I'm a start-up founder (current project: charismatischer.de), lecturer and freelancer in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Welcome to my personal website!
Here I share my thoughts, insights and other useful things.
If you're interested in what I'm currently doing, check out my Now page.
You can also find me on Linkedin and Twitter.
3 quick facts about me
- I'm from Stuttgart in southern Germany. My mom is German and my Dad is Albanian. Today I live in Munich, Germany.
- I started out in tech, built a business and then went back to academia to get deeper into entrepreneurship. I still like working on technical topics but realized that I prefer people over programming.
- I'm very curious and enjoy exploring new ideas, topics and perspectives.
5 things that I did so far
- Starting a company
While studying for my bachelors I co-founded mecodia in 2011. We started out as a bunch clueless friends in our early twenties. Fast forward and we're a profitable IT service business. Today mecodia employs ~20 people. It was quite the adventure and I'll reflect on the journey in a blogpost soon.
- Wearing many hats
At mecodia I first helped build and sell Feripro a SaaS product. Then I contributed to market and run a speakers academy focused on digital change. Finally I raised awareness for IT-Security. I performed Live-Hacking shows that combine education, entertainment and IT-Security all over Europe.
- Backing up practice with theory
During my masters I looked into what makes startup pitches successful. For my thesis I designed a workshop that helps companies tackle digital transformation. I also helped validate two ideas that became successful products: a software for communes and a plushie that plays rock to babies.
- Introducing Entrepreneurship to >3000 students
I helped design and pilot the Innostudio, a playful innovation workshop. Within a day students spot problems, generate ideas, build prototypes and pitch results. Since the first pilot in 2017 it has reached >3000 students. It is now mandatory for all freshmen at Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart.
- Teaching entrepreneurship internationally
At Hochschule der Medien I taught in lectures, bootcamps, accelerator programs and competitions. This gave me the opportunity to gather some international experience. Countries I could learn and teach in included Canada, China, the U.S. and the Netherlands.
3 Things I enjoy doing outside of work
- I spend a lot of time reading and listening to audiobooks. My favorite genre by far is Sci-Fi in all its flavours.
- I like to keep fit through Fitness and Lifting. I also picked up bouldering lately. It's a constant challenge yet fun and rewarding.
- I enjoy playing strategy games with friends. Three picks I love: Stellaris for its storytelling, Dawn of War 2 for the action and the board game classic Risk for its scheming and intrigues. If you're still friends with all players after an intense round of Risk you're playing it wrong!
5 Ideas I believe in
- Building bridges
I see great opportunity in connecting ideas, topics and approaches that at first glance don't go together. This is why I prefer a generalist approach: The broader your expertise the more building blocks you have to tinker with. This is useful for innovation and new business ideas but also for stacking your skills. - Authentic work > Jobs
I'm convinced we do our most useful work when our personality, values, strengths and tasks align. This alignment is the antidote to not liking work. To achieve it is hard. It requires effort and knowing oneself. Thanks to the internet our chances to reach this alignment are better than ever before. - Entrepreneurship for personal growth
Entrepreneurs have to deal with uncertainty and their own shortcomings. Facing these challenges is the perfect trigger for growth. I see spectacular developments from people who join the entrepreneurial rollercoaster. Their transformations make the ride worthwhile, even if their ideas don't work out. - Appreciating complexity
Behind every field and topic there is a whole world unravelling. Behind every opinion there is a valid human experience. In our fast moving world we trade nuance for convenience and practicality. When things seem simple, it's necessary to get vigilant and ask: What part of the picture am I missing? - The future
In Germany we are very good at worrying about technological change. This strikes me as impractical. Worry and fear cause more problems. And they make it hard to see potential. I prefer to be excited, curious and optimistic about the future!