Breaking Norms. Delivering Value. Staying Focused.

We challenge all conventions of startup support to focus solely on what truly creates value for founders.

Meet the Team

We're building a team of true founders and startup specialists — because sometimes, you have to know the pain yourself to truly help others overcome theirs.

Dr. Nikolas Höhnke

Dr. Nikolas Höhnke

Head of Accelerator

With 15 years of experience, Nikolas creates founder-first programs that drive real impact.

Jasmine Mortimer

Jasmine Mortimer

Head of Community and Events

Jasmine leverages 10+ years of experience to connect founders, partners, and investors.

Alexander Lieder

Alexander Lieder

Venture Development Lead

Alex is an Entrepreneur himself, and has a pre-PMF focus on building a first product and acquiring first customers.

Hannes Reichelt

Hannes Reichelt

Startup Advisory Lead

Hannes brings 20+ years of startup experience — including founding two startups — to support founders on their path.

Sophia Lefin

Sophia Lefin

Founder Experience Lead

Trained in psychology and HR, Sophia has a keen sense for what founders truly need — even when it's not being said.

Vision, Mission & Values

Vision

Our vision is simple, though ambitious: In the next five years, we aim to build the largest accelerator in Germany. We know that success doesn't mean simply being better than existing programs. On the contrary, we deeply respect the quality of many established accelerators in Germany. There are plenty of good — and even some excellent — programs out there. At the same time, we see that many of them are limited by topic, region, or startup stage. That's why our modular offering is not designed to compete, but to complement. Our goal is not to grow alone. Our goal is to achieve more, together.

Mission

Our mission clearly follows from our goals: We develop modular support offerings, bring strong partners from the startup ecosystem on board, and help their startups grow. Whether it's product development, sales, fundraising, or a strategic focus on impact — our modules are designed to step in exactly where startups need support. One thing always remains at the center of everything we do: creating real value. For the startups we work with — and for the partners we collaborate with.

Our Values

Output First

Every interaction with us should go beyond simple knowledge transfer. Our value proposition isn't a list of topics — it's a list of completed tasks. Because results matter.

Time is Precious

We focus on what truly counts — the must-do tasks that drive growth. Anything without clear value gets cut.

Constant Improvement

We continuously question and refine our offering. The world is changing — and startup support needs to stay with it to stay relevant.

Impact Rules

It's not just about the business model — it's about the contribution to society. Our support is designed to make impact measurable and put it at the heart of every strategy.

Problem before Product

Great startups start with real problems — not ready-made solutions. We help founders understand users, validate needs, and build what truly matters.

Kind tone, honest words

We're here to support — not sugarcoat. You'll always get our full respect, our full attention, and the truth you need to grow.

Learn from Industry Experts

We can't know everything — and we don't have to. That's why our external mentors bring in deep domain expertise in impact, sales, fundraising, and product development to support our startups where it counts.

Alex Wolf

Alex Wolf

Founder and Lead Strategic Designer

With 10+ years of experience, Alex supports startups across design thinking, networking, and coaching.

Mila Galeitzke

Mila Galeitzke

Co-Founder

Mila leverages 10+ years at Fraunhofer to help SMEs scale their impact with AION.

Dr. Anna Canning

Dr. Anna Canning

Founder

With 10+ years in science and startups, she helps sustainable companies achieve real, measurable impact.

Simon Bail

Simon Bail

Startup Advisor and Founder

With hands-on founding experience, Simon supports young founders with business modeling, AI tools, and more.

Tino Schmutzler

Tino Schmutzler

Serial Entrepreneur

Everyone knows Tino. As a serial founder with a huge network he lives what we aim to teach the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Dr. Erik Steinhöfel

Dr. Erik Steinhöfel

Co-Founder

As founder of AION and with years in startup research, Erik helps embed impact at the heart of business models.

Jean-Paul Laue

Jean-Paul Laue

Co-Founder

Jean-Paul helps founders communicate impact — with social media savvy and activist passion.