Inspiring Leaders
It’s human nature to overestimate short-term change and underestimate long-term effects. Consequently, many disregard ideas they tried at an early stage, and get caught by surprise, or even taken out of business, once these prototypes mature.
During my time as sales-support (SAP Presales), as a mentor for students and startups, and as an independent innovation speaker, I highlight hype cycles and gradual improvements, to set the stage for more realistic project goals and sustainable innovation timelines.
I am frequently invited to speak in front of C-level managers, not only in the Nordics but also across Europe, India, and China. My goal is to excite and educate my audience about technologies, because understanding takes away fears, and exploration enables innovation.
Being a member of debating unions during university helps me structure entertaining talks and won me several prizes, such as the best speaker at Model of United Nations, Seoul.
“Hi Thomas,
YOU ARE AMAZING!!! I have not seen a more passionate guy than you. You have changed my perspective of life!! (...)”
To understand the future, I find it often helpful to look at the past. If you have a minute, watch this clip of young Bill Gates, trying to explain the concept of the internet in 1995.
I love this clip, as most people can identify with either one of the two celebrities when I bring up new technologies, like cryptocurrencies, or the Internet of Things.
It’s so easy to be content with what works well. It’s so hard to tell success stories, when there are none yet. It would be foolish to not prepare for the disruptions rising trends can bring.
TechLabs Mentor
As a mentor at the TechLabs Copenhagen program from Copenhagen Business School, my team could win the first prize 🏆 with their idea to build an app to reduce anxiety through sport. I supported their UX and UI development, data modeling, and pitch preparation, which eventually convinced the high-ranking external jury.
Gemüseackerdemie Mentor
As a mentor for the Social Impact Lab Berlin, I accompanied the first exciting year of the Gemüseackerdemie (vegetable academy). I helped them to build user journey maps and, identify business opportunities and shift their marketing focus from parents to teachers.
This startup’s goal is to teach children how to grow vegetables and hence strengthen their bond to sustainability and healthy food. They have already taught over 10,000 students at 300 schools across Germany and won plenty of prestigious awards and celebrity supporters.
Start-Up Network SUN Co-Founder
As a student, I was fascinated by the startup world but found it difficult to look behind the glossy facades. After winning second place at the 5-Euro-Business competition of the state of Bavaria, I co-founded the Start-Up Network SUN, a non-profit organization for German scholarship holders and alumni who are interested in pursuing their own ideas. The organization has over 1,000 members and organizes local meetups, webinars, and innovation trips to startup ecosystems in Italy, Estonia, Israel, and Hong Kong. Successful startups like Wunderflats and Sharpists have been founded by SUN members. With events like the diversity focused founders’ conference Entre.fem, and the rural initiative “Bauer sucht Startup” (Farmer looking for Startup), we were early trendsetters in the German startup world.
