About
I am an experienced CEO and Entrepreneur with a passion for building digital business models and high-performing teams. After more than a decade of founding and exiting VC-backed startups, I have transitioned my focus to the Private Equity space to drive value in established markets. Currently, I serve as CEO of Education Partners and as an Advisory Board Member at High Office. In both roles, I leverage my background to execute Buy & Build strategies and drive digital transformation. My goal is to combine the speed of a startup with the strategic rigor of Private Equity. Beyond my operational mandates, I support the next generation of founders as a Venture Partner at Vorwerk Ventures and empower leaders as a certified Systemic Business Coach. I believe that sustainable growth requires not just capital, but strong leadership and a clear digital strategy.
Experience
Ceo
Education partners GmbH · Berlin, München, Lippstadt, Kassel, Wien, Luzern
Present
Education Partners is a leading platform of continuing education providers across Business Transformation, Health & Care, and Smart Industries. Backed by the private equity investor Odewald KMU, we follow a Buy & Build strategy that blends the acquisition of successful training providers (e.g. Developer Akademie, Business Trends Academy, Kindergartenakademie) with organic venture building, such as the launch of our "Akademie für KI" in 2025. Since April 2024, I have focused on building the scalable infrastructure required for this growth. My priority has been the group-wide implementation of a modern, API-first SaaS tech stack. This digital backbone is the prerequisite for our shift towards a centralized, data-driven marketing organization. To support this scaling, I established a new operating model that centralizes core functions like Marketing, Finance, IT, and Product while empowering our Academy Heads to run their units with entrepreneurial autonomy. Additionally, I am responsible…
Member of the Advisory Board
Present
I support High Office as a Member of the Advisory Board during its strategic scaling and professionalization phase. High Office is a Private Equity-backed case, funded by Odewald KMU, the same investor behind Education Partners, where I serve as CEO. High Office is a specialized provider in Social Recruiting, utilizing data-driven methods to address the labor shortage with modern digital solutions. My core focus areas on the Board: - Strategic Sparring: Providing guidance to the management team on building and expanding digital business models, drawing from over 16 years of experience as a founder and CEO. - Tech Transformation: Supporting the selection and implementation of a modern tech stack to drive automation in marketing and sales processes and establish a robust data infrastructure. - Buy & Build Excellence: Advising on the strategic execution of a Buy & Build case, with a particular focus on scaling the organization and ensuring successful Post-Merger Integration (PMI).
Venture Partner
Present
I support the Vorwerk Ventures team as a Venture Partner. Vorwerk Ventures is an independent €150m Venture Capital Fund with a total of €400m under management. We focus on (Pre-) Seed and Series A investments, writing initial tickets between €1m and €5m. As long-term partners, we ensure continuous support by reserving up to €15m per company for follow-on financing rounds.
Founder & Executive Coaching
Manuel Hinz Coaching & Advisory · Berlin, Germany
Present
I combine certified Systemic Business Coaching (Quadriga University) with over 15 years of operational experience as a Founder, CEO, and VC. Having built and exited three VC-backed startups (CrossEngage to Spotler, Toroleo to Delticom, DailyDeal to Google) and invested in over 20 early-stage companies, I understand the emotional and strategic challenges of scaling digital businesses firsthand. My work focuses on three areas: - Executive Coaching: Systemic sparring for founders and C-levels to navigate growth and leadership challenges. - Team Development: Conception and moderation of workshops and offsites to build high-performing teams (e.g., using Lencioni frameworks). - Strategic Advisory: Hands-on support in Fundraising and M&A processes based on my experience on both sides of the table.
Ceo & Co-Founder
CrossEngage · Berlin Area, Germany
In 2015, I co-founded CrossEngage together with Dr. Markus Wübben, backed by the operational support of Project A and Dr. Florian Heinemann. As pioneers in the European marketing technology landscape, we developed one of the first Customer Data Platforms (CDP) and played a pivotal role in establishing this software category across the continent. Our SaaS solution empowered major enterprise clients, including Deutsche Bahn, HelloFresh, Manufactum, Porta, and Scout24, to orchestrate their cross-channel marketing strategies effectively based on real-time data. Beyond software, we actively fostered the professional community by organizing "Heroes of CRM," which grew into one of Germany's leading conferences for customer relationship management. To fuel our growth, we secured multiple rounds of venture capital and venture debt funding from a consortium of renowned investors, including Project A, Earlybird Venture Capital, Vorwerk Ventures, IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft, Ventech, 42CAP, TA Ve…
Entrepreneur Partner
• Collaborated as an Entrepreneur Partner at Etribes, leveraging expertise in digital business model development. • Conducted due diligence for a media company acquiring an e-commerce business, ensuring strategic alignment. • Supported a FMCG company in formulating an e-commerce strategy in preparation for an M&A process.
Interim Manager
Scarosso GmbH · Berlin
Interim Management of Online Marketing, PR and Brand Management Departments
Venture Partner
Heilemann Ventures · Berlin
Heilemann Ventures is a micro VC investing private funds of the Heilemann brothers in Angel/Seed stage across consumer and enterprise. Track record includes McMakler (exit to Warburg Pincus), DiviMove (exit to RTL/Bertelsmann), Eyeota and Test.io (exit to Epam; NYSE:EPAM).
Founder & Managing Director
Toroleo GmbH · Berlin
Business Model: Price Comparison Website for Car Parts Funding: € 3 Mio. from Project A Ventures & Creathor Venture Exit: Sale of Assets to Delticom AG
Head of Corporate Development & Interim-Cfo
DailyDeal GmbH
Business Model: Couponing Funding: Rebate Networks, Adinvest, Insight Venture Partners Exit: Trade Sale to Google in 09/2011
Education
Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW Kiel)
B.A., Business Administration
Quadriga University of Applied Sciences
Systemic Business Coach - Quadriga Hochschule, Business Coaching
University of North Florida - Coggin College of Business
Business Administration
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