Podcast
“The Zero Hour”
“A new wave of automation”: Tech-Investor Ludwig Ensthaler on the opportunities of crisis
Ex-Rocket-Investor Ludwig Ensthaler has in the middle founded in the crisis of a 170-million Fund. In the Podcast he tells us why the funds in the young Software Start invested in ups and how the German start-up scene is changing.
It was a Bang for the German Tech scene this year: in the Middle of the greatest economic crisis since decades, three prominent heads started a new Fund that invests primarily in young software companies. 468 Capital of the Fund is, in a record time of 170 million euros were collected.
The Trio consists of the former Rocket Internet Executive, Alexander Kudlich, Ludwig Ensthaler, invested the last for the Rocket Investmentarm Global Founders Capital in the United States – as well as the series founder Florian Leibert. For Ludwig Ensthaler, there could be no better Timing for 468 Capital, Corona or not: “All the funds that were founded in the crisis, were the best. It was always so,” he says in the Podcast “The Zero hour” (Here to listen).
The have to do with the founders you invest now. “Who’s starting now? In the past few years, it was also chic to reasons – this is not bad, but it has also meant that some people have reasons not to, what is the best Motivation,” says Ensthaler. “Who founds currently, the really mean it, has an idea he wants to pursue, against all odds, and it is also through the heavy cycles due to fight. The company, which arise in times of crisis, are more resilient, of the thing and idea-driven.”
The relocation of the German start-up scene
Ensthaler sees the focus of his early-stage Fund for Software and automation is also a shift in the German start-up scene: “In the past ten years, the Startup is equal to Berlin. Berlin is good to build Consumer Startups, such as Hello fresh, Delivery Hero or Zalando,” says Ensthaler. “Germany was not so good to create technology-intensive start-UPS. We will see but now increasingly, and they occur mainly in strong research Unizentren in Karlsruhe.” As a further Cluster Ensthaler Saarbrücken, Tübingen and Stuttgart announced. “There’s a lot happening at the moment.”
Ensthaler predicts a “new wave of automation”. In the United States, he had seen how the implementation of technologies often go faster than expected, “even rocket fast”. “Automation is a big topic,” he says. “But for Corona, it is not only a theme in mind, but arrived in the Now. The adaptability for automation technologies has made the crisis a major leap – the same applies for Online-conferences or E-Learning. Software is still life relevant for our Economy, and in this together.”
You are now listening to the new episode of “The Zero hour” :
- how the division of labor and cooperation between Florian Leibert, Alexander Kudlich and Ludwig runs Ensthaler
- where does the Name 468 Capital comes
- as the Team finds the founder, how you travel and if Ludwig answers Ensthaler on LinkedIn requests
- as he explains Deep Tech so that it understands your mother.
All follow directly from Audio Now, Apple or Spotify or via Google.