Our team

Denis founded Startnext in 2010 and is in charge for our strategic planning. He set up his first company, the software agency tyclipso.net, in 2003 in Dresden. Denis is an autodidact, entrepreneur and trained commercial photographer.

Tino is the co-founder of Startnext. Along with Denis he also initiated Finlane (former Startnext Network) in 2012 and serves as its CEO. While studying Media Technology and Communication Sciences, Tino started his own media agency and produced films.

Ricarda holds everything together and is responsible for organizing our events. She studied Cultural Work and Arts Management and co-founded the non-profit organization Kultür Potsdam.

Faridah ensures that all community management processes function smoothly. She has worked at Paypal, Google and AirBnB in Dublin and studied American Studies, Philosophy, Theatre Studies & International Human Rights.

Shai has successfully funded a number of crowdfunding projects on Startnext, i.a. the Karma Classics. At Startnext, he is responsible for the project advising and shares his knowledge in webinars, talks and workshop. He also studied business economics.

Melissa will make sure that you have all the information you need to make your campaign a success! Previously she worked for an energy company in her hometown of Hamburg as a change manager and can now live out her enthusiasm for change with us.

Michael originally comes from Erlangen, the "smallest big city in Germany", as he says. Before he came to Startnext, he studied film and lost his heart to documentaries - and since they can be financed very well by crowdfunding, he is exactly right with us!

Benjamin leads our IT and DevOps field - he makes sure that our servers run stable and prepares the basis for your projects to be financed successfully! Before his career at Startnext he studied media informatics in Dresden.

Anna joined Startnext in 2010 and is responsible for communication. Previously she worked at DOK Leipzig, the International Festival for Documentary and Animated Film. Anna studied Communication Sciences and Media Studies.

Jasmin is the brain behind our social media channels, providing you with information about our most inspiring projects. Originally a biologist, she also works as a journalist and lives out her artistic streak with illustration, design and photography.

Jana is our student assistance in all online communication matters and feeds our social media with news about projects and events. She's also on the look-out for a topic for her bachelor thesis in technical journalism and PR.

Markus takes care of the project support and realization of our cooperations. Before joining Startnext, Markus has worked at Suhrkamp Verlag. He studied Culture and Technology, as well as Publishing Studies.

Together with our partners, Kerstin designs new products to combine crowdfunding and traditional financing. She holds degrees in business administration and urban planning. Before Startnext, Kerstin gained experience in the financial sector.

As head of snacks, Chloe is responsible for the analysis and control of all eating activities in the team. She is furthermore in charge of the surveillance of our doorbell and its defense against the mail carrier.