Carsten Rudolph, Managing Director of Baystartup, is a new board member of the Federal Association Business Angels Germany eV (BAND)The election was part of a structural realignment of the federal association. The goal of this personnel expansion is to foster closer cooperation with experienced fishing networks in the field.
Baystartup operates the business angel network with the highest volume of financing brokered for startups in Germany. Over 400 active business angels and more than 200 institutional investors are part of the network. According to Baystartup, over the past ten years, more than €650 million of capital has flowed into young growth companies – an indicator of the effectiveness of structured early-stage financing.
Focus on better framework conditions for angels
Baystartup thus occupies a key position in the German startup ecosystem. The network acts as a bridge between investors and qualified founding teams. In addition to pure capital brokerage, the focus is on matching quality and sustainable financing success. Business angels act not only as capital providers, but also as strategic supporters with entrepreneurial know-how and access to follow-on investors. Regarding his choice, Baystartup says: Carsten Rudolph:
"As a long-standing member of BAND, we are pleased to now be able to actively contribute our perspective to the board. Business angels make an invaluable contribution to the innovative strength and competitiveness of our business location – and Baystartup has been demonstrating for years how powerful a well-organized angel network can be. We want to further expand the role of angels and contribute to improving the political and regulatory framework for this important asset class."
In addition to Carsten Rudolph, Katja Ruhnke, another Munich resident, will be joining the board in the future. Katja Ruhnke has been active as a business angel since 2019. Together with her sister Conny Hörl, she invests in startups that are making the world a better place in the long term. Her focus is on health, the environment, and sustainable technologies. Investments have already flowed into Munich-based startups Blackwave, Hey Circle, and XO Life, among others.
In addition to Carsten Rudolph and Katja Ruhnke, the BAND board also includes Nikolaus D. Bayer and Thomas Knaack (deputy chair), Lisa Bennewitz, and Matthias Helfrich. BAND is also supported by a full-time management team.
