[who I am]
I am a business development professional with creative muscle and business spirit who is passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship and design thinking. In my career I am focused on affecting change and inspiring entrepreneurial activity. As a German-American, fluent in both countries’ languages and cultures, I have an understanding for the importance of feedback, praise, and mentoring as well as an appreciation for a straightforward and frank style. I push for abandoning “the way it is supposed to be done” and encourage alternative solutions for smarter answers.
I am intrigued by entrepreneurship and innovation. I spend a great deal of time reading, discussing and thinking about what makes for successful start-ups and entrepreneurial teams – I even assisted with a book on internet business models and worked for two business angels as entrepreneur in residence to explore these questions further. Likewise, I contemplate the principles and causes for innovation and innovative environments – which no firm, be it a start-up or an established market player can do without. In 2009, I was introduced to the concept of design thinking. I believe this discipline when given a prominent role in idea finding and decision-making can propel a team or even a whole firm to unexpected possibilities and results.
[my background]
I hold a M.S. in Economics and Management Science from Humboldt University, Berlin: I chose this field because economics speaks to my analytical nature and management science allowed me to focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.
I have held consultant and analyst positions at Ernst & Young in both the U.S. and Germany and have worked in both strategic research and business development positions for universities, research institutes, young consulting firms and a business angel partnership.
Today I am part of the program development team at mayato, a Berlin-based IT consultancy. I am involved with sales and strategic development to propel the firm into new markets and to create new opportunities. Our core focus is on Enterprise Fraud Management, a technology supported management consulting field. We are implementing a relationship-based path to market. Our approach is heavily customer focused and our methods include both traditional and internet-based media.
[where I am going]
I strive to make my life and work about impact. I see the internet, new organizational forms and processes, and the application of non-business thinking to business problems as the key drivers of future growth.
I aspire to merge my interests in business, innovation, traveling and sustainable development to make an impact on others. The idea of involving people in the process of creating things, looking at situations from an individual’s perspective as opposed to an organization’s view, and a focus on the power of many small changes inspires me to rethink how firms should design their services and products.
[visual]
aljoschakaplan 