Christian (Chris) Hauth

"Expand your knowledge by learning from great leaders; their wisdom is the bridge to your success." 🚀 Very inspiring interview by our CTO, Thomas Koelzer Thomas isn't just the CTO of BurdaForward he's also been my leader, coach, and mentor for the past few weeks. It's a pleasure to learn from someone with such a deep understanding of tech. His support is helping me expand my leadership skills and contribute to making FOCUS online one of Germany's best news platforms. Further I deeply enjoy our regular talks about the 2nd Liga in Soccer!⚽️ #Leadership #Mentorship #Inspiration #TechInnovation #FocusOnline

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🚀 I probably should have started documenting our startup journey with Passionfruit over a year ago. That was when I left my corporate job at Unilever and dove headfirst into this adventure with my best buddy, Lars Kuijpers. But here we are, better late than never! Over the past year, I've encountered countless "probably should have done it differently" moments. And that's okay. Let me share a few: Celebrate Champagne Moments 🥂 vs. Thinking Nothing Is Big Enough The number one piece of advice from every founder I've met is to celebrate every small victory, or you'll go nuts. A year ago, if you had told me we'd be where we are today, I would have been over the moon. But if you don't look back enough and celebrate small wins like securing funding, gaining a customer, receiving amazing user feedback, or making your first hire, nothing ever feels big enough, and the ride gets rough. We've been guilty of not celebrating enough despite our great moments. But I pinky promise to change that, especially with all the exciting news coming our way. 🎉 Focus on the Bigger Picture 🔍 vs. Recency Bias Poor Lars Kuijpers must be driven mad working with me. I get way too excited or frustrated because of the last conversation I had. There's even a term for it: recency bias. We have a fantastic problem to solve, amazing customers to work with, and a clear mission to usher in a new era of transparency. Keeping that in mind, and putting the right feedback mechanisms in place, keeps you sane and focused on the bigger picture. Understand the Problem and Deliver Value 💡 vs. Closing a Sale Too Soon In the early days of Passionfruit, there was nothing to sell. I spent most of my time genuinely curious about the lives of sustainability teams in the consumer goods industry—what frustrates them, what takes up their time, why they do what they do, and so on. It never felt like a "customer" conversation, but sincere curiosity. Your conversation partner (some call them customers) can sense that. These conversations are valuable for both parties. The people I spoke with then are now our customers. When we finally had a product, I got too excited about the solution and the potential sale, rather than focusing on the problem. Predictably, those conversations didn't lead to sales or partnerships. I now truly believe that in the first years of a startup, it should still be about having enough conversations with potential customers until you really understand them. Just two weeks ago, I made this mistake again at a big event. Although I thought I was providing value and discussing the problem, the audience felt like they were being sold to. Probably should have done that differently...

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Our startup is growing. What got us from zero to one (thanks Peter Thiel) will definitely not get us to where we want to grow. So I am sharing some of our journey, learnings and change management approach as a leadership team in this direction refinement. New Vision. New Mission. Who Dis? Please drop any post- Zero-to-One truth bombs in the comments. #ZerotoOne #ChangeManagement #ADKARApproach #CompanyGrowth #LeadershipInsights #VisionAndMission #OrganizationalDirection #BusinessStrategy #TeamDevelopment #EmploytheWorld JOBJACK

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➡ RECAP: Start-up-week - Workshop KICK-START YOUR BUSINESS   It was great to share insights out of my 'Einfach.Funktionieren.® - Konzept' with you. Insights on how founders can make their business successful in the long term. Transparent. Adaptable. Sustainable. ⬇ I am convinced that you will be successful with your start-up if you understand the basic coherences of how organizations work and interact. ➡ Keep in mind, that the product idea will determine main further decisions of your business. ➡ Know the basics of end2end value creation processes: Lead2Cash, Source2Pay, Design2Operate, Recruit2Retire (horizontal and vertical integration, basis for cross functional collaboration|teams) ➡ Know Cash-in | Cash-out parts of your business (partner, customer, contract, product; cash is king) ➡ Make sure that customers, partners, employees (all stakeholders) have a good experience in connection with your company. (win-win situations) ➡ Think your company from an end2end perspective (strategy, design, implementation, operation; continued improvement). ➡ Make sure, that your strategy balances economic, ecological and social issues of your business. ➡ Establish a team, that will support and learn from each other (people make a difference). ➡ Establish a culture of wanting to get better day by day. For those who might have questions on how to KICK START YOUR BUSINESS: Don’t hesitate to contact me. #StartUp #EinfachFunktionieren #Digitalisierung #Nachhaltigkeit Many THANKS to the - participants of the workshop. - organization team of START UP WEEK AC Special THANKS to - Stefanie Pick from digitalHUB AC - Wibke Charlotte Mattay from COLLECTIVE INCUBATOR Also many thanks to the initiators of the START-UP WEEK: digitalHUB Aachen e.V. Collective Incubator RWTH Aachen University Gründungszentrum FH Aachen TVF | TechVision Fonds AGIT MBH IHK Aachen WFG Ostbelgien VoG - Wirtschafts- & Regionalförderung Stadt Aachen

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Today, my partner Jakob and I had the privilege of attending the Hinterland of Things in Bielefeld, where I gained valuable insights from various thought leaders, including Martin Böhringer of Staffbase. Martin Böhringer addressed the pervasive issue of distrust in our society. According to him, distrust in politicians and media is a significant problem today. He highlighted a study indicating that many people are reluctant to work with colleagues holding different political views, which exacerbates workplace polarization. A study by Edelman found that only 19% of people would be willing to work with someone who disagrees with their point of view. Böhringer also noted that Thanksgiving dinners in the US are now an hour shorter when attendees have differing political affiliations, showcasing the impact of political division on personal relationships. Interestingly, despite this widespread distrust, people increasingly trust their CEOs more than ever before. According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, "my employer" is the only trusted institution among those who see their country as polarized. Böhringer emphasized the importance of focusing on topics that unify people rather than polarize them. He encouraged leaders to look forward and find solutions instead of attacking current positions and opinions. Attending this conference was a reminder of the power of trust and unity in driving positive change. Let’s strive to build more inclusive environments where diverse perspectives are valued and respected. #HinterlandOfThings #Leadership #Trust #Unity #Innovation #BusinessLeadership #Staffbase Feel free to engage and share your thoughts on how we can foster more trust and unity in our professional and personal lives!

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🌍 Excited to connect with fellow innovators and explore scalable business models. See you there! InnovaticGroup. Create the Future Now innovaticgroup.com #BornGlobalAcademy #GlobalExpansion #Innovation #Technology #Entrepreneurship #Investment #Networking #InnovaticGroup #BusinessGrowth #SustainableInnovation #BusinessAngels #VentureCapital #LPs #GPs #Innovation #DigitalRransformation #Digitalization #Startup #Scaleup

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This Innovations Conference was different for me. Maybe I missed most of Thomas Kirchner's podcast. 😊 It took me only a minute to sit down and find myself on the stage, but in true YETI style. 😎 But one thing remains constant: connections are currency. 🧲 Here is the wisdom I have gleaned from talking to people: ➡ It is never too late to start. Do not let age or experience hold you back. The startup world thrives on fresh perspectives. 🧠 ➡ Support is closer than you think. Surrounding yourself with the right people can make all the difference. That next groundbreaking idea might be brewing right next to you at a conference snack table. 🤝 ➡ The journey is as important as the destination. Look around you. These founders? They were not all overnight successes. There is a whole lot of hustle and heart behind every growth-stage company. ⭐ The most important takeaway: It is never too late to jump into the innovation game! Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your journey, the YETI program can be your launchpad. 🚀 🚀 🔥 Here's the deal: Want to be part of the next generation of innovators? 💪 Don't wait for the perfect moment. Seize the opportunity! Secure your spot in the YETI scholarship program now: https://lnkd.in/gBqSpUcm It's your chance to learn from the best and build your net worth. Mark your calendars! Join us for Demo Day on July 11th to see YETIs in action. ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ https://lnkd.in/gwTRU55S #YETIScholarship #InnovationSaxony #YETIDresden #DesignThinking

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For this role, YOU should apply quickly if … 🙈 You want to work not only with me, 🥰 But also with Ali, Maggie, Matthias & Laura 🤗 and briefly with Eva ➡️ Head of Product at Swat.io with a passion for strategy and an absolute hands-on attitude wanted ⬅️ Since Eva is temporarily leaving us for a project in her private environment (🍼), I am looking together with Jane for the ideal replacement for Eva. What is the role all about? 🤩 Lead our Product Team, consisting of two Product Owners and two UI/UX Designers (4 people) 🤩 Develop strategic product roadmaps and align regularly with our strategy group to ensure our product fits within the overall company strategy 🤩 Further develop our product to ensure our users have the best possible experience while driving our business forward 🤩 Coordinate our product owners, developers, and designers to develop solutions and ensure great UX 🤩 Serve as an internal link, aligning our Customer Support, Development, Marketing, and Sales Teams to analyze user problems, develop solutions, and work on user acquisition strategies 🤩 Actively stay informed about changes in the market 🤩 Allocate 50% of your work week to strategic tasks and 50% to hands-on projects and teamwork 🤩 Work closely with the Development Team, enabling the development of value-adding features 🤩 Define and monitor key KPIs and derive improvement potentials 🤩 Support the Sales, Marketing, and Support teams in effective communication with customers and customer acquisition This is how we role: Iterate Agilely: * We prefer small iterations over waterfall. * We ship often & early. * We embrace continuous change. Simplicity Wins: * Simplicity is in our DNA * No project is too small, but there is definitely a „too big“. * We value clear and simple design. * Simplicity also means no technical debt. Collaboration First/ one for all, all for one: * Arguments before ego. * We are one team that supports each other. * We are managers of ourselves. Data-Driven Excellence: * Data is a strong argument. * Challenge the status quo. Positive Team Culture: * We are the good & fun people. * We assume the best intent. * We give feedback because we care about each other. In case this sounds great, let me close with the following: 😮 No Bullshit 😮 No Company Politics 😮 Full Hybrid Work (office in Vienna, but most people in the unit are working remotely) 😮 Impact, Impact, Impact 😮 Amazing Teammates In case you’re now even more excited, just drop me a PM! It doesn’t get easier to apply for your next dream job. #swatio #jobs #productmanagement #remotework #socialmediamanagement #saas

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Our pre-OMR event is scheduled ✅ On May 6, we will kick off the intensive online marketing days in Hamburg with a get-together in our Remazing office. What’s on the agenda? ✔️ The latest AI trends ✔️ Updates from Amazon ✔️ Interesting discussions with other brands Plus: ✔️ The legendary Don Jaime tacos ✔️ And the Remazing drinks menu 👉🏻 How to join? If you represent a brand, comment below or DM me. Can’t wait to see you there! #remazing #event #amazon #amazonmarketing

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𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. One of the biggest challenges faced by a young company is to be seen. That’s exactly why over time we experimented with a lot of different marketing ideas. Our craziest idea so far? To scale OUTFITTERY offline. The thought behind it was perfectly logical: we would open pop-up stores in strategic locations and scale our business not only online, but also offline. No sooner said than done. In 2015, we opened our very first (and so far, the only) OUTFITTERY pop-up store at Hamburg airport. 🛫 Even though we got a huge response and very positive feedback from customers, we decided to close our pop-up store after three months and haven’t opened any more stores since. What we realized is that offline isn’t our strength at all! While some retailers are very strong in stationary retailing, we had to admit that the operationalization of a physical store is a totally different ballgame to our purely online business model. It was clear to us that we wanted to continue to focus on our core competence as online players. But I don’t regret taking that step. This step showed us how strong we are in our online business. And to be quite honest, I still find the idea of OUTFITTERY stores pretty cool! 😎 What so-called ‘mistake’ taught you the most? 💬 #store #business #marketing #team #success

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How do we convert emotion into leads? At OMfinCon in Berlin, Lena Goller & me had the pleasure of presenting our unique funnel strategy to affiliate marketing leaders from Germany & abroad. Not only has the experience of speaking in front of a large audience been very cool, but we have also seen a huge interest in the background we shared on our unique conversion funnel. Most people don’t have a massive passion when it comes to #financial products, even though they have such a giant importance in their life. That’s why we combine this rather “dull” topic with plenty of emotion, particularly travel emotions! Of those of you who joined — how did you like the presentation? Was it useful? For everyone who wasn’t there — do you believe that #emotion actually leads to a higher #conversion? #OMfinCon #AffiliateMarketing #reisetopia

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🌪️ Weather Update: Things are getting wild out there! But amidst the snowy chaos in the last two days, the teams from LaVita GmbH have found their common denominator. ☁️ After some input on the science of great teams, essential communication skills, a great exercise called the anxiety party and the trusted negotiation loop to hone in on what mattered most, they have a goal to follow through on for the next 8 months with a continual learn cycle - the only way to get to sustained team high-performance. 🎉 Whether it's snowing, raining or the sun is shining - nothing beats the magic of coming together over a common goal and weathering the storm together and creating wonderful collective human and team experiences ❤️. . . . . #TeamSpirit #TeamWork #Belonging

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Ep.17 Drop #20Angel 🎙 The one & only Philipp Moehring, Co-Founder of Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company, joined me in the hot seat for a rare public appearance 🔥 👉 Introducing Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company FUND III ✍ 👉 Higher valuations = higher expectations 💣 👉 Giving Founders the freedom to be extreme 🤪 👉 Your access gives you your price 💰 Some Founder References on Philipp: dennis müller (Amie): "More than most, pmoe is a cheerleader. The journey is already hard enough, some VC's make it harder by sending unsolicited articles with "seen this?". He's the opposite. always fun to brainstorm ideas with him. Differentiated intros relative to others." David Budde (trawa): “He‘s been a great sparring partner and has a ton of experience. I remember, the night before our Pre-Seed closing, we found a minor but important error in our cap table. Unsure what to do, we called Phil late that evening for guidance. To me, it‘s super important to know that I can reach my investors, if it actually matters, and that they‘ll be able to help! + he’s just a really nice guy.” Milos Rusic (deepset): “Phil is amazing! He was actively involved in assembling each of our funding rounds - even in the first round where he committed before we had settled for a lead investor. He actively helped to construct our favourite setup of lead investors for that initial round. He knows everyone and his support is not limited to great intros - he really helps founders to assess and identify which investor could be a right fit for them. 100% reliable, massive value for every company. What they do is really unique.” This was a special one to do, hope you enjoy 🍿 https://lnkd.in/gTRT_SmJ 20VC, #AngelInvesting, #technology, #podcast, #entrepreneurship, #VC, #Founder, #Investing

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Just when we thought it couldn't get any more exciting, it did! 🔥 #Berlin continues to amaze us with its awesome variety and top-notch of VC players. 🚀 We got to witness one of Europe's most successful scale-ups flex its innovation muscle to turn into a first-class VC player, @ Delivery Hero’s Delivery Hero Ventures, a great #CVC success story! 🔢 Earlybird Venture Capital’s #data-#driven approach, which became their own hallmark, challenged the famous “gut feeling theory”, showing us how top founders share some common datapoints that can become crucial when analyzing a team. 🔮 We heard the earlycomers' view by HV Capital, who has cracked the code for investing in #tech #trends before they peak and ranked top 2nd in Europe for returns 📣 And there’s great news for the #Italian #VC market too: JOIN CAPITAL is opening offices in Italy as well, bringing their deep experience and market knowledge to help our #deeptech technical founders to lay the groundwork, and our entrepreneurial teams to drive scaling. Federico Wengi over at SquareOne Venture Capital also sees the Italian market picking up steam, with some exciting growth on the horizon, and the many new funds popping up are surely great news. But securing high-quality deals? That's the real challenge. One thing is sure: the number one secret to success in venture is being the first to get your hands on a deal. To do that, you need to find a strong and unique positioning. A great shout out to these people for doing this so successfully! 🚀 Carlo Tassi, Paola Bonomo, christian marchesi, Emanuele Torlonia, Niccolò de Leva, Nicoletta Morra, Alessandro Brighenti, Diana Vaturi, Letizia Mansutti, Claudio Boni, Luca Casalena, Giovanni Strocchi, Gianluigi Guida, Angelo Morini, Simone Zinanni, sergio togni, Lucinda Furci, Sara Burigo, Federico Frassi, Paolo Maresca, Filippo Cattabiani, Chiara Antonaci, Salvatore Giugliano, Nunzio Marco Forina, Anna Marcandella, Brendon Blacker, Tobias P. Schirmer, Ferdinand Dansard, Jan Miczaika, Federico Wengi

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Investing in restaurant software sucks! So why did 20VC lead the Seed round for allO, the all-in-one software platform for ethnic restaurants!? 👉 Team - Cancan Liu, Teodor Rupi & Benedikt von Lewinski are absolute execution monsters. Deeply understand the customer segment they are servicing... so much so that they actually waited on tables for free to work closely alongside their customers 👉 Clear ICP - churn is big at the lower end of the restaurant market and so they target customer generating a min of €500k ARR, which is not the focus of incumbents and at much lower risk of churn and much higher expansion potential 👉 Product - they have released 450+ updates in the App Store in under 12 months. Their feature shipping velocity is insane 👉 Numbers - servicing 200+ locations in Munich, grown ARR and ARPU 10x and 4x respectively in the past 12 months Fun story, I spent time in Munich, door stopping 30+ restaurants pretending to be a restaurant owner setting up a new location in Munich - "I heard about this software called allO, do you think it's worth me looking into" - honestly, never seen so much customer (and waiter!) love for a software product like I did for allO ❤️ And check out the co-investors in the round - 20Growth, 20Product, Daniel Khachab, Claire Hughes Johnson, Mario Götze, Dr. Martin E. and many more. And a special shout out to Abdul Afridi for seeing their potential early and being a true champion on the inside! $5m Seed round LFG!

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Today I visited the GREENTECH FESTIVAL in Berlin with my dear friend Andreas. 💚 To make it short: Good vibes, busy floors and a big startup space. But tbh I wondered if it's really worth it for startups. I remember from my active time as an exhibitor that we weren't honest about the hard costs per lead. We argued a lot: being there is everything, you have to be seen, brand building is important, it's where the industry meets, serendipity happens, if we just get one big order it will pay off... not to forget the parties! That's all true, but the opportunity cost of attending a trade show is very high, especially for startups. And while this isn't meant to be a trade show bashing at all, here are a few suggestions from my experience, on how to make the most of it... - Train your team to proactively approach people. - Initiate a challenge to see who can get the most leads. - Prepare in advance and market your attendance by actively inviting customers. - Consider a small side event, such as a VIP dinner. - Try to book a package with a speaking engagement at the conference, that has always paid off for us. - Use the exhibitor directory for your own prospecting. - Calculate cost vs. lead conversion after the show with real data and decide whether to repeat. - Push your presence on social in real time. Good luck to all exhibitors and happy selling 🚀 ____________________________ Sharing my experience as an entrepreneur and angel investor. Investing in early stage B2B SaaS startups. Happy to connect 👋

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🗣 Announcing our Cashwalk Premium Partner: SevenAccelerator SevenAccelerator is an early stage Venture Capital unit of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE whose aim is to identify strong founders and startups at an early stage and help them to become category leaders in their segment through their media volume, as a sparring partner and through operational support. In their own words..... SevenAccelerator: START. SCALE. SUCCEED. We are one of the leading accelerator programs in Germany and Austria with more than 30 early-stage consumer-driven companies in our portfolio. We provide you with media convertibles, tailored media deals and our full expertise to boost your brand awareness and accelerate your growth. We invest premium TV and digital media into ambitious, scalable B2C startups with mass market-ready products and services which want to take the next big leap on their growth journey. 3 reasons why SevenAccelerator is the right investor for your startup:  1️⃣ SevenAccelerator offers startups access to the full premium, 360° media reach of ProSiebenSat.1 Group. Our integrated network of premium TV channels, streaming, digital video and podcasts as well as influencers allows you to reach every target group with scale. 2️⃣ Early stage startups benefit from our holistic services and expertise including campaign creation/planning/optimization, consulting and mentoring on all media and creative matters: from spot testing to introductions to experienced production agencies. 3️⃣ Companies can accelerate their growth through our unique investment approach and profit from our cash-free and flexible media convertible deal construct. This allows you to boost your company valuation and minimize the equity that needs to be issued in the future. 3 things that grab our attention in a startup:  1️⃣ Passionate founders who truly believe in their product/service and focus on delivering added value to consumers. 2️⃣ Heterogeneous teams with diverse professional experience and industry expertise who are open to questioning their own decisions. 3️⃣ And foremost attractive, highly digital and scalable B2C business models in GAS (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) which address a mass market and benefit from long-term TV brand building effects. ........ Wow ! Increase your funding chances and build lasting connections, no matter the event.    Connect with SevenAccelerator today !! ....... #Cashwalk #SevenAccelerator #invest #entrepreneur #funding #vc #pitchevent #premiumpartner #investment #startup #scale

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Proud to be one of the first believers with Climate Founders in kolum.earth! Carbon pricing like the European Trading System (EU-ETS) and supply chain pressure are in my opinion the two most powerful approaches for decarbonization. Cross boarder adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) are the link to combine those approaches. The limitations of the EU-ETS are the regional limitation, that just a few industries are involved and the prices are not high enough yet. CBAM solves the first limitation in my opinion entirely, as it includes all suppliers from Non-European countries into the system. This is a huge step und creates pressure in the supply chain. Last year I was looking for a startup working in this field, as I believe it sits in a very important position in the supply chains of carbon heavy industries and can enable many other impactful solutions. Very glad that Helge Wieggrefe and Marius Sprenger decided to join our Climate Founders program and start Kolum. With their speed and know-how they instantly convinced me to be the best team in this space. Let‘s rock this together! Also very happy to work with fantastic investors like Christian Guba, Nicolaus Norden, Anna Alex, Thomas Gottheil, Markus Linder, Andrei Podlesnyi, Christian Peters and many others. https://lnkd.in/gmihdUJ5

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