Earlybird DWES Management GmbH & Co. KG

Dr. Christian Nagel is a Principal at Earlybird Venture Capital. He invests in early-stage B2B software startups from pre-seed to Series A, focusing on infrastructure software—including AI, security, developer tools, and data—as well as the Future of Commerce.

Paul Klemm joined Earlybird in 2017 and co-leads the Enterprise Software vertical, focusing on infrastructure and verticalized SaaS, with board seats at companies including Isar Aerospace, HiveMQ and Aiven. Based in Munich, he is also active in the Nordics, and previously worked at Monkfish Equity and HSBC's family office; he holds an MSc from HHL Leipzig.

Tim Rehder joined Earlybird's Berlin office in 2018 to expand the fund's Fintech and Web3 coverage, and sits on the boards of companies including Upvest, Hive Tech, finmid, Flanks and M^Zero Labs. Before Earlybird he founded and led a European crypto exchange, served as a CFO for a social gaming venture in Asia, and worked in M&A at Jefferies & Company; he studied International Business at Maastricht and holds an MSc in Finance from St Andrews.

Ben Wilkening is a Vision Lab Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital with over 25 years of experience across venture capital, private equity, strategy consulting, and startup acceleration. He has served as a Board Director for 20 years and held Managing Director and Senior Partner roles in VC and PE funds, covering fundraising and the full investment cycle from deal sourcing to exit. A McKinsey alumnus, university lecturer, and Institute of Directors Certified Director with Distinction, he is fluent in German, English, Bulgarian, and Russian.

Laura Waldenstrom is a Principal at Earlybird Venture Capital. She invests in early-stage B2B software startups from pre-seed to Series A, focusing on infrastructure software—including AI, security, developer tools, and data—as well as the Future of Commerce.

Nina Mayer joined Earlybird in 2019 as a Principal based in Berlin, focusing on early-stage FinTech, InsurTech, and enterprise software investments. Before Earlybird she worked at startups Celonis and Forto, began her career in academia at LMU, and holds an LL.M. in IT Law from King's College London.

Dan Lupu joined Earlybird as a Venture Partner focused on the CEE region. He previously worked in equity research and private equity, then at Intel Capital, and spent a decade as a Partner at the Earlybird-licensed Digital East Fund, where he led investments including UiPath.

Siobhán O'Reilly is VP EMEA Sales at Fin, with 18 years of international sales and leadership experience. Her background includes introducing new products and technologies to various markets and working with companies through stages from early growth to IPO. She has worked in London, Dublin, New York, and San Francisco.

Tilen Kegl is a Venture Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital with over 14 years of experience in B2B and B2C technology marketing and growth, including nine years in leadership roles. He has led global product launches and marketing campaigns across fintech, Web3, and AI, and has built and managed international marketing teams for companies including Visionect, Bitpanda, LimeWire, and Synthesia. Kegl also co-founded an e-commerce startup that exited in 2017, co-founded the crowdfunding community CFMeetups.com, and serves as a growth marketing and startup mentor at LUI.

Anna Andersson is Head of Community & Events at Earlybird Venture Capital, where she leads community and events work focused on founders and operators in Europe. She writes about founders and funders in a Substack newsletter.

Daniel Molnar is a Senior Analytics Engineer at Earlybird Venture Capital, with two decades of experience building companies, teams, and products, including ten years working in data. He organizes the Data Council Berlin Meetup and has been involved with the Data Natives Berlin and Crunch Data Engineering and Analytics conferences.

David Kozisek is an IT Officer at Earlybird Venture Capital, where his work covers ICT regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, and operational processes, including alignment with DORA, AIFMD, and KAGB frameworks. His responsibilities include supporting audits, contract and hardware management, employee onboarding and offboarding, and system administration, working with internal teams and external service providers. He has over thirteen years of professional experience and speaks English, Japanese, and German.

Jan Riethmayer is VP of Engineering at Earlybird Venture Capital, where he leads product and engineering with a three-person team and an agent-based workflow. Previously, he was a three-time VC-backed founder and CTO, including at Zencargo, which he helped grow from inception to Series B while leading engineering, product, and design teams of over 60 people, as well as bonusbox, which reached 4 million users in Brazil and Germany, and Kaizera. He also ran a development agency that completed 12 projects in a year for clients including Carhartt WIP, Red Bull, and Otto Bock, and twice prepared engineering data rooms for Series B rounds.

Jochen Küst is a Vision Lab Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital with over 25 years of experience across venture capital, private equity, strategy consulting, and startup acceleration. He has served as a Board Director for 20 years and worked as a Managing Director and Senior Partner in VC and PE funds, with experience spanning fundraising and the full investment cycle from deal sourcing to exit. A McKinsey alumnus and university lecturer, he is an Institute of Directors Certified Director with Distinction and is fluent in German, English, Bulgarian, and Russian.

Laurin Class joined Earlybird in 2021 and is based in the Munich office, focusing on investments in developer tools, data, and cybersecurity. Prior to investing, he worked as a strategy consultant, a later-stage private equity investor, and a technical product manager at a Series B startup. He holds a Master's from the London School of Economics.

Meryem Loukili is an IT Officer at Earlybird Venture Capital with over thirteen years of professional experience in ICT regulatory compliance, cybersecurity, and operational processes. Her responsibilities include maintaining compliance with DORA, AIFMD, and KAGB frameworks, managing cybersecurity threats, supporting audits, overseeing contract and hardware management, and handling employee onboarding and offboarding as well as system administration. She previously worked in academia and speaks English, Japanese, and German.

Stefano Gonelle Ribas is a Senior Associate at Phatisa, where he originates, evaluates, and executes private equity investments in African agribusiness and food systems. His work covers the full investment lifecycle, including developing investment theses, managing investment committee processes, and serving on portfolio company boards. He also writes publicly about African food value chains and the conditions shaping investment in the sector.