About

Stefan has more than 20 years experience in the software, media and retail sectors covering various business functions. He worked as a Central Purchaser for one of the biggest German electronics retail companies and in different roles as a Marketing/ Product Manager for an international software publisher and a German sports TV station. In 2011, he founded an import and distribution company for gaming and mobile phone accessories. When he joined ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE in 2014, Stefan was responsible for acquiring media and licensing deals as well as developing campaigns and licensed products for brands such as Germany's next Topmodel, The Voice of Germany and The Big Bang Theory. Stefan has worked on the Sales & Investment Consulting team at SevenVentures since 2018.

Stefan Balabanow

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Michael works as Senior Associate Media Investment at SevenVentures. He has experience in venture building and management consulting and holds an M. Sc. in Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation from the WFI - Ingolstadt School of Management. He is also the Co-Founder of a social initiative which supports children from lower income backgrounds. His NGO “Speed Up, Buddy!” organises mentorships for first-generation students and accompanies them through their university studies right up to the start of a successful career. In his free time Michael loves listening to rap music and is currently training for his first triathlon in the summer. 

Michael Ricardo Jesswein

Leona joined SevenVentures in 2019 and is responsible for finance and controlling for the Investment Germany and Accelerator teams. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Augsburg and a double bachelor’s degree in international management from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich and the University of South Wales in Cardiff. She has extensive practical experience working in the automotive and start-up sectors.  

Leona Wenninger

Karin has been with SevenVentures since July 2022. She started in 1999 as a Management Assistant at ProSieben Media AG in Group Controlling and moved to Accounting after 10 years. Her motto in life is "Never stop learning". She loves process automation and is a big fan of O365 applications. She is an active networker and member of the International Management Assistants Germany association. In her free time, she enjoys hiking in the mountains and participating in horseback trail rides at home and abroad.

Karin Zessner

Andreas works as an Investment Associate at SevenAccelerator and has been with the company since 2022. Before joining SevenAccelerator, he studied economics with a focus on entrepreneurship and finance at Justus Liebig University in Giessen and gained professional experience as the first employee of a Frankfurt based M&A boutique, with an accelerator and in the (digital) real estate industry. In his spare time, he loves to explore Munich's culinary scene, is interested in interior design and plays tennis.

Andreas Recklingloh

Lilian joined SevenVentures as an Associate Equity Investment. She holds a B.Sc. in business administration from LMU (Munich) and a M.Sc. in finance from NOVA SBE (Lisbon). Before she started at SevenVentures Lilian gained experiences in M&A, consulting and audit. In her free time, she enjoys activities in the mountains such as winter sports and hiking.

Lilian Sommer

As CEO of SevenVentures, Florian is responsible for the company’s venture capital investment activities. He has been with SevenVentures since 2014 and also heads the Portfolio Management Team as well as ProSiebenSat.1‘s VC Fund Investments as Managing Director of SevenOne Capital (Holding) GmbH. He previously worked at Viscardi AG Investment Banking in Germany focusing on M&A and corporate finance advisory as well as with PB Capital Corp. in New York. Florian is also an active entrepreneur in the food production industry through his family business. Florian holds a diploma in business administration with distinction from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (Munich). In his spare time, Florian is passionate about travelling, skiing and mountain hiking.

Florian Hirschberger

Florian is Managing Director at SevenVentures. In his function as Chief Commercial Officer, he is responsible for the Media Investments division. Florian has been with SevenVentures since 2013 and previously worked as Senior Director Media Investments and Director Business Development. Prior to this, he was responsible for building the key account management at Burda Verlag also worked for Deutsche Bank and Scout24 in various functions. Florian holds a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance. In his free time, you will find him playing squash, golf, longboarding or travelling.

Florian Weber

Maximilian is Managing Director (COO/ CFO) at SevenVentures. He also serves on the management board of the SevenAccelerator. Maximilian joined SevenVentures in 2013. Previously, he worked at ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE as Internal Auditor and Risk Manager. Maximilian holds a diploma in business administration from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University in Frankfurt. In his spare time, Maximilian plays soccer, tennis and goes snowboarding.

Maximilian Jochim

Christian works as Investment Manager at SevenAccelerator. He gained previous experience in the venture capital industry by executing various sell-side/buy-side financial due diligence projects and supporting several M&A strategies for start-ups. He graduated from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich with an MSc in finance and controlling.

Christian Pürzer

Maximiliane is Investment Manager for Media Investments at SevenVentures. Maximiliane was previously Senior Business Development Manager at a corporate start-up of a large German industrial company in the IoT space. Maximiliane holds a master's degree in business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship and innovation and studied in Germany, France and the US.

Maximiliane Nolden

Yves is Senior Manager Media Investment & Country Head France at SevenVentures. He has extensive experience at the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, having previously worked for the advertising sales house and several other companies within the Group. He has also held positions at the teleshopping company of TF1, the leading French media group. Yves holds a diploma in business administration from the Catholic University of Lille in France.

Yves Dhalluin

Angie works as Senior Investment Associate at SevenAccelerator. She holds a master’s degree in strategic marketing from Maastricht University and a double bachelor's degree in international business from ESB Business School & ICADE University Madrid. Angie has extensive first-hand experience in strategy, marketing and branding. She speaks three languages and is a passionate snowboard instructor and food enthusiast.

Angie Zimmann

Erik has over 20 years experience working at the ProSiebenSat.1 Group. In his current position as Manager Media Investments at SevenVentures he supports medium-sized companies with innovative advertising formats to gain larger market share, increase their revenue and expand their market position. He graduated in business administration from the Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts. 

Erik Stollberg

As Manager Corporate Communications Patrick supports the Commerce and Ventures segment at ProSiebenSat.1. He has worked at the company for several years in various communications positions. Patrick successfully completed a traineeship in public relations with NBCUniversal in Munich and holds a master's degree in English, history and politics. In his free time he is passionate about football and travelling.

Patrick Schmid

Leonard works as Associate in the Media Investment team at SevenVentures. Before joining SevenVentures, he studied economics with a specialization in finance and entrepreneurship at the University of Münster. After his studies, Leonard supported two differently phased startups during their financing rounds and gained valuable experience in the startup sector. In his free time Leonard enjoys cooking and skiing.

Leonard Schopow

Alex works as investment director for SevenGrowth. Before switching sides towards venture capital, he started his career at Zalando and gained in-depth experience in marketing intelligence and business strategy. Afterwards, he worked as investment professional for the early-stage VC fund Cherry Ventures. Alex studied Business at WHU – Otto BeisheimSchool of Management and Bocconi University. While he is one of the few true Berliners working in the startup scene, he has also lived and worked in Dublin and Milan. Alex loves to travel around the world and is a huge football fan.

Alexander Krauße

Before joining SevenVentures as an Associate in the Media Investments Team, Max studied International Management at the International School of Management in Hamburg. During his studies, Max worked for over a year in the business development department at Foodist, Germanys leading e-commerce platform for food enthusiasts, where he gained valuable experience in the startup world and started fascinating for it. After completing his Bachelor, he supplemented the professional experience he had already gained with some first steps in the consulting industry. In his free time Max loves to do various sports and is also a passionate cook.

Max Tegtmeyer

Julia works as Executive Assistant to the CEO of Commerce & Ventures. With her high passion for travelling the world, she previously worked for one of the leading business travel companies and gained valuable experience in travel management and complex project management focusing on business events. Julia holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with focus on tourism and quality management.

Julia Sulzinger

Michael is Operating Partner Tech & Data in the tech division of Commerce & Ventures. He works closely with the CTOs of the SevenGrowth portfolio companies to drive the development of product and technology related projects. Prior to that he held similar positions at Axel Springer SE and before Michael was CTPO of Immonet GmbH in Hamburg.

Michael Wolter

Max works as Investment Controller for the Commerce & Ventures Segment. Prior to joining C&V, Max has worked in FP&A in the FMCG industry. He holds a bachelor's degree in management & technology from the Technical University of Munich. At the University of Maastricht, Max completed a master's degree in strategy & innovation. In his spare time, Max is passionate about football, travelling & hiking.

Max Roehrhoff

Kathrin works as Manager in Corporate Finance & Governance. Kathrin studied law at the LMU in Munich. She has worked in law firms and holds a certificate as a business mediator. In her free time she enjoys doing sport outside and meeting friends.

Kathrin Selbherr

Tim is CFO of the Commerce & Ventures segment of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE. Previously, he acted as CFO and Managing Director of the NuCom portfolio company Verivox, where he had worked since September 2020. In his time at Verivox, he reorganized and professionalized all finance- and legal-related processes and significantly improved the operational and financial steering. Besides that, he pushed the organizational and strategical transformation of Verivox together with his teams and prepared the company for the energy and gas crisis. Tim is a proven financial expert: Among other things, he worked for the pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer Gerresheimer for more than four years, including as CFO of one of the company's US entities. He studied business administration (B.B.A.) at Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Venlo and San Diego State University in the US. He also holds a master's degree (MSc) in business and management from the University of Plymouth where he graduated with distinction. Within Commerce & Ventures Tim is responsible for controlling, accounting, finance, governance, compliance and marketing.

Tim Rhoenisch

Barbara is Executive Assistant to the CFO Commerce & Ventures. During her magister artium studies in musicology, modern German literature and industrial and organizational psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU), she already demonstrated her organizational talent as managing director of the ODEON youth symphony orchestra. Although music was her first love – and that is still singing, playing the piano, the guitar and dancing – she switched entertainment mediums by working as team assistant and later executive assistant at the History Channel Germany. Since 2019 she has been supporting the NuCom board members in all challenging and exciting times of portfolio growth and exits. The department migration to Commerce & Ventures in 2022 was the latest of several changes in which Barbara could lean on her organizational skills and her broad network within the ProSiebenSat. 1 family.

Barbara Astrid Protega

Ela works as Head of HR Commerce & Ventures. She is responsible for people & culture within the C&V segment. Ela is an experienced and passionate HR expert and brings a very broad HR skillset in different people roles. She looks back on 10 years of corporate experience within the telecommunication industry and was most recently with a personnel service provider to help build up the German subsidiary. She completed her master's degree at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Universidad de Huelva in Spain. In her free time, Ela enjoys running, cycling and spending time with her family.

Elzbieta Synowiec-Cerdeiro

Pauline joined the Media Investment team of SevenVentures in the beginning of 2023 and is based in Berlin. She holds a B. Sc. in Business Administration from FU Berlin and a M. Sc. in Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship & Sustainability from TU Berlin and University of Sydney. She gathered experience in start-ups, venture building and the food tech industry from working at early-stage VC fund FoodLabs, the innovation unit of food retailer EDEKA and working closely with the founders in various early-stage start-ups. Pauline loves to try out new things, is a veggie food-lover and enjoys travelling.

Luca Pauline Paeschke

Laura works as Senior Manager Performance Marketing at Commerce & Ventures. She has several years of previous experience in digital marketing with a strong focus on SEA, SEO, social paid, affiliate and CRM. On the past she worked for other companies such as Zooplus SE, Sausalitos Holding GmbH and founded a start-up when she moved to Germany. Laura holds a bachelor degree in marketing. On her free time she enjoys doing sport such as downhill biking and fitness and spending time with her pets.

Laura Rauch Peña

Moritz works as Senior Controller in the Commerce & Ventures Finance Team. He holds a master‘s degree with distinction in mechanical engineering from the University of Surrey, UK, and began his professional career in the automotive industry at Barcelona-based SEAT S.A. Moritz transitioned to the area of finance at AUDI AG where he worked as a product controller and later coordinated the portfolio controlling activities, before briefly heading the business controlling team in an Augsburg-based mobility start-up. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, and has a passion for kite surfing and winter sports.

Moritz Meyle

Cedric works as Senior Controller. Cedric has worked as Controller in a multinational trade company based in Stuttgart. He holds a M.Sc. in finance from WHU including a stay at the National University of Singapore. In his free time he practises martial arts, goes to the gym, and cooks Italian-grade pasta.

Cedric Maldonado

As HR Manager in the Commerce & Ventures segment, her role is to implement guidelines and policies on our portfolio companies in accordance with the group strategy, and to ensure a smooth implementation of HR strategies within the portfolio. In addition, she facilitates the exchange of the HR community throughout the portfolio companies. With a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources Management and 5 years of professional experience as an HR Business Partner and HR Project Manager, she has a solid foundation for her role. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, taking long bike rides and adventurous hikes.

Lia Mittelsteiner

Kevin works as Investment Manager in the Media Investment Team. In his previous roles, he has gained experience in various disciplines and areas such as marketing strategy, media consulting and business development. Prior to joining SevenVentures, Kevin was responsible for new business growth in international markets at ServiceplanGroup. He holds a B.A. in International Business with a focus on Marketing Management and an M.A. in Sports Business and Communication. As part of his studies, Kevin expanded his international experience by spending time in various countries including South Korea and the United States. Outside of the professional context, Kevin is passionate about sports, interesting books, and expanding his own whisky collection.

Kevin Lichtenfeld

Finn works as Senior Associate Portfolio Management at SevenVentures. Prior to this, Finn worked in M&A advisory and corporate M&A. He holds a bachelors degree in economics from the University of Washington and a masters degree from the Ruhr University Bochum. Previously Finn was a long-term member of the German Rowing National Team. In his spare time, he loves to ride his bike and spend time outdoors.

Finn Schröder

Leif joined SevenVentures in 2019 as Director Media Investment. He has over 21 years experience working in media sales and marketing roles for Disney and MGM, SuperRTL, Adscale (now Stroer), Yahoo and the ProSiebenSat.1 Group. He holds a master’s degree in media management from the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam. 

Leif Ebentreich

As CEO, Friedrich heads the Commerce & Ventures segment of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE. In addition, he serves as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development. He is, therefore, responsible for all investment activities of the Group. Until the end of 2021, he was also in charge of the Group Strategy department, having joined the company in 2017. Friedrich is a proven strategy and M&A expert with many years of experience in various industries. He studied economics at Columbia University in New York and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Friedrich Thoma

Carolin works as Senior Manager Business Development in the tech division of Commerce & Ventures, before that she supported the Commerce portfolio companies already as Investment Manager. Prior to ProSiebenSat.1, Carolin gained different experiences through various positions at PwC, Peek & Cloppenburg and Arvato. She holds a degree of MSc in Business and Economics from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and a Master of Business Law from the University of Sydney. In her free time she loves to spend time with family & friends and to travel the world.

Carolin Brinckmann

Ellen joined the Finance & Controlling team as Corporate Finance Manager in 2023. She has several years of professional experience in auditing medium-sized industrial companies. She holds a B. Sc. in business administration with focus on finance & accounting from the University of Augsburg. In her freetime she is a passionate skier and traveller, loves every kind of outdoor adventures and is always available for a good cup of coffee in good company.

Ellen Bischoff

Lisanne is Associate Director Marketing & Social in the marketing division of Commerce & Ventures. She works closely with the marketing teams of the portfolio companies to drive marketing related projects. Lisanne has extensive experience at the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, having previously worked for 7Commerce, 7Travel and several other companies within the Group. She gained relevant experience earlier in her career with Sixt.

Lisanne Kruse

Ben works as Senior Associate Equity Investment. He has experiences in investment banking where he worked as an analyst for one and a half years in Frankfurt. His education includes a B.Sc. in international business from Maastricht SBE and a M.Sc. in business analytics from NOVA SBE. He particularly enjoys outdoor activities and winter sports.

Benedikt Busch

Lorraine is Strategy & Operations Associate Director. She supports the portfolio assets Verivox and SilverTours in defining and implementing their strategy. She holds a double M.Sc. in business & management from the University of Mannheim and from the ESSEC Grande École, and has previously worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group.

Lorraine Bauquel

Yannick works as Investment Manager for SevenGrowth. Prior to that, he worked in sales and business development at two food start-ups. He holds a MSc in management from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management and obtained his bachelor’s at ESB Reutlingen. Outside of work, Yannick enjoys almost any kind of sport and loves listening to podcasts while cooking.

Yannick Müller

Agnesa joined the Commerce & Ventures Team in 2022 as a Junior Controller. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in international business from the University of Pforzheim including a semester abroad at the Universidad ESAN in Lima. The studies allowed her to develop a comprehensive understanding in finance and management where she discovered her keen interest in controlling.

Agnesa Gashi

As Junior Manager Corporate Communications Hannah supports the Commerce and Ventures segment at ProSiebenSat.1. Hannah successfully completed a traineeship in corporate communications with ProSiebenSat.1 and holds a master's degree in cultural management. During her studies she worked, among others, in the communications departments of Volkswagen in Wolfsburg and Allianz Capital Partners, one of Allianz Group’s asset manager. In her free time she is passionate about making music and baking.

Hannah Knarr

Thomas works in the finance department covering Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance topics. He has run through several departments of the P7S1 Group in the last years such as investment controlling and internal audit. Prior to joining the P7S1 Group Thomas worked as Corporate Governance advisor for KPMG. He holds a degree in business administration from the European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel. In his leisure time Thomas enjoys cycling and playing the piano.

Thomas Meyer

Melanie works as Senior Manager Business Development in the Tech department of Commerce & Ventures. She studied business administration in Würzburg, Caen (France) and Berlin. She started her professional path in the finance department of Philips (in Hamburg and New Delhi, India), moved on to project management as a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, dived into the digital world at Amazon and is now supporting the Commerce & Ventures assets in their growth. She loves to travel, discovering new insights and spend time with the family.

Melanie Schäffer

Carolin joined the Finance & Controlling team in May, 2020. Previously, she has worked in the Group Consolidation division of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE for twelve years. During and after graduating with a degree in business administration from the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (formerly Berufsakademie) in Karlsruhe, Carolin worked for Metro AG in Karlsruhe and Düsseldorf.

Carolin Merkel

Rocio joined SevenVentures in 2017 and is responsible for finance and controlling for the Investment Germany and Accelerator teams. She previously worked as Controller for ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE. Rocio holds a Diploma in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Malaga. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outside with her son, travelling and cooking.

Rocio Lopez Romero

Maria is a Senior Portfolio Manager at SevenVentures. Prior to this, she was part of the Deal Advisory team at PwC, where she advised financial and strategic investors on various transactions. Maria has also published several studies on the semiconductor and video games industries, which developed her interest in digital business models and start-ups. Maria holds a degree in Law and Economics from the University of Augsburg and has completed all exams of the CFA Program. In her spare time, she loves spending time outdoors with her two kids, whether hiking, camping or skiing.

Maria Popova

Daniel is Senior Associate in the Media Investment team, focusing on growth strategies and innovation. Before commencing his role at SevenVentures, he completed his Masters degree in Economics and Finance at universities in Germany and Switzerland. His experience includes propelling growth and innovation at HSBC‘s credit sales department and advising start-ups on strategy, pricing, and go-to-market during his time at Deutsche Börse’s Venture Network.

Daniel Sendt

Lilia is Campaign Manager at SevenVentures. She has previous experience as a project manager in special advertising for the Austrian broadcasting corporation and as part of a team managed the largest annual fundraising campaign in Austria. Lilia studied journalism and communication science with focus on advertising and multimedia journalism at the University of Vienna.

Lilia Kircheva

Julia is Assistant to the SevenVentures management team. Prior to this she was Executive Assistant in marketing at MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group and also at a leading tour operator. Most recently she managed a cooking school in Munich's Glockenbachviertel. Julia holds a bachelor’s degree in european studies from the University of Passau.

Julia Brenninger

Andrea joined the Sales & Investment Consulting team in 2019. Prior to this she worked in the strategy department of a global consulting company focusing on digital marketing, sales and customer experience. Andrea holds an MBA from Portland State University and a bachelor’s degree in international business from ESB Business School. In her free time she enjoys the outdoors, playing sports and cooking.

Andrea Greiner

Jonathan is Associate Director Media Investment at SevenVentures. Prior to his current role, he was responsible for sales and consulting at a performance TV agency. He also worked as a part of a team leading cross-media sales in Germany. Jonathan holds a diploma in sport, business and law from the University of Bayreuth.

Jonathan Helferich

Lisa works as Manager Strategy & Operations in the Sales & Investment Consulting team at SevenVentures. Before this, she gained experience in PA positions focusing on marketing, business development and human resources at ProSiebenSat.1 and Odgers Berndtson, a global executive search company. She also completed various apprenticeships as a paralegal. Lisa has a passion for plants and loves photography.

Lisa Maria Greimel

Jan works as Associate Director Media Investment at SevenVentures. Before joining SevenVentures, he was responsible for the business development department at a leading European mobility start-up. Jan studied business administration with a focus on strategy, entrepreneurship and finance in both Muenster and Dortmund.

Jan Brockhausen

Christopher works as Associate Director Equity Investment at SevenVentures. Prior to commencing his role at SevenVentures, he completed a double master’s degree in finance and strategic marketing at Maastricht University. Christopher gained valuable experience in the start-up sector whilst working for Rocket Internet and Deloitte.

Christopher Halbig

Philipp works as Director Strategic Investments at SevenVentures and SevenGrowth. Prior to this, Philipp worked in strategy and product management at two DAX-listed corporations. He holds a diploma in mechanical engineering from the TU Munich, UP Valencia and University of Texas at Austin, as well as an MBA from the CDI in Paris.