Berthold is founder and CEO of Venionaire. As venture capital expert, M&A deal-maker, serial entrepreneur and angel investor he is the driving force behind key operations and scaling business development of our company. Berthold studied Management Science at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). In 2023, Berthold Baurek-Karlic was awarded as Business Angel of the Year in recognition of his longstanding contributions to the startup ecosystem in Austria and his exemplary dedication to his portfolio companies.
Bernhard is an investment banking / M&A / corporate finance – expert. Over the past decade he successfully advised numerous transactions in different industry sectors incl. energy, financial services, infrastructure, communications and real estate. Bernhard holds a Master’s degree from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration (WU).
Richard is managing partner at Venionaire Capital Advisory Services Ltd. (London) He gained extensive experience as director of equity trading at Merrill Lynch. Richard remains an active angel investor and takes personal pride in mentoring and guiding founders. Hr graduated with a first-class degree in Politics and Economics and is the chair of a charity that supports children and young adults with complex needs.
Rüdiger is a Commercial Executive with 34 years of experience in Banking and Financial Services. He was CEO of European Depositary Bank SA, where he led its transformation from a private client bank to a depositary bank with branches in Ireland, the UK, and Malta. Rüdiger has overseen major change programs and business growth strategies, including launching the bank’s digital solutions. He holds a degree in Commercial Sciences from the University of Münster.
Markus truly is an Austrian digital pioneer. In 1994 he and his brother founded immobilien.net, the first immo platform in Europe and market leader in Austria. In 2014 he sold immobilien.net successfully, being the biggest classified exit in Austria in that year.
Since then Markus is a passionate serial entrepreneur and as active business angel he also invests in promising Austrian and international startups. 2015 he gained the title "Super Angel" of the Austrian Angels Investors Association and since 2016 he is board member of Startup300.
Johann Steszgal is the owner and founder of Steszgal IT, a privately held company specialized in investing in disruptive innovation.
With a degree in software engineering and business administration Johann Steszgal has a comprehensive understanding of the ICT Sector with emphasis on AI and IT security and draws on a vast experience in research projects and supporting clients in diverse industries (e.g. health and media).
Johann offers long standing experience and expertise in Consulting, Research, IT Project Management as well as Technical Due Diligence and works with his clients to develop solutions that help address the dynamic needs of today’s markets.
Victoria Woodland-Ferrari brings over a decade of experience in Finance, Investment Banking, and Operations. Previously, she was CFO and COO at Switchee in London and Vice President at Deutsche Bank and Glendower Capital, managing funds up to $1.6 billion. Her career began as an M&A analyst at HSBC. Originally from Vienna, she studied Management at the London School of Economics.
Aleksandra is a Senior Executive, former entrepreneur, and private investor with over 10 years of international experience. Specializing in B2B software and AI solutions, she has led projects like Poland’s first AI-powered HRtech platform and built a diverse investment portfolio. Aleksandra excels in technology scouting, strategic business development, and team management. With a Master’s in Economics and advanced studies from Oxford, she is based in Dubai.
Prior to joining Venionaire, Oliver acted as CEO of Pioneers and Member of the Board of Startup300 shaping the European startup and innovation scene for over 5 years. He studied at Oxford University and Vienna University of Economics and Business and brings 15 years of consulting and management experience in international startup as well as corporate environemnts.
Thomas is a senior advisor, mentor, business angel and lecturer. He joined Greentube as an early employee and shareholder and has worked in various roles ranging from Software Developer to Managing Director and CTO before and after the acquisition by Novomatic in 2010. Lecturer on scaling technology companies and e-Sports / in-game advertising.
Martha is an experienced investment banker and corporate finance expert. She successfully orchestrated numerous transactions, and has been running large scale portfolios across all asset classes as well as debt portfolios. She holds a PHD in social and economic sciences from Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, an MBA from University of Toronto, and a CFA charter.
Christian Schmitz, an entrepreneurial marketing strategist, brings over 20 years of expertise from Bayer, BASF, Henkel, and hülsta. As the founder of Aventa consultancy, he aids global firms, while also being the founder of Purpoose Driven Innovation Ecosystem (PDIE Group), a global network for innovators and investors in the sustainability space. Proficient in Japanese business practices, he excels in operations, finance, logistics, and personnel management. Christian is deeply passionate about fostering innovation and empowering individuals to achieve their aspirations.
Alexander is co-founder and managing partner of Black Manta Capital Partners based in Luxembourg and Munich. The financial service company focuses on the tokenisation of asset-backed securities. As former equity partner of Venionaire, he is a trusted partner for blockchain-based security tokenisation of startups, SMEs, real-estate, commodities, and funds.
Herwig Rollett is President of the Business Angel Institute and a leading expert in knowledge management, with a PhD from TU Graz and Queen Mary College, University of London. Since 2012, he has collaborated with Venionaire Capital to develop the Certified Business Angel Program. His career spans academia, including roles at TU Graz, Know-Center, and Joanneum Research, and his first international book was published in 2003. As an entrepreneur since 2007 and a co-founder of a regional development initiative, Herwig brings extensive experience in advising startups and large organizations.
Astrid was Head of Research at Scytale Ventures, a fund focusing on investments in the distributed ledger technology area, including blockchain. Astrid made her career in technology transfer, where she gained extensive experience in identifying, establishing, and running startups. She had worked for world-renowned institutions, such as the Institute of Science and Technology Austria / IST Cube, Oxford University Innovation, and St George’s Medical University of London.
Werner is a serial entrepreneur and managing partner of Lorem Ipsum web.solutions, based in Graz. He is an expert for strategic project development and an experienced consultant and trainer. Werner studied business administration with a focus on IT and is marketing lector at the Ferdinand Porsche University of Applied Science. He helps our companies to boost their online sales.
Jean is a french entrepreneur, who has successfully launched and sold two businesses in the real estate industry. He has also been involved in raising up to €250M over the last 4 years, on the French, UK and US markets, for 34 companies, mainly in the fintech, smart mobility and proptech industries. Always looking for new challenges, he also advices startups’ CEOs in France on their marketing and sales strategies.
Frank is Head of ETH Entrepreneurship at ETH Zürich and an experienced serial entrepreneur with a Masters degree in electrical engineering and strong leadership skills. Built his second company Tempobrain over 16 years from 3 to 600 employees, longterm member of EO, YPO, alumnus of Birthing of Giants leadership course at MIT. Coach, advisor and investor in the Blockchain, Crypto and Fintech industry.
Tamir’s mission is to support businesses and people to reach their full growth potential in a sustainable way. He has a passion for building and growing organizations as well as teaching and learning. He is founder of Inbassador, a smart referral software. Previously, he worked as CEO and co-founded the growth hacking agency Hackabu, which was acquired by MyWorld Group.
Achim is an experienced entrepreneur and investor. Most recently, he initiated an accelerator programme in Zurich together with PwC Switzerland. As a venture builder he is a sought-after sparring partner in the areas of marketing, sales and business development. As an advisor he supports family offices in start-up financing.
Christoph is managing partner of the companies INKOL,, WISP-Komponenten, and CEO of the startup “Styrian-Drop”. INKOL deals with the implementation of innovations – from prototype to series production. He is a board member of Junge Wirtschaft Österreich and supports founders and young entrepreneurs in corporate management and strategy development.
Matt Kuppers is the founder and CEO of Startup Manufactory, a London-based consultancy, with a focus on start-up consulting, capacity building, and economic development. After joining the start-up industry in 2008, he worked in venture capital, co-founded businesses, provided start-up consulting, spoke publicly, and advised governmental organizations.
Adi is a serial entrepreneur with a strong focus on cyber security and has extensive knowledge about technology and management. He has many years of experience in real-estate investments and structuring deals. As an adviser/consultant he supports start-ups in various industries and has a passion for innovation. Adi previously was the founder and CEO of a cybersecurity company that he sold successfully.
Babenbergerstraße 9/12,
A-1010 Vienna, Austria (EU)
office@venionaire.com
1355 Market St. #488
San Francisco CA 94103
sfo@venionaire.com
122 East 37th Street
First Floor
New York, NY 10016
nyc@venionaire.com
Gable House, 239 Regents Park Road
London N3 3LF
office@venionaire.com
3 rue Gabriel Lippmann
5365 Munsbach
office@venionaire.com
Venionaire Capital exclusively invests through the European Super Angels Club, for more information and application please go to the website. We do not accept direct investment proposals via this website.