To Capital , we sit down with David Höhl , Co-Founder and CEO of Phoenix Alpha Capital – a newly launched hedge fund focused on Europe’s overlooked small and midcaps . David shares a rare, inside look at what it takes to build a hedge fund from scratch: from legal structure and fundraising to investment philosophy and day-to-day operations. Drawing on his background in ve...

In this episode of Campus to Capital, we sit down with Eddie Opara, Partner at Pentagram and one of the most influential figures in contemporary design. From early drawings in church pews to reshaping global brands like the High Line, Eddie’s story is one of boundary-pushing creativity, cross-disciplinary thinking, and cultural impact. This episode explores the personal journey, design philosophy...

In this episode of Campus To Capital , we sit down with Torsten Slok , Chief Economist at Apollo Global Management and one of the most respected macro thinkers on Wall Street. With previous roles at the IMF, OECD, and Deutsche Bank, Torsten brings a uniquely global and data-driven perspective on the economy. The episode was originally recorded on April 14th, 2025. Please be aware that a lot has tr...

In this episode of Campus To Capital , we speak with Jonas Deichmann , world record-breaking extreme athlete, motivational speaker, and bestselling author. From cycling 18,000 km across Eurasia to completing the first triathlon around the world, Jonas’ mindset and approach to endurance are on a different level. Key Takeaways: How to build extreme mental resilience – and stay calm in total chaos Wh...

In this episode of Campus To Capital , we speak with Simon Schmincke , General Partner at Creandum — one of Europe’s leading early-stage venture capital firms. Simon’s career path is marked by a rare blend of operating and investing: from launching HelloFresh in the U.S. to backing high-growth startups like Lemon Markets , Tide , and Topi . Key Takeaways: - Scaling HelloFresh in the U.S. market: o...