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About Realyze Ventures

COMPANY

We are seasoned investors, successful entrepreneurs and industry experts

Meet The Team

Our portfolio companies will drive the transformation of the industry with our support as seasoned investors, successful entrepreneurs and experienced industry experts.
We are focused and efficient with creative minds. Our Partners are complemented by strong investment professionals and external best-in-class service providers.

“We knew it was critical to have partners who provide really industry-specific advice and could help us build unique relationships with companies in our industry. That is what we received from the guys at Realyze.”

Leopold SpennerFounder & CEO alcemy
General Partner

Kai Panitzki

Kai is a technology expert and has extensive experience as well as know-how as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Before founding and managing BitStone Capital, he was a board member of various listed companies and a fintech venture capital company. Moreover, he used to be a founder himself in the communications industry.

General Partner

Stefan Läufer

Stefan brings in more than 25 years of experience in the building technology  and housing industry. He is the CDO (Chief Technology Officer) of the GC group, the leading European HVAC wholesaler. He has an extensive track record in investing in company building projects and start-ups investment. He held various CEO and advisory roles in the  start area within the housing industry.

General Partner

Manfred Heid

Manfred has successfully realized global venture capital & private equity investments with a volume of +150m EUR. Additionally, he has developed two technology concepts at the intersection of FinTech & PropTech before Co-Founding BitStone Capital as one of the most active Real Estate Venture Capital investment platforms in DACH.

Investment Manager

Daniel Pölt

Daniel is an experienced investment manager as well as PropTech and monetization expert. Prior to his work for Realyze Ventures he led interdisciplinary teams and developed digital business models and monetization strategies as a Manager at Simon-Kucher & Partners. He graduated from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in International Business.

Investment Advisor

Jakob Schulz

Jakob is passionate about innovation in the real estate industry and entrepreneurial growth. In parallel to his work at Bitstone Capital, he supports medium-sized companies and family offices in the areas of venture, real estate and PropTech as a general representative at the “Matuschka Group”. Additionally, he is operationally involved in the entrepreneur network “German PropTech Initiative”.

He has been part of the PropTech scene since mid-2016 and has been involved in shaping both the industry accelerator blackprint Booster and the specialist conference “REAL PropTech” at “blackprintpartners” from the very beginning. There he got to know the interface between real estate and technology early on and shaped the interaction of startups and corporates in various pilot and consulting projects. Before that, he studied at the “EBS University”, completed a term abroad at the “NUS” in Singapore and gained first professional experience at a medium-sized project developer and the digital consumer goods retailer “Auto1”.
Team Assistant

Tuğba Kilicaslan

Tuğba completes the team with her organized and helpful manner. She has 18 years of professional experience in the logistics industry. After completing a traditional apprenticeship in forwarding and logistics services, Tugba began her career in controlling and gained her first experience in reporting. In 2011, she switched to internal sales and coordinated national and international key account customers.

At Realyze Ventures she supports the team with great pleasure as Team Assistant.

Venture Partner

Christopher Lohmann

As the founder of The Mulberry Ventures, Christopher Lohmann supports innovative companies and venture funds with a focus on digitalization in insurance, global talent sourcing to address skill shortages, and modern organizational models, providing tailored support from consulting to financing, using his 24-year experience in the European insurance industry.

Venture Partner

Prof. Dr. Michael Becken

Prof. Dr. Michael Becken joined BECKEN in 2008, contributed to its asset management division, became CFO in 2015, and has been leading the Investment and Fund Management division at BECKEN Invest GmbH since 2018, alongside holding a professorship in real estate management.

Investment Manager

Julia Wagener

Julia is an experienced investment manager. Before joining Realyze Ventures, she led the Accelerator Program of the Founders Foundation and was responsible for coaching startups on their way to product-market-fit and their first financing round. Additionally, she has extensive investment experience in early stage startups across various industries. She holds a degree in Marketing-Finance from Maastricht University.

Investor Relations

Martin Bressem

Martin Bressem is an accomplished professional with expertise in Entrepreneurship, VC Investor Relations, Marketing, Retail, and Technology. He holds a Bachelor’s in Media Management and an MBA, and has successfully raised millions of euros for various ventures. Named a commercial real estate expert by Forbes and other publications, Martin is also recognized as “Entrepreneur of the Future” by DIIND (German Innovation Institute for Sustainability and Digitalization) and listed among business-men 40 under 40. Martin has lived and worked in Germany and the USA, consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation, especially in Retail Real Estate and Health.

Venture Partner

Patrick Tessmann

Patrick Tessmann is a seasoned CEO and Chairman with over 30 years of experience in the finance and banking industry. He is known for his leadership in the strategic realignment and digitization of various banking institutions that he has worked for in the past years.

Venture Partner

Michael Kokorniak

Michael Kokorniak has over 25 years of experience as a founder and software entrepreneur, expanding his company from a Berlin startup to a global corporation in aviation digitalization and decarbonization. Now, he works as an investor and consultant in various technology sectors.

Venture Partner

Michael Stephan

Michael Stephan brings over two decades of expertise in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and law, with a strong track record in the fintech and digital real estate sectors. He has successfully managed and directed significant financial and market operations, demonstrating exceptional leadership in strategic development and team management. Michael’s passion lies in the foundation, building and growing innovative businesses.

  • Business Angel / Investor /Lawyer with 20+ years of experience
  • Serial Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital
  • Founder of Planet Home Investment AG, repsonsible for > 50 Mio. Mezzanine Transactions
  • Served as general counsel at HV Capital
  • Managing Director equity capital markets of German midzied bank (transactions > €150 Mio)
Investment Manager

Akin Özdemir

Akin is a fund and transaction management expert. He gained extensive experience through several positions in the real estate industry, M&A and venture capital. Akin graduated from Fresenius – University of applied Science in Business Administration.

Investment Analyst

Matthias Lederbogen

Matthias joined the team as an investment analyst. He studied Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University and Aalto University, Finland. In addition to his studies, Matthias was involved in a social entrepreneurship project and gained practical investment experience at an early-stage VC fund.

Venture Partner

Marc Stilke

Venture Partner

Thomas Knaack

Thomas is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in banking and management consulting. He is also an active business angel with over 40 investments, and he founded the Rotonda Investor Office for comprehensive market and investment support services in 2017.

Investment Structure

We invest in the brightest European founders that build visionary solutions for the biggest challenges in the real estate and construction industry.

If you want to know more, please contact our investment team.

Investment Focus

Rooting sustainability

Legal requirements shifting the focus towards sustainability and resource efficiency. We invest in startups that help achieve the transition.

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Re-calibrating owner & tenant needs

Change of customer needs and user behavior meets an outdated building stock. We invest in startups that help to address the needs and change the usage of buildings. We invest in transition of buildings.

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Addressing shortage of craftsmen

The shortage of skilled craftsman continues to intensify. We invest in startups that help craftsmen to be more productive, efficient and effective. We invest in the digitalization and transformation of craftsmanship.

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