Contact our mentors to learn from their experiences, get their valuable advice to push your idea, to help you solve your problems and gain experience yourself.
O Koo
Entrepreneur, Developer & Investor
Business investment
Finance
Operational Management
Software and Hospitality Sector
Off-Grid Zero Carbon Design and Development
O. Koo is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than two decades of expertise in finance and operational management. His career began with significant roles at Merrill Lynch, GE, and Dow Chemical. He then shifted to entrepreneurship and invested in numerous startups, primarily in the software and hospitality sectors. He also led the Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy and contributed to the UNFCCC CDM for emission reduction. His current and most passionate project involves creating zero-carbon, off-grid resorts. These resorts leverage cutting-edge technologies and sustainable architectural designs, incorporating agroforestry and permaculture farms to promote climate resilience and sustainable tourism in small Pacific islands.
Paola Varela Pérez is the founder and CEO from Holiroots, a food innovative start-up in the field of circular economy. Holiroots rescues vegetables that do not pass the farmers' gate due to calibre, aesthetics, or overproduction, and transforms them it into tasty and healthy vegetable crackers! Her top roles within the start-up are business strategy, marketing, and sales.
"I was born and raised in Mexico, where I studied International Business Management. In 2022, I graduated from the M.Sc. in Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim and won the Bioeconomy Award 2021. My master's studies deeply changed my career path and interests, making me a passionate bioeconomist and social entrepreneur. I'm always up for sharing my journey and learning from others, so let's get in touch!"
Malte Bey, co-founder of mandu-care GmbH, brings a wealth of expertise in procurement and logistics to the InnoGreenhouse. With several years of experience in different industries, Malte is a skilled negotiator and possesses proficient project management skills. His background in the bioeconomy further enriches his perspective on innovative biobased solutions. Malte is eager to share his knowledge and support aspiring entrepreneurs in their journey towards success.
Franz Nkemaka is the founder of Rigle. As a long-time and self-taught full-stack developer, he has developed and successfully launched numerous digital tools and apps over the past years together with his development team. He would like to share this experience and his expertise in software development with other students and support them in developing their ideas.
Oumar Langer is co-founder of the student-founded software service start-up "Rigle". Rigle's goal is to help other students realize their projects and support them with expert knowledge in the areas of app and web development as well as automation.
As a student with start-up experience, Oumar has gained valuable experience that he is happy to pass on to like-minded people. He believes that sharing ideas and know-how benefits everyone.
Dr. Eike Langenberg has over 15 years of leadership experience in Asia. He worked for SIEMENS and distribution firms DKSH and ILLIES before transforming his specialization in industrial machinery into his own company. He then co-founded SHERPA Robotics, a global leader in camera-based CNC automation.
For many years, Eike has been engaged in the field of business ethics: he authored several publications and, as guest professor of business ethics, is lecturing MBA students at the Tongji University in Shanghai. Also, he is peer reviewer of the International Journal of Business Ethics.
Frederic graduated from law school and studied for a PhD in finance and law at the University of Hohenheim. He then worked for several renowned legal firms before founding his law firm and legal tech start-up. Frederic’s focus is on start-ups, and he has plenty of experience in company set-up and registration and answers to the legal questions founders face. Besides the legal point of view, Frederic also knows what it takes to found a company himself.
Martin Schreiter supports the InnoGreenhouse since its' founding as an expert for marketing and product management and is currently studying for a Master's degree in Management at the University of Hohenheim.
He is passionate about digital business models and has supported several start-ups, like Finn.Auto, Taxfix, or Daimler, in building their websites and low code product automation.
Feel free to reach out to him, if you are a founding team in need of support with creating a high-converting website and web application or if you just want to a have quick chat about the current problems you are facing with your start-up.
CEO & President Schenck Shanghai Machinery Corp. Ltd.
Strategy & Business Development
Finance
Business Modelling
B2B Sales
Investors network
Globalization
Peter Legner has a sharp focus on strategy and finance. His experience of over 20 years as CFO and CEO makes him a great strategist and expert for business development. Thus, Peter acted as a mentor and advisor for several start-ups. Through his global experience and network, Peter has a profound knowledge of innovation landscapes and trends in several industries and is keen on B2B innovation processes and corporate entrepreneurship.
Thilo is an innovation designer and design strategist, leading international projects in brand communication. A trained architect, he worked amongst others with famous architect Zaha Hadid and artist Olafur Eliasson, before he started his own design practice and management consultancy in Berlin in the late 1990’s working on the design of new business models with a focus on innovation and customer experience.
Thilo is a genuine wine enthusiast having gained a comprehensive knowledge of wine and technology over 25 years while developing a multitude of client’s projects. His passion for great user experiences, the love of technology and the desire for quality wine, while working in Shanghai, led him to the concept of on-demand wine delivery and subsequently to establish BottlesXO.
Tobias is part of a team that provides access to trade finance to millions of under-served SMEs predominantly exporting from Asia to the EU/US. Together with Private Debt Funds in the US and Europe, the team is working on reducing the trade finance gap estimated to reach more than US$2.4 trillion by 2025 (Bain&Company).
Prior thereto, Tobias founded PAYMEY in 2012, the European app equivalent to AliPay and WeChat Pay in China. The company received equity crowd-funding twice and delivered a successful proof of concept with Privatbank1891, a fully licensed and regulated bank in Germany.
Tobias is politically active as a Board member of the German Young Leaders in Shanghai, has been a delegate to the G20 YEA, was part of the SME Development Task Force at the B20 Summit 2018 in Argentina and is part of the Finance & Infrastructure Task Force at the B20 Summit 2020 in Saudi Arabia.
