We are entrepreneurs who speak corporate

Ipek’s experience spans both startup ecosystems and corporate innovation. She has previously led a startup incubator, supporting 30+ founders from initial ideation through company formation. Passionate about systematic idea validation in early-stage venture development, she now works with corporates to identify and assess new business ideas. Ipek brings hands-on experience in moderating workshops and panel discussions. Fluent in four languages, she thrives in international, fast-paced environments.

Federica has 5+ years of experience in identifying, assessing, and validating business ideas. Passionate about intrapreneurship and hands-on coaching, she has led various corporate programs, including one with 30+ teams and 10+ ventures in implementation. As a team member pushing business development, she contributed to a startup successful Series A investment round. Federica bridges entrepreneurial spirit with expertise in corporate innovation.

Caroline brings a background in project management to her work in corporate innovation, with hands-on experience in process optimization, intrapreneurship programs, coaching, and validation experiments, particularly in the energy sector. She is passionate about empowering teams to challenge the status quo and successfully drive impactful change within corporate environments.

Friedemann builds brands that stick in people's mind and hearts – and campaigns that truly move the needle. For over ten years, he has helped organizations communicate their message so it resonates. Whether young tech start-up or international corporation – Friedemann develops the right strategy and implements it digitally. At whataventure, he brings together his instinct for strong brands with systematic thinking. The result? Communication that is not only seen, but also felt.

Timon brings broad experience in innovation and consulting, guiding market ideas from validation to implementation. Holding a Double MSc in International Management and CEMS MIM, he has worked across industries such as energy, insurance, and mobility. His career spans supporting the launch of an accelerator in Northern Europe, validating and developing new business models at a venture builder in Germany, and now driving new business at whataventure.

Petra’s primary role is to set up and execute growth marketing strategies and experiments for our ventures. She is an expert in effectively using the broad marketing spectrum to foster the value ventures create for their customers. What she enjoys the most in marketing is setting up processes for newly established teams and seeing a venture she worked on become a known brand.

After eight years in luxury hospitality management across seven countries, Alex discovered a passion for business model design and innovation. Holding a double MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship and CEMS MIM, he transitioned into startups as a Founder’s Associate and Chief of Staff, focusing on pre-launch product management at two early-stage ventures. Alex blends creativity, analytical thinking, and a people-first, service-driven approach and thrives in collaborative settings.

Elisa makes growth happen – with data-driven go-to-market and scaling strategies. Building on her deep expertise in performance marketing, she has a proven track record in every stage of company building: from validating ideas to launching and scaling high-performing channels. Elisa combines sharp data analysis with real customer insight, ensuring every decision drives both performance and customer satisfaction.

After a Master's degree in International Media & Computer Science, Daniel built digital products as Software Engineer and Product Manager for almost 15 years. He gained a wide range of experience working in early-stage and scaling startups, and enterprise companies. Originally from Germany and he lived in Italy, Luxembourg, and now Austria. Daniel seamlessly blends entrepreneurial ingenuity with Agile methodologies, all while maintaining commitment to a customer-centric approach.

Rebecca brings extensive experience working at the intersection between startups and corporates. Having spent years driving the international scaling of tech startups and scaleups in the telecom industry and beyond, she has powered the large-scale innovation of corporate partners through venture clienting. Rebecca aims to multiply success in the DACH market through hands-on support of high-potential ventures, leveraging her relentless can-do spirit for collaboration.

Gunther unites his hands-on mentality with an entrepreneurial and creative mindset and a strong analytical foundation. He excels at diving deeply into complex, unfamiliar topics to quickly find workable solutions, ranging from validating new ideas to operationally building and scaling ventures. Gunther brings previous experience with startups, consulting, and non-profit organizations, and an MBA and MSc as his academic background in business.

Emil's interest in corporate venturing already began during his Bachelor's studies, when he conducted research on the topic among Austria's Hidden Champions. Coupled with his professional experience in both corporate banking and digital transformation consulting, he has developed a deeper understanding of the financial and strategic aspects of growing businesses. He likes to challenge the status quo, always aiming at turning bold ideas into profitable business opportunities.

Thomas brings over a decade of expertise in finance and controlling to whataventure. He oversees core financial processes, leads digital transformation initiatives and drives cross-company planning. With a strong analytical mindset, he ensures smooth, scalable operations. In close collaboration with venture teams and leadership, he shapes clear financial structures and aligns technology strategies with long-term business goals.

Alexander is a former co-founder of a digital health startup with years of experience as a management consultant with a focus on financial planning and head of innovation in a corporate group. A strong analytical mind and passion for exploring new topics allow him to structure projects and problems alike to help our clients achieve results, especially in the fuzzy environment of the early innovation phase.

Hannah combines a background in Management and Entrepreneurship with experience in Marketing, Corporate Venture Capital, and Project Management. Eager to continuously broaden her expertise, she has developed a strong passion for the innovation, startup, and venture capital field. Her analytical skills and structured approach allowed her to thrive in building the CVC arm of a major corporate, gaining hands-on experience and driving impactful investments.

Andreas brings hands-on experience in validating business models. He helps corporate ventures explore customer needs, test value propositions, and bring ideas to market with a structured yet creative approach. With a foundation in marketing and communications, he adds an edge in content-driven storytelling—enabling ventures to validate and communicate their value with clarity and impact.

Lukas' professional passion can be found at the intersection of innovation, digital technologies and new ways of working. He thrives in dynamic teams which are ready to improve every day, bit by bit. With a background in digital transformation, innovation and agile he is well-equipped to apply modern approaches, making our partner's endeavours successful. At the same time, several years at a corporate taught him the needs, challenges and dynamics of larger organizations first-hand - ready to apply it.