Startup speed, with a longer horizon

For more than six years I worked in venture capital. Together with European tech founders, we tackled strategy and operations from early-stage to scale-up. The innovative mindset, the risk-taking, the pace and pressure were addictive. But what I came to miss was the long horizon. A lot of energy went into quick wins and top-line growth, rather than something that would hold. Too many founders were back preparing the next financing round days after closing one. Their own vision and product development often slipped out of view. We seldom planned further than the runway let us.

When a role at the Hasso Plattner Foundation (HPF) came up on LinkedIn, I almost scrolled past it. Foundations had a reputation in my head: slow, careful, where people go when they’re done “climbing”. What I felt, though, was that I needed to move toward long-term thinking: building institutions rather than working in short cycles set by changing shareholders. HPF described itself as entrepreneurial, with a horizon measured in decades. I applied, still with my doubts. The energy during the recruitment process and thereafter convinced me: HPF is fast-pace.

Now, as Senior Manager Operating Strategy at the Foundation, I work on how our organization runs: how we set goals, structure processes, execute strategy, and give our charitable institutions the operational backbone to scale. The return we measure is what impact those institutions achieve long-term.

The moment I stopped second-guessing the move? Watching how fast we act on AI. We hired our first AI Engineers in late 2025, ran training days and hackathons, and started building (agentic) AI into our daily work. To me, that’s startup speed with a different driver. Without external competition, the urge to change has to come from within. And it really does across our functions. For instance, we are now building an AI-enabled funding process, an agentic communication platform for our ecosystem, a smarter reporting structure, effective people operations and so much more.

With all that, the sense of ownership feels familiar. Lean team, short reporting lines, responsibilities you claim rather than wait for. I haven’t yet heard “no” to an idea worth trying. 

Not everything here is easier than in my previous roles. Without the pressure of constant competition or funding rounds, progress depends on the initiative and commitment we bring to the work ourselves. Germany’s legal framework for charitable organizations shapes how we put new ideas into practice. Working within it can be challenging at times. But I find it far more meaningful to explore what is possible within those boundaries than to focus on the next financing round.

That's the story why I’m here. I hope you find it useful and consider joining our team.