The GSVA Management Team is supported by the Steering Committee, in charge of selecting program participants, the Advisory Council, integrating existing networks in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the program Mentors, supporting the selected startups during their stay in Silicon Valley.
Management Team
Prof. Dietmar Harhoff – Chairman
Since 28 February 2007 Prof. Dietmar Harhoff has been chairman of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation that has been appointed by the Federal Government of Germany.
Prof. Harhoff is professor of business administration at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich (LMU). He chairs the Institute for Innovation Research, Technology Management and Entrepreneurship (INNO-tec), and is Academic Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the LMU. Read more…
Contact Prof. Dietmar Harhoff here
Dirk Kanngiesser – CEO
Dirk Kanngiesser is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He has been involved in the founding of many German and international start-ups. He is the principal founder and a Managing Partner of PolyTechnos. He has over 20 years of Venture Capital experience, mostly in partner roles. Dirk has strong expertise in growth strategy definition and execution, and global business development. Read more…
Contact Dirk Kanngiesser here
Oliver Hanisch – VP Operations & Business Development
Oliver Hanisch is an entrepreneur, business developer, and consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He builds trans-Atlantic bridges and supports international startups in tapping into the U.S. market opportunity. Further, he advises organizations and governments on entrepreneurial programs and incubation models and scouts for the latest innovations and emerging trends in the ICT arena. Read more…
Contact Oliver Hanisch here
Steering Committee
Also including Dietmar Harhoff, Dirk Kanngiesser and Oliver Hanisch.
Ram Srinivasan (Chairman Steering Committee)
Ram Srinivasan is currently an Independent Venture Advisor & Venture Partner at Wellington Partners. With over 25 years experience in engineering and marketing management, Ram has an in-depth understanding of high-technology companies. Ram’s technical intuition allows him to cut through technology and focus on business challenges crying for elegant solutions. Before joining Wellington as venture partner, Ram was President and CEO of web analytics provider Fireclick from inception in 1999 to acquisition in 2004. He then established their strategic direction, while managing daily operations and technology initiatives. At Red Brick, Ram led product marketing and management while directing product evolution strategy, culminating in the company’s IPO.
Johannes Velling (Government observer)
Johanes Vellig is currently the Head of the “technology start-ups, start-up financing and clustering of competences” division at the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. He is responsible for activities related to Venture Capital, Business Angels, Entrepreneurship Culture, Academic Spin-offs and Innovation Clusters, including activities from EXIST and High-Tech Gründerfonds.
Ralf Dolk
Ralf Dolk is currently Project Manager at the EXIST Program, a support program of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) aimed at improving the entrepreneurial environment at universities and research institutions and at increasing the number of technology and knowledge based business start-ups.
Andy Goldstein
Andy Goldstein is currently Executive Director at the LMU Entrepreneurship Center. He is also currently Board Member at Avanquest Software SA and Goldstein Creations GmbH.
Eric Muller
Eric Muller is currently Lead Mentor at the German Silicon Valley Accelerator and Advisor to technology start-ups and corporates. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer at at Society of Kauffman Fellows, where he worked on its global expansion. He previously held several executive positions at SAP, Borland and Accenture.
Falk Mueller-Veerse
Falk Mueller-Veerse is currently Managing Partner at Cartagena Capital, a munich-based international Corporate Finance Advisory /Investment Banking boutique. He is an experienced M&A and fundraising professional with over twenty years experience in the technology and internet industry. He has a global network in the investor and acquirer community and closed successful deals with Disney, RIM, Balderton, Swisscom and Telefonica, amongst others.
Sven Weber
Sven Weber is currently Managing Director & President SharesPost Investment Management at SharesPost. He has more than a decade of investment management experience and a track record of delivering impressive performance to his investors and holds more than 15 years of experience in private equity, entrepreneurship and business development. He previously served as President at Silicon Valley Bank Capital where he oversaw the venture capital investing business
Advisory Council
- Bernhard Abels (German Consulate General in San Francisco)
- Angelika Geiger (Germany Trade & Invest)
- Rene van den Hoevel (German American Chamber of Commerce)
- Burton Lee (Stanford School of Engineering)
- Caroline Raynaud (German American Business Association)
- Peter Rothen (German Consulate General in San Francisco)
- Daniel Zimmermann (German American Business Association)
Staff
- Bernhard Janke (Business Development & Operations)
- Felix Elkmann (Business Development & Marketing)