Ignaz Forstmeier
I co-founded my first software venture straight out of university while at CDTM in Munich, but had to shut it down after running out of savings.
I then learned the ropes of online marketing as a Growth Manager at Rocket Internet in Berlin before taking a second shot at entrepreneurship with Personio — this time more successfully.
I helped scale the company through its Series A as CMO, then handed over the reins and became a business angel, investing in more than 25 SaaS and deep-tech ventures. After starting a family in Vienna, I joined 3VC as a Venture Partner to complement my early-stage angel investing and support founders as part of a kick-ass team.
When it comes to helping founders, I try to stay humble and let the team outline their most pressing challenges first. I generally assume they have more inside information and are equally driven and smart — otherwise, we would not have invested. Since much technical knowledge has become commoditized, I enjoy zooming out to understand what is really weighing on founders personally and how they can grow their teams and organizations while staying motivated.
At 3VC, I particularly appreciate the tech-driven culture, with both a software engineer and an early Silicon Valley founder among the partners. With a team of around ten people, we are quick and agile, yet large enough to bring very different perspectives and backgrounds to the table.