MENTORS

Hans Peter Hübner

Bosch

Hans Peter is a strong business development professional with a Dipl.-Ing. and Dr.-Ing. focused in Electrical, Electronics, Semiconductor and Sensor Engineering from University of Stuttgart and the Technical University of Munich. He is skilled in Leadership and General Management as well as in introducing advanced engineering methods.

Futhermore, he is an experienced Ex-Bosch Executive with a demonstrated history of working in advanced hardware and software electronic technology in the automotive industry.

Sahin Danaci

Meet Şahin, a 34-year-old trailblazer who defies convention. A college dropout turned maestro of transformation, he’s a living testament to the extraordinary.

Epic battles in diverse armors!

With a diverse past that reads like a best-seller, Şahin has held roles as a Business Agility Navigator, Enterprise Agile Coach, UX Virtuoso, and Lean Startup Visionary. But that's just scratching the surface – he's also been a Head of Agile Transformations, a Future-Proof Leader, and an unwavering Mentor for Startups around the globe.

Voyaged though vast and distant lands!

For almost a decade, he's immersed himself in the intricate dance of metamorphosing large organizations, sculpting leadership landscapes, and revitalizing focal systems. His canvas spans industries as vast as insurance, reinsurance, pharmacy, banking, gaming, car manufacturing, medical technology, real estate, consulting firms, and startups - a true polymath of transformation.

Arcane force of empowerment!

Guided by the mantras "My only plan is to improvise" and "Empower the powerless," Şahin's journey is a symphony of innovation and empowerment. Join him in rewriting the script of possibility and embracing the unpredictable.

Raju Gurung

Raju is an entrepreneur and venture advisor working at the intersection of science, tech and impact. At the helm of 10x Innovators, he collaborates with startup ecosystem players (incubators, accelerators, investors), research scientists and corporate innovators to create new sources of value and growth. With a track record of collaborating with over 110 organisations, his passion lies in customer sense-making, market entry and navigating critical stages of venture creation to achieve product-market fit.

Raju holds a Bachelors in Biology & Neuroscience from Jacobs University Bremen, and a Masters in Business Administration and Bioentrepreneurship from Copenhagen Business School. Beyond the consultancy realm, he leads an impactful retail venture- IKIGAAI which bridges design, philosophy and craftsmanship.

Dejan Jovanoski

Dejan Jovanoski born 11th of January 1972, in the city of Prilep, North Macedonia and currently lives in the same city. He is married and has two kids - one of the currently being a student at Constructor University Bremen. His academic background is in Archaeology and History of Art at the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, from which he graduated in 1999.

From 1992 to 1994, Dejan worked at the company META AIRTRANSPORT, serving as a head of the tourism and travel branch in the city of Prilep. After his graduation in 1999, he started working  at the company KRIN KG granite & marble LLC Prilep and has been there to this day. During the last 4 years, Dejan has been actively included in the implementation of the renewable technologies.

Liviu Meseșan

Liviu Meseșan, a distinguished Scrum and Scrum@Scale Registered Trainer and Professional Coach, empowers individuals and organizations to achieve agility by enhancing efficiency and maximizing effectiveness.

As the first Registered Scrum Trainer in Central and Eastern Europe, directly mentored by Jeff Sutherland the visionary behind the Scrum Framework, and the Agile Education Program, Liviu's teachings are grounded in the very core of Agile Values and Principles.

Boasting over two decades of experience, Liviu has expertly guided a diverse range of teams, from NGOs, and startups to global enterprises, towards operational excellence.

Utilizing Agile techniques, Liviu unlocks the optimal pathways for product development, fostering customer satisfaction, collaborative achievement of company goals, and market competitiveness.

With academic foundations in Economics and Computer Science Engineering, and specialization in Professional Coaching, and Software Product Management, provides a versatile backdrop for his roles as a Project Manager, Scrum Master, Product Owner, Director of Projects, CTO, and CEO.

Liviu's passion extends beyond his profession; his mission is to instill lasting positive change. Through his certified Scrum and Scrum@Scale training, he invests wholeheartedly in enhancing the work life of others, making it more efficient, effective, and fulfilling. Whether you're seeking to refine your personal skill set or elevate your organization's performance, Liviu's blend of training, coaching, and consulting in Agile and Scrum methodologies is the gateway to success.

Every session on the agility journey with Liviu Meseșan guarantees an opportunity to evolve, innovate, and lead with confidence in the ever-changing landscape of today's business world.

Website: https://www.liviumesesan.com/

Lena Haffner

As Innovation Lead, Lena is responsible for implementing the firm's global innovation programme in Germany.

The programme explores new ways of delivering legal services and develops technology-based ideas for legal tech products. The focus is on advising stakeholders and clients on the effective use of technology to transform and improve legal services.

Before taking over as head of the German Legal Tech and Innovation Team, Lena Haffner worked as a lawyer in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department.

Inge Heydt

Starthaus Bremen

Inge works for Starthaus-Bremen, a department of Bremer Aufbau-Bank. She is a startup consultant and mentor for ESA BIC Inubatees, space- business related startups. She has expertise in innovation management, product strategy, business model development for B2B and B2C activities as well as in team coaching and organizational development.

She can also provide a network into small, medium and larger companies in Bremen as well as to the municipality of Bremen.

She is passionate to explore how new things succeed to come into the world. She appreciates sharing her knowledge with people who thrive for contributing to sustainable growth.

Inge enjoys talking about everyday life, cultural habits, new ideas and issues that move people in countries around the globe.

Hauke Laackmann

I am a passionate driver in the fields of Strategy Development, Corporate Venture, Project Management and Organizational Development with the ambition to grow from day to day together with my team and colleagues. My university background is in International Management, Philosophy, Strategic Management as well as Business Law. My business experience over the past 20 years is spread in the energy sector, public affairs as well as a start-up-founder. The positions led me into experiences in mergers & acquisition, start-up-investment and development, strategy development and many more. My ambition is always to connect students and real life projects during my lectures in International Strategic Management and Applied Project Management here at Constructor University since 2018. Closing the bridge between theory and reality.

Keeping an eye on the horizon is what you need to ride out the storm…

Gregory Cowan

Gregory Cowan is a Life Coach, Urbanist-architect, Educator and Urban Guide.

Gregory, an Australian-born researcher, entrepreneur and writer about urban experience, street design and place making, has made London home since 2003. An architect and educator, he previously lived in Austria, Germany, Malaysia and Mongolia, and he currently lectures and supervises advanced research at the University of Wales Trinity St David, and University of Westminster. He is an urban tour guide for WithLocals and a musician, performing in various bands, including the London School of Samba, as a member of the “Velha Guarda” (old guard) of eighteen years. For six years, his permanent home was the 59 ft narrowboat “Dolly”, on the Regent's Canal. In April 2020, “The Architect’s Mooring” was published, as a chapter in Austria’s Graz Architecture Magazine, GAM16- Un/Common Special Issue. In May 2020 in the global pandemic, Dolly was moved to continuous cruising on the waterways, and Gregory moved to Kennington, where he continues to work in London and internationally..

Gregory transformed his career in 2020, consolidating experience from architecture, urban design and regeneration, urban tourism, street architecture and nomadology, into serving as a transformational life coach, guiding others in their lives, their careers and their businesses. In the pandemic lockdown, 5 years after completing his PhD "Occupying Streets", Gregory founded 'the architects' coach' - www.thearchitectscoach.com. He is also active in the Mentoring Club www.mentoring-club.com

Saskia Listle

I am the founder of the Academy of Future Skills, which is a community of learning practice, a think-tank and a consultancy on the future of our skills. I like to think of myself as a Digital Humanist. I’m a bridge builder between humans and tech - two things that are inherently intertwined but too often artificially separated. In my professional career, it has always been natural and intuitive for me to ease my day-to-day operations by using the digital sphere as a teacher and a growth partner. Using my method of explaining digital things accessibly and with minimal buzzwords, I have influenced my colleagues to ease their operations as well. Today I am helping companies to draw on their full digital potential to create a better product, service or working environment. I am also an activist on diversity and equality in the digitalization sphere and help underrepresented groups to gain a voice in the process of creating the future.

Ali Alam

Meet Ali, Chief Entrepreneurship and Innovation Officer at Constructor University, where his belief that "Humans are meant to create" drives every initiative. 

Empowering future changemakers isn't just a mantra for Ali – it's a deeply ingrained way of life. With an unwavering passion for innovation and impact, Ali kickstarted their journey at the remarkable age of 17, launching impactful startups in Ed-Tech, Med-Tech, and Social-Tech. Fueled by curiosity and a relentless drive to elevate ecosystems, Ali's journey is defined by turning ideas into projects that make a tangible difference.

As an impact mentor, Ali has guided over 20 early-stage startups in the realm of tech for good, shaping a future where entrepreneurship becomes a catalyst for positive global change. With captivating public speaking engagements at prestigious institutions worldwide, Ali has transformed the lives of over 1000 young minds, inspiring them to become leaders in social entrepreneurship and community building.

Beyond startups, Ali has shaped innovation strategies for SMEs and industry giants like Amazon and Merck Pharma. Specializing in design thinking, storytelling, and fostering entrepreneurial mindsets, Ali has left their mark on ecosystems across Singapore, the UK, Switzerland, Pakistan, the US, and Germany.

From achieving an extraordinary milestone by conquering the Karakoram Highway on a bicycle at the age of 16, becoming the youngest person to do so, to being recognized as the TheDianaAward2023 Recipient for social entrepreneurship and humanitarian contributions, Ali's commitment to pushing boundaries and fostering positive global impact is unwavering.

Vanessa Pietrobon

Expedia Group

Vanessa is overjoyed to have been appointed as a Mentor at JSC. She believes that opportunities like these can go both ways: you give a lot and you learn a lot. She continued her international experience after completing her university education at Queen Mary, University of London, by working for multinational corporations in Rome, Verona, Milan, and Geneva, Switzerland. She is an expert in analytics and strategic workforce planning, having worked in these fields for over 8 years. She is now serving as Expedia Group's Workforce Planning Manager.

She enjoys reading about Strategic Workforce Planning, Inclusion & Diversity, and thriller stories in her spare time. She also enjoys climbing and hiking, and she considers herself to be a travel addict!

Michael Potts

Michael, now retired and living in Provence, is an active startup mentor,  with a sustainability bias. Working at Ford on electric vehicles 25 years ago he was responsible for predicting who were the potential customers and what did they want? He left Ford to run a small business supplying the North American motor industry with recyclable chemicals and spent may interesting hours to finally persuade Harley Davidson they need to adopt a more ‘Toyota’ approach! More recently he has been an active mentor in startup accelerators around Boston annually supporting the Clean Tech Open. Electric bikes, sustainability software and building social media communities have been a few recent projects.

Bachu Rajeshwar

As an entrepreneur and advocate for sustainability, I am passionately dedicated to creating a greener future. Leveraging my extensive experience in mentoring startups and advising on sustainable practices, I established Zero-Carbon—a pioneering venture at the intersection of sustainable technology and digitalization. My vision is to transform the digital landscape by seamlessly incorporating eco-conscious practices into streaming platforms, data centers, and cloud servers. As a LinkedIn Top Green Voice, I actively participate in crucial discussions on entrepreneurship and sustainability. My mission goes beyond mere business success; it's about sparking positive environmental change and inspiring widespread adoption of sustainability principles. With steadfast commitment to innovation and environmental stewardship, I lead Zero-Carbon in developing forward-thinking solutions that redefine the relationship between technology and the planet. Together, we are reshaping the future towards a healthier, more sustainable world.

Alex Rocha

The IT partnership

Alex started his career as an Electrical Engineer and went on to building an Information Technology Business in the UK that he currently runs with a Team. He is passionate about the role of Business and technology in maintaining a sustainable planet. In the past decade he has realised that technology is not a panacea, and that Innovation in human development is required in equal measure. He has since been spending time to gain understanding of transformational leadership development that’s needed to create a sustainable future. This essentially means developing leaders who will foster development of Individuals, Teams , communities and ultimately the Human species in the Internal, Interpersonal as well as the External dimensions.

Alex is eager to engage with likeminded people who share interests and to assist with Business Start-ups and Scale-ups, emerging and mature Technology deployments and Human and team development initiatives.

Radu Ticiu

Radu Ticiu is a seasoned supporter and facilitator of the tech ecosystem in Timișoara/West Romania. Starting in 2004, he contributed to community development as business incubator or cowork spaces manager, founder of IT sector NGOs. In order to sustain the organic growth of the tech communities, Radu clustered the interested professionals in several meetups covering topics like mobile development, cyber-security, game-development, e-health, IoT or automotive technologies. A highly important direction of activities benefitting of Radu’s time and energy investment is the field of non-formal STEM education. He initiated the implementation in West Romania of CoderDojo (a free to attend, mentor-driven educational context with thousands of participants since 2013), the Shakespeare Talks Tech and Girls’ STEAM Power recurrent events and, more recently, of BioCoderDojo Timisoara, reuniting high-school students passionate in biology and/or programming, around topics from bioinformatics, synthetic biology, biomedical technologies within weekly sessions, including presentations, interactions with experts from connexed fields, study visits, project development and participation to competitions, science fairs, and other dissemination activities.

Since 2011, Radu facilitates the access of young Timișoara entrepreneurs to business angel investments, bringing this direction of activity to a structurate phase through the co-founding, in 2018, of the Growceanu Angel Investment group.

A passionate cyclist, Radu is also building a Romania-Hungary-Serbia community of bike riders involved in monthly cyclo-social one-day long gatherings that include crossing of at least one border.

Vidar Andersen

Vidar Andersen is a Norwegian entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and advisor based in Dusseldorf, Germany. He has been recognized as one of the most important people in the German startup scene by Wirtschafts Woche, the German best-selling business publication. Andersen founded his first software development company in 1997 and helped several organizations with outsourced innovation and digitalization. In 2001, he co-founded "Plone," an ultra-secure enterprise content management system that is used by prestigious organizations such as NASA, Yale, and the CIA. Andersen moved to Germany in 2005 and served as the Head of Digital of the lead agency to T-Mobile International. He later founded the award-winning startup "Gauss - The People Magnet," the first social discovery app. Andersen is a certified Lean Launchpad Educator from Stanford and Berkeley and has taught entrepreneurship and innovation management at several universities worldwide. He founded +Andersen & Associates to help corporations manage innovation more predictably and efficiently. His work has been featured and recognized by prominent media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, and TechCrunch. Andersen has also been an invited speaker and panelist at several conferences worldwide.

Emil Åkesson

Vetrik/ Powermind Hypnotech

Founder/entrepreneur of multiple companies, start-up mentor and investor. Emil’s background in entrepreneurship spans 20 years. Started out as a logistics officer in the Swedish army and later focused heavily on that planning, leadership and supply chain background when transitioning into an entrepreneur.

Sector experience from green tech, fashion, mobility, tech, animal/pet and health-tech. Invested in multiple companies and keen understanding on how to build a business from the investor focus.   Key strengths; tech, organization, supply chain, digital services, fundraising and project management.

Dipjyoti Deb

Bosch

Dipjyoti (aka DJ) is Venture Partner and responsible for Venture Sourcing at Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte Group. After finishing his research in the field of quantum transport (Physics) he joined Bosch Research in Stuttgart as an expert in the Quantum technologies team. Later he was responsible for restructuring the innovation strategy at Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence in the heart of Silicon Valley.

With his ikigai “innovate to sustain humanity and society”, DJ is a startup mentor for Techstars accelerator programs and passionate to build bridges between startups, venture capital and the strategic innovation focus of Bosch. He is also an ambassador for Indo-German Start up Exchange.

Jonas Fomme

I believe innovation should serve society. By co-founding equihub, an intermediate service for managing innovation ecosystems locally and regionally, I try to make building businesses easier for everyone. Having learned a lot about the world of innovation from facilitating dozens of idea, pre-seed and seed teams in the last five years, I am committed to focus on teams' needs during the event. Whether it be Pitch Deck, Deal Terms, Market Size Analysis, Brand, Team or Product Strategy, I am open for any question and none of them will be considered dumb.

Lela Grießbach

Syncwork AG

Lela Grießbach graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in social sciences in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she gained entrepreneurial experience in her family's own business. 2012, after completing her Bachelor in Business Communications in Berlin, Lela Grießbach started working for an international management consulting company. At the same time, she enrolled in the Master in Economics and Management and graduated it 2015.

Currently Lela Grießbach works as a consultant for a medium-sized management consulting firm in Berlin. In addition, she gives intercultural and business communication trainings to immigrant female entrepreneurs. Since 2020 Lela Grießbach is a doctoral student at the University of Siegen. Her fields of research interest encompass women’s economic empowerment and female entrepreneurship in transition economies.

Kostja Hausdörffer

Starthaus Bremen

Kostja works for the Starthaus as a startup consultant. He has expertise in building value propositions, business models for B2B and B2C ventures and in the field of Business Development.

He can also provide a network into small and medium-sized companies in Bremen as well as to the municipality of Bremen. He is driven by curiosity, likes to explore new ideas and to talk about traveling around the globe.

Mandar Joshi

Angel Investor I Deal Advisor I Startup Mentor I Keynote Speaker

Mandar is an Angel Investor in 21 startups in India and Middle East with a track record of exits with high valuation multiple. He addressed 45+ nationalities through Keynote Speeches and panel discussions; lived in 4 countries, well-travelled across geographies; proud mentor to immensely successful startup founders.

Post-graduated with Double Masters (Management & Commerce) and Chartered Accountant certified by Institutes in UK as well as India. Executive / Non-Executive positions on the Boards of Directors / Management Committees / Strategic Task Force. Negotiated / structured high-value win-win strategic alliances [partnerships, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, franchise, international distribution network and Venture Capital investments into start-up projects]. Leader of large-scale IT application projects such as Business Intelligence and ERP.

Irène Kilubi

brandPreneuers & brandFluencers

Dr. Irène Kilubi is founder and managing director of brandPreneurs & brandFluencers. She supports pioneers, visionaries and changemakers in the three subject areas of Community Building, Corporate Influencer Strategy and Connecting GenXYZ. She spent several years in companies such as BMW, Siemens and Deloitte. For four years now, she has been anchored in the start-up and online scene, implementing social selling activities and implementing target group-oriented go-to-market and branding strategies.

She is also an Expert Advisor to the European Innovation Council Accelerator of the European Commission. She supports the global start-up scene in her activities as a mentor and coach at Techstars, European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Health, Insurtech Hub and as a juror at BayStartup, the African Leadership Award and as partner of the Unicorn Battle as well as Advisory Board member at Ignite Mental Health (an incubator supported by Harvard Innovation Lab from Harvard Business School).

Heiko Lammers

Jacobs University

Communication enthusiast and strategist with more than 15 years of experience in communication for national and global companies and services - from startups up to global brands - within the B2B and B2C area. His specialties include: Corporate Communication and Relations / Online Communication / Lobbying and Public Affairs in the Digital & ICT industry / Analyst Relations / Digital Marketing / Cloud Technology / Telecommunication / Start-Ups / Financial Services / Consumer Electronics / Digital Lifestyle / Social Communities / Blogs. .

Asfandyar Malik

HandEx

Asfandyar here. Super passionate about technology, startups and finance. Previously founded Palsplate, HandEX and currently running Culturly, where we are solving the problem of company culture facing Distributed/Remote teams. With Culturally, we are growing very fast and have Google, Microsoft, Snapchat, Apple as customers.

Olga Müller

Olga Müller Coaching

Olga Müller is a certified international Mindset & Confidence Coach who helps ambitious women to kick ass in their careers and personal lives by developing unshakeable confidence. With over a decade of corporate experience in 6 countries and building her own company whilst being a new mom, she knows first hand how challenging it can be to blaze your own trail as a young female professional and build a career that not only generates results, but leaves oneself feeling fulfilled as well. In the past year she has worked with individual and corporate clients such as Cisco, Cognizant and Parenting Global where she has impacted the lives and personal development of hundreds of people.

Svetlana Ratnikova

Immigrant Women in Business

Svetlana Ratnikova brings a wealth of national and international experience to the company — from entrepreneurial, corporate, recruiting and marketing. With a record of starting and transforming organizations she is skilled at designing winning strategies, identifying new opportunities and mobilizing teams to achieve results.

She is a values-driven and passionate about being on the front edge, inspiring growth and developing teams. As a seasoned business leader with 25 years of broad experience Svetlana concentrates on building and nurturing agency culture of professional growth and client-service excellence.

Konrad Schneiderbach

digital lab FunLab Münsterland

Managing Director and Founder of FabLab Münster at Digital Hub Münsterland. He accelerates innovation empowering startups and corporates by developing products and business models in the area of digital fabrication.

Next to 3D-Printing, Robotics, IoT und Virtual Reality, he is a professional in setting up Coworking Spaces, communities and supporting startups. As a business graduate with experience in auditing and consulting, he also has expertise in finance and corporate strategy.

Dominik Weihs

KMPG

Experienced founder with a demonstrated history of working in the digital industry. Skilled in M&A and fundraising for early to mid stage companies. Positive thinker with high level of intellectual curiosity as well as a self-starter and growth mindset.

KPMG Deals consistently ranks as the number one M&A adviser globally. KPMG firms operate in 95 countries with over 12,500 Deals professionals who are able to meet the needs of clients across the globe. KPMG Deals completed almost 500 deals in 2020 reinforcing its number one global position.

Valuation, Financial Modeling, M&A Advisory, Leveraged Buyouts, Financial Projections, M&A, Cross-Border Transactions, Venture Capital, VC

Jan Wessels

Jan founded & failed solvertec (2013-2015), a startup to automate the debugging of digital chip designs. He initiated bremen-startups.de in Oct 2015 as a grass root driven approach to connect the startup community in Bremen & beyond. #Bremen #Startups #FromFoundersForFounders

bremen-startups.de organizes startup community events like Startup Weekend Bremen, Startup Fail Night Bremen, Startup Pitch Night Bremen, Startup Pitch Night Oldenburg, Startup Speed-Networking Bremen, Startup Weekend Bremen WOMEN , Startup Women Meetup Bremen, Startup Weekend Bremen SPACE , Macher Messe Bremen, Startup Quiz Night Bremen, Startup Job Night Bremen & Startup Weekend Bremen HEALTH.   

Dietrich Zaps

During his professional career Dietrich Zaps became an expert in the global automotive industry. He held top management positions in Tier 1 suppliers, rebuilt and restructured companies as well as built up and grew companies to become leading edge global players in the vehicle industry segment. From 2010 on Dietrich Zaps, rebuilt and reestablished the MERITOR, European, UK based CV truck brake business. Having updated the manufacturing technology and established a high performing engineering team Meritor CV truck brake system regenerated to have a comeback in that industry segment. Today, Dietrich Zaps works as an independent consultant, giving his advice and expertise to companies in Europe, Asia, America. He holds various seats at supervisory boards.

Ardita Zekiri

Ardita Zekiri has been working in various international organizations, and dedicated her career in development work. Currently, she is working for an international organization that focuses on innovation and transformation through social change. Her past employees include, United Nations Development Program - UNDP, United Nations Children’s Fund - UNICEF, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe – OSCE, Regional Environmental Center – REC, Hochschule Bremen, Crown Relocations, SPARK (former Academic Training Association).  She continues to support students’ startups with mentoring since the beginning of the Jacobs Startup Competition.