Corporate Venture Capital – Our Team
Get to know us!
We represent different areas of expertise and backgrounds, but share a common goal: connecting established family owned businesses as well as SMEs with innovative tech-startups to be even more successful - together. Our CVC team is by your side from the beginning - working with you to identify suitable partners and resolving any business and tax questions arising along the way. As this is an important matter of trust, you can get to know the colleagues a little before taking the next step and get in contact with us personally.
Florian Noell
Florian founded his first company during school and the renowned “Handelsblatt” already labelled him an “experienced entrepreneur” by the age of 22. Additionally, he has built up his own venture capital fund. Thus, Florian draws from this broad experience and insights leading the Center of Excellence for Venture Capital. Interestingly enough, the fund founded in 2018 supports family businesses and middle market leaders with strategic investments in startups. Florian thrives fostering connections between the next generation of entrepreneurs realising ideas with maximum passion as well as courage and experienced managers to support these entrepreneurs with their knowledge, capital, and good reputation. Of course, the latter group also benefits from the collaboration: besides offering access to new technologies and businesses, startups can also help to boost a company's own research and development activities. Florian has seen these win-win situations in practice many times in his extensive experience with Germany's startup ecosystem – which he gained through his long standing chairmanship of the German association for startups which he founded himself. Nowadays, he still is a trusted advisor to the German federal government on digital and startup policy matters.
“I'm fascinated by tech startups which have a real impact on our lives and our environment. It is amazing that my role at PwC means I can work together with so many of these exciting and innovative companies.”
Serge Reh
Serge is our go-to person when it comes to corporate innovation – and this is not a coincidence. For the past six years, he has worked at PwC to innovate, digitalise and connect family-owned companies and startups. He has also organised and accompanied trips to international startup hubs - for example to Israel, which has been one of his favorite destinations ever since he spent his national civil service year there. For him, the NextLevel team offers the perfect chance to combine his experience with his admiration for startups: their courage to forge new paths, to overcome obstacles and often work on their vision to change the world. As many things in life benefit from diversity and collaboration, Serge is convinced that startups and corporates work best when working together. Opposites do not only attract each other but also complement each other when it comes to technologies, experiences, access to market and talents.
Speaking of talents: His appreciation for clean eating has led the dedicated sports enthusiast to develop a truly special talent: baking bread, made from his own sourdough – a true hit with family and friends.
What sort of startup would you found, yourself?
“I'd have a startup in social entrepreneurship. I think it's exciting for a company to build bridges between different cultures, political leanings and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Axel Steffen
With a career as an auditor and tax advisor spanning over 20 years, Axel has worked on all manner of deals, but one constant throughout has been his focus on family-owned businesses and SMEs. For several years now, that constant has been represented by the startups and scale-ups he has so passionately worked with through the NextLevel initiative. Alongside the diversity across various business models, he appreciates the pragmatic, creative approaches taken by entrepreneurs, which would likely be met with greater resistance in more established corporate structures. It is self-evident to him that corporates and startups can come together as a great team. While one side offers quick access to technologies, the other brings a reliable network of suppliers to the table, just to name a couple of advantages of such partnerships. Looking at the enormous potential out there, he is always coming up with new partnerships he would like to establish. However his best ideas come to him when in the relaxed state-of-mind he achieves through outdoor activities with family and friends.
What sort of startup would you launch, yourself?
“In my heart, it'd be a food startup! But in my head, better options for scalability would probably push me towards a digital business model – probably in digital health or sustainability.”
Tim Dieckmann
Entrepreneurial DNA is one facet that fascinates Tim about startups – probably because he completely understands how exciting it is to found your own company. Although Tim – a Certified International Investment Analyst, Certified European Financial Analyst and Certified Valuation Analyst – has been with PwC's Deal Advisory unit for 16 years now, focusing on corporates and venture capital, he has also been able to flex his entrepreneurial muscle: as an intrapreneur, he played a vital role in the development of PwC eValuation, a tool used in company valuation. He knows how to overcome the obstacles that arise when corporate cultures collide with startup initiatives. He is also happy to share his experience, for instance by delivering regular presentations on corporate finance. It is most helpful for those involved, when they communicate with each other, or even better: when they share and discuss their views. Therefore, he is convinced that strategic investments pay off for both sides in the end – especially when it comes to B2B startups.
What sort of startup would you launch, yourself?
“I'd found a FinTech startup, because I've already founded an internal PwC startup – eValuation, a digital tool for corporate valuations – and know my way around this sector.”
Enrico Reiche
Enrico keeps an even keel when asked why corporates should invest in startups – and not just because he frequently goes sailing and deep-sea fishing with his family, but also because he is an expert in venture deals and CVC structuring, implementation and execution. As the lead of the startup team NextLevel's Raise programme, he is able to look at all aspects from the perspective of corporates, investors and founders. He believes that – depending on the innovation strategy involved – external dynamic innovation drivers on the one hand can form the foundation for new business models in established companies. On the other hand, corporates could help startups to scale quickly, as well as provide the structures and human resources necessary. He knows from experience that sometimes more in-depth exchange between both parties would be desirable to enhance these mutual benefits. Despite the innovative power and inventive spirit of entrepreneurs, he is aware that teams can still fail with their business models. Good CVCs must therefore start at this point and consider the added value for both sides in all decisions.
What sort of startup would you launch, yourself?
“Actually I ask myself this question every now and then… Probably something having to do with deals or consulting. This is just my professional home.”
Nicole Dehnhard
For Nicole, a deals expert specialised in tax due diligence and tax structuring, interdisciplinary and flexible work is part of her everyday life. That is because project work, especially in the private equity sector, is her daily business. This involves reconciling several different interests, often going far beyond tax questions. Multiple interests also shape her private life - her favourite activities when she isn't working range from the more contemplative yoga and reading, to the more intense skating and travelling. She thrives on bringing various stakeholders together, especially when the startup-scene is involved. Their open-minded and somewhat unconventional knack for quickly developing just the right solutions and products fascinates her – and she believes that this is precisely what corporates can benefit from. Thus, it is of high value to them to invest in and get involved with startups. When it comes to further refining and marketing products and solutions, corporates can bring their wealth of experience, reputation and customers to provide valuable assistance.
What sort of startup would you launch, yourself?
“I'd launch a startup that reduces the environmental footprint of our species so that corporates and startups can still work together in 500 years from now.”
Dr. Johannes Auf dem Kampe
Johannes doesn’t think outside the box, he doesn’t even see the box. As an attorney-at-law, early-stage investor, tech- and crypto enthusiast he is fluent in venture capital, simplifies complex legal problems, and helps you efficiently getting your deals done. Specialized in advising on private equity and venture capital transactions throughout the entire investment life cycle, his practice includes investments in private and public companies, growth investments, financing rounds, exits, employee participation, and management equity programs. In addition, Johannes advises founders and management teams from idea to the exit. What he likes most about the startup ecosystem is the largely disruptive approach of rethinking established structures and (if need be) tearing down walls.
What sort of startup would you found, yourself?
"To tackle a bunch of the biggest problems of our time at once, we urgently need unlimited, cheap and first and foremost clean energy for each and everyone. My startup would therefore deal with renewable energies, with a special focus on harnessing nuclear fusion. Fortunately, way more qualified people are already doing a much better job than I would."
Contact us
Follow us
