It’s all about people.

Chairwoman of the Advisory Board

Dr Wippler has headed the Directorate for “SME and Startup Financing; Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau” in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy since 2024.

She has gained many years of experience in a number of responsible posts in public administration. In her career development, she has placed a special focus on SME policy and corporate financing.

Dr Wippler graduated in business management. She studied at Cologne University and was awarded her doctorate at Düsseldorf University for a thesis on innovative startups in Germany and the United States.

Member of the Advisory Board

Alexa is Senior Vice President of SAP.iO, responsible for SAP’s early-stage startup acceleration and scaling globally across 11 locations. SAP.iO’s mission is to turn innovative startups into SAP partners in order to deliver value for SAP customers. Until end of 2022, 530 startups have successfully completed one of SAP iO’s many programs.

Alexa is also co-founder and in the Board of encourageventures, a non-profit organization that connects female angel investors with female founded startups with the purpose of driving more diversity in the startup and investor ecosystem.

Alexa has 20+ years of experience in the tech industry around the world in many functions such as business development, strategy, marketing and open innovation.

Member of the Advisory Board

Antje Hansen studied Economics in Mainz and Paris and is also a qualified banking professional.

Since 2009: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), including positions in the Directorates-General for Economic Policy; SME Policy; Political Staff and Policy Planning

2018-2022: Policy Officer in the Division for Equity, Mezzanine and Start-up Financing

Since 2022: Head of Division for Equity, Mezzanine and Start-up Financing

Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board

Bernhard Mohr has headed the newly founded Evonik Venture Capital unit since 2012. He has more than 20 years of professional experience in venture capital financing and the chemical industry. Before joining Evonik in 1996, he held various positions at BASF Group in Germany and Spain. Bernhard Mohr is active in various specialist and supervisory bodies and has advised on IPOs and M&A transactions.
After studying chemistry in Stuttgart and Cincinnati, he obtained his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. He then spent research periods in Japan, the USA and France, where he worked with the later Nobel Prize winners Robert Grubbs and Jean-Pierre Sauvage.

Member of the Advisory Board

Alexander Thees has held various positions within KfW Group since 1996 and has been serving in management roles since 2002, gaining many years of business policy and operational experience in structured finance and venture capital. Since the foundation of KfW Capital in 2018, he has been a member of its Management Board and has been responsible for the continuous development of the company’s business model and product range. Within the Management Board, Alexander oversees risk and portfolio management, finance, as well as various central functions.