Before her time as an investor, Tina Dreimann advised various companies at Bain and built up startups. Among other things, she led a company builder, scaled a dating platform, and helped shape Kartenmacherei into a leading new work company. She is convinced that value-driven entrepreneurs can improve the world and that profit should not be prioritized over impact; instead, the best business models combine both. Tina Dreimann is an active member of the advisory board for “Young Digital Economy” at the Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Protection of Robert Habeck and was awarded the German Startup Award in 2023 as “investor of the year“.
Munich Startup: What motivated you to found a company?
Tina Dreimann: The realization during the Corona pandemic that we need to actively participate in creating a more sustainable future and that founders are the most effective lever for changing our economy sustainably. We can only solve the greatest problems of our time together: through a network of strong doers and makers. Entrepreneurs fit this profile perfectly. And we need to understand that impact is the greatest growth factor for profitability. Accelerated by consumer demand and increasing regulatory pressure.
Tina Dreimann: “Impact [is] the greatest growth factor for profitability”
Munich Startup: What technology or industry do you personally find particularly interesting right now?
Tina Dreimann: The sustainable energy and climate-positive technologies sector. And startups working with the circular economy.
Munich Startup: What advantages do you see in diverse founding or VC teams?
Tina Dreimann: Diverse teams bring different perspectives, experiences, and ideas, which leads to more creative and inclusive solutions and increases problem-solving competence. That’s why we place a very strong focus on complementary founding teams – across multiple dimensions. For example, data from Forbes shows that startups led by women achieve 35 percent higher return on capital. According to a study linking character strengths to business performance, CEOs who excel in qualities like compassion and integrity can achieve a return on capital of 9.35 percent within two years.
Munich Startup: When and where do you get your best ideas?
Tina Dreimann: On one hand, in the evenings when there’s absolute silence and I can work highly concentrated without distraction. On the other hand, during daily walks with our dog – the distance from the laptop helps with creativity. Recently in discussions with people. The number of different perspectives increases problem-solving – it’s the most fun when I discuss our business and startups with my sons (10 and 12 years old). They ask the best questions!
Munich Startup: What are your three favorite work tools?
Tina Dreimann: Google Suite for co-creation with the team. In the past, you had to send versions back and forth.…
Superhuman as an email tool. It helps me a lot with my emails. Even if my inbox is still often a bottomless pit on most days.
Slack for direct communication with the team and with our business angels in our angel club.
“Passion beats experience”
Munich Startup: Your top tip on the topic of “pitching”?
Tina Dreimann: Focus on the vision, the team, and the impact in the business model, communicate clearly how the startup makes a difference, and what concrete, verifiable evidence has already been provided. And of course, teams should above all convey enthusiasm for the project. Passion beats experience.
Munich Startup: Does it seem like a good time to found a company right now? Why?
Tina Dreimann: Yes, especially in the impact and sustainability sector. Historically, times of crisis are often the best times for founding and investing. They bring the need for innovative solutions with them.
Munich Startup: What could be improved at the Munich startup location from your perspective?
Tina Dreimann: We’ve already fought our way to the top and can be really proud of our location with its innovation and deep tech focus. But as everywhere, there’s a shortage of large numbers of female founders and investors. Where are you? We need you!
Munich Startup: Which investor or founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Tina Dreimann: Naval Ravikant. He is founder and investor of Angellist – the largest investment platform in the US. They also started with a small number of angels like we did. We are scaling our network with Better Ventures using technology – exclusively for impact startups. We’ve already learned a lot from his example, and at the same time I still have many questions for him.
