Inspiring Alumni

EP 57 – Building diverse success stories with Daniel Hanemann

December 14, 2022

Welcome back to episode 57 with serial entrepreneur Daniel Hanemann!
The WHU Alumnus Daniel is a successful entrepreneur, as seen in his current role as founder/CEO of Wundertax. You’ll, however, also find him as an investor, comedian, and polyglot.

Listen and learn more about Daniel’s founder journey, what it’s like to be an international entrepreneur founding in diverse countries, how to leave startups, what WHU Alumni get wrong while founding, and further tips and tricks in founding your own startup.

We hope you enjoy the episode! Feel free to leave your thoughts and future ideas in the comments!

EP 55 – Leveraging TikTok to build a customer-centric platforms with Annika von Mutius

November 23, 2022

Episode 55 presents Annika von Mutius, a driven and motivated entrepreneur with an affinity towards technology. We were delighted to hear about her journey, building the first fully automated headhunter, Empion. Annika and her co-founder Larissa recently raised €2.4 Mil pre-seed funding with WHU alumnus Michael Stephan as a board member and angel investor.

Annika and her co-founder Larissa quickly understood the importance of matching culture, skills and values between applicants and companies, which led them to build Empion. By quantifying the tasks of a headhunter and both automating and personalizing the process for applicants, they connect the right individuals efficiently.

Tune in to find out more about their journey, in what sense their Ph.D. was of value, practicing a customer-centered approach and how they aspire to grow Empion via TikTok.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

EP 53 – Shaping company culture with Moritz Weisbrodt

November 2, 2022

In Episode 53 of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast, we are happy to interview Moritz Weisbrodt, a serial entrepreneur with experience in various industries like food, health, and logistics. His latest company Alaiko, a fulfillment-as-a-service company, just announced a 30 million series A funding round this year.

Talking as a generalist, Moritz knows the importance of corporate culture in different market environments and along different lifecycle stages. How can culture be actively shaped, and what are ways to implement it? Tune in when Moritz shares his key learnings about the essential value basis of Alaiko and gives advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

We hope to fulfill your expectations with this episode!

Freya Oehle

EP 23 – Building meaningful company cultures with Freya Oehle

February 1, 2021

In episode 23 of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast, we introduce Freya Oehle, WHU alumn, co-founder of the online shopping tool startup Spottster, and current co-founder of digital transformation consultancy 3tausendsassa.

We are discussing Freya’s founder journey, from WHU to building Spottster with a school classmate, to a unique exit and to building a new startup with the same team she build her previous one. Freya is a high-energy entrepreneur, with the passion and charisma of a great leader. So it is no wonder, her Spottster team continue their entrepreneurial journeys together.

Get valuable insights into building teams, establishing company cultures that are both meaningful and fun, and what leadership looks like across product and service-oriented startups. Hope you enjoy it!

EP 21 – Tackling Stigmas With Entrepreneurship with Lia Grünhage

December 8, 2020

In this episode of season 3 of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast, we introduce Lia Grünhage, WHU alum and founder of Avery Fertility, a Berlin-based startup that provides both women and men with top-notch education and care around fertility planning and treatment. 

We will be discussing Lia’s founder journey, her evolution from Amorelie management team to becoming a founder herself, the challenge of tackling cultural taboos like sexuality and reproduction and so much more. 

EP 20 – Founding People-Centric Ventures with Robert Ermich

November 24, 2020

In this episode of season 3 of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast, we introduce Robert Ermich, founder of DeinHandy, OnTruck and an exciting new stealth startup in the healthcare space. 

Mareile Wölwer

EP 18 – Revolutionizing Pet Health Care with Mareile Wölwer

October 27, 2020

In this second episode of season 3 of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast, we introduce Mareile Wölwer, WHU alumn and co-founder of Berlin-based animal health care company Vetevo. Mareile’s entrepreneurial journey took her from her family farm in Mayen, to studies at WHU, to the fast-paced world of being a venture-backed founder in Berlin. 

Franziska Leonhardt

EP 17 – Linking Artificial Intelligence and Skin Care with Franziska Leonhardt

October 14, 2020

In this first episode of season 3 of the Most Awesome Founder Podcast, we introduce Franziska Leonhardt – entrepreneur, attorney, WHU alum, and founder of Berlin-based, AI-driven personalised skin care company, AVE + EDAM.

EP 14 – Entrepreneurship, Investment, and the Art of Guanxi with Erik Schäfer

August 11, 2020

In this episode (recorded in early 2020), we introduce Erik Schäfer, serial entrepreneur, investor, advisor, and part of WHU’s first graduating class of 1988. This guy has done some stuff. From founding a consultancy while in uni to linking German capital to early Silicon Valley companies; from building mines in Australia to greenhouses in China, Erik is one of WHU’s true O.G. entrepreneurs.

Martin Heibel

EP 13 – Founder-Market Fit with Martin Heibel

July 28, 2020

In this episode (recorded in January 2020), we introduce Dr. Martin Heibel, WHU alum, serial entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and currently, cofounder and Managing Director of Ciara – a virtual assistant for sales development reps and inside sales teams.