Carsten Puschmann

I am an investor, startup accelerator and bridgemaker between family offices and startups

Carsten Puschmann at a glance:

Founder Scale Now Ventures GmbH
Cookie Ventures LLP with Janna Ensthaler 
Member of the FDP Economic Forum
Juror at Miss Germany
Head of Audio and Host of the Business Punk Podcast ‘How to Hack’, Head of Audio of the Business Punk Podcast Family ‘How to Invest’ and ‘How to Marketing’
Mentor at High.Tech NRW
Founder Q.Two GmbH
Chairman of the board,  Pioneer Lab of the Fresenius Education Group
‘Business Punk’ watchlist: 100 most innovative minds in the digital economy (2024)

I am a passionate driver of the digital ecosystem. I create innovation opportunities through my various investment companies and act as an investor myself. In order to strengthen the startup asset class and boost innovation in Germany, I am a bridge maker between family offices and high-class startups from the DACH region and the USA.

With my own 30-strong team, I support early-stage startups in building their businesses and act as an accelerator up to Series A financing;

In the course of my career, I have founded and successfully built numerous companies myself, including Capital Now and Q-Two GmbH, as well as the startups claudio.de, Swissmaster Watches and womensnet.de with a successful exit.

Driven by ideas, I develop products and services, including the largest European loyalty programme in the housing industry for Vonovia. I have a strong track record of exponential growth scenarios due to my expertise in entrepreneurship, digital advisory and investment.

As an entrepreneur born in Essen, I have an extensive and long-standing international network of multipliers and decision-makers from the worlds of business, media, politics and culture.

As a keynote speaker, jury member and established investor and entrepreneur, I am active at numerous events, including the Ludwig Erhard Summit, ruhrSummit, ruhrSTARTUPWEEK, RISE Conferende and Private Equity Conference.

I am also a member of the FDP Economic Forum.

In February 2024, I was included in Business Punk magazine's watchlist of the 100 most innovative minds in the German digital economy.

Mentoring

With over 30 years of professional experience and a strong network in the startup ecosystem, I can competently and comprehensively act as a mentor for young companies - especially in the areas of cyber security, prop tech, B2B tech, food tech and affiliate marketing. My broad range of experiences from different companies, startups, corporations and industries have taught me cross-industry knowledge and best practices that I would like to share with a new generation of founders.

Startup mentoring

As a recognised expert in the start-up scene, I advise young entrepreneurs on their market orientation and develop suitable strategies for success. In daily business, I delve deep into the operational business of the respective companies and optimise them as required. I teach young entrepreneurs the right mindset and how their personality influences their business success. I also identify the potential for cooperation between corporates and start-ups and act as an intermediary.

Corporate Advisory

Successful innovation requires a trained, entrepreneurial eye, which can only be developed from direct experience in building companies and implementing digital transformation. I have more than 30 years of experience and can demonstrate relevant successes in setting up companies and transformation projects. I evaluate the innovation potential of companies, identify weaknesses and develop customised, innovative solutions together with my team. I also support the implementation of innovative technologies and the associated change management.