In an interview, star investor Carsten Maschmeyer reveals his view of German founders and current startup trends.
The entrepreneur and investor Carsten Maschmeyer has in an interview with the magazine Capital criticized the behavior of some young founders. German founders are often clumsy in front of investors and thus squander valuable opportunities. Maschmeyer said:
"We often sit in front of two or three techies, brilliant experts, but until three minutes before the pitch, they're still tinkering with the source code. Then they sometimes start talking gibberish that no one understands."
FinTechs great, investing in money-eaters bad
Another statement by Maschmeyer should make startups looking for capital sit up and take notice: The “Lion’s Den” investor announced his intention to invest more heavily in FinTechs and InsureTechs because:
"Many banks have been asleep, and insurance companies are late to the game. Potential digital winners will surprise us in this sector; we will see disruptive businesses."
Also interesting: Maschmeyer’s diagnosis of the investment behavior of the major players:
"The era when corporations made strategic investments even when the company was still making significant losses is largely over. That's why many are currently waiting."
The AWD founder has invested around 100 million euros in startups in recent years.
