Who we are

Joerg is founding managing director. His goal is to help startups to go from good to great. Before APX, Joerg was CEO of Axel Springer Plug and Play from 2013 onwards. The company invested in more than 100 companies including N26, Zizoo, Blogfoster, and Careship. Joerg started his first company denkwerk in 1994. In 1999, he co-founded Alando.de AG, which was acquired by eBay six months later. After five years as eBay.de’s managing director, Joerg started to invest as a business angel. In 2007, Joerg co-founded betterplace.org. He is an active board member at multiple companies including Bahlsen. Additionally, he is on the entrepreneurial board of a number of universities such as WHU, ESCP, and Zeppelin University. He co-authored the book “Simply Seven” about online business models and helped bring TEDx to Germany. Joerg likes his family, humans, entrepreneurship, technology, and the outdoors. Email: joerg@apx.vc

Melanie leads the investment team at APX - the team makes sure APX remains a strong partner of our startups supporting them as they close financing rounds and helping them get the help they need from our network. Before joining APX, Melanie worked in different investment and finance-related positions within the Axel Springer group for the last 10 years. At Axel Springer Plug and Play, where she currently also works as Managing Director, she manages the portfolio of 100+ companies like N26, Zizooboats, and Careship. Having lived in Berlin for over 10 years, Melanie would call herself a proud Berliner. She loves traveling, fitness, and cute potted plants! Email: melanie@apx.vc

Henric is founding managing director. He’s passionate about hungry early-stage founders and their growth at APX and beyond. Before joining APX, he was Chief of Staff for the CEO at Axel Springer. He also founded The Venue Berlin, a hub for audio and music in Kreuzberg that includes a stage, studio, and a co-working space for entrepreneurs and creatives. Henric is a lawyer and holds a PhD in criminal law from Bucerius Law School. He studied in Hamburg, Cape Town, and New York City. A guitarist, songwriter, and singer, he regularly tours across Europe with his international Americana and folk band. He also runs the independent music label Blue Whale Records. Email: henric@apx.vc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0xzQcilTb96Drs3GMMKwVU

Maja is on the investment team at APX. She is in charge of portfolio management, follow-on rounds and investor relations. Her primary goal is to help startups raise funds and grow. Before joining APX, Maja worked in New York, doing Corporate M&A for a large German media company and was part of the Direct Investment Team of Switzerland’s largest Private Equity investment firm.  Graduating with a Bachelor's degree in economics and a Master’s degree in finance, Maja always had a knack for numbers, but feels that social interactions and thought leadership comes to short in late-stage investments and thus took the courageous step to jump into the exciting early-stage investing waters.  Maja is a passionate singer and dancer and you probably won’t find her walking down the streets without sneakers on her feet and airpods in her ears - silently singing along to some old-school Hip Hop or Soul track. 

Diego is an Investment Associate at APX. Before joining APX, Diego worked as a Venture Capital Analyst at Continental VC unit. With a business and finance background, he previously worked for a Chilean Private Equity firm as a business analyst before moving to Berlin to complete his MSc in Management. In parallel to APX, Diego is supporting in setting up a new investment fund for the Social Innovation Academy, an incubator, and an accelerator with headquarters in Uganda. Diego holds a Master’s of Science in Management from the ESMT Berlin and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Charleston. Having played football his whole life, Diego received a football scholarship from the University of Charleston (US), where he played for four years while completing his studies. Outside work, Diego is passionate about football and adventure tourism.   Email

Mor is Partnerships & Growth Manager at APX Mor creates and manages the strategic partnerships for APX and its portfolio companies with the ecosystem including mentors, investors, potential customers and industry experts. Mor led the APX team partnering with Facebook on its first fully digital startup program focused on business growth and innovative application of key Facebook technologies, including AI, AR and Messenger. Prior to that, Mor led the Israeli operation of hub:raum by Deutsche Telekom in Israel and identified startups for strategic partnerships and investments and strengthened the strategic partnerships with other telcos in key innovation areas. Before that Mor was working at EcoMotion- a smart mobility community and contributed to the spike of the mobility ecosystem in Israel and established Israel as the biggest mobility hub in the world with 600+ startups. Mor holds a Double Bachelors Degree in International Relations and the Middle East and Islamic Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Mor served at the Israeli Defense Force as an officer and managed all aspects of human resources of more than 800 soldiers and commanders in a field unit. Email: mor@apx.vc

Max is a Venture Developer at APX within the Tailormade team, where he supports and advises startups during their journey at APX. Before joining APX, Max was a Venture Development Manager at Autohero, the retail division of AUTO1 Group. Max holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Mannheim and a Master of Science in International Management from the University of Bocconi in Milan. Above all, Max loves getting to the bottom of great ideas in order to understand their potential and to turn them into reality. In- and outside of work, Max can often be seen with a cup of espresso in his hand - one of the many things he learned to love during his time in Italy and cannot get enough of. Email: max@apx.vc

Jakob is an Investment Associate. As part of the dealflow team, Jakob takes care of selecting the right startups for our portfolio. Before joining APX, he gained work experience at Project A Ventures and Entrepreneur First as well as various Start-Ups in Berlin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Hamburg. Jakob holds a Bachelor's degree from Zeppelin University in Corporate Management & Economics and a Master's degree from Copenhagen Business School in Business Administration. Outside of work, he loves skiing, builds his own (admittedly mostly uncomfortable) furniture and on Saturdays, you can meet him at the Winterfeldtmarkt enjoying a coffee and a tiramisu. Born in Berlin, Jakob is our expert when it comes to choosing a bar for after-work drinks. Email: jakob@apx.vc

Onur Can leads the Dealflow and Selection at APX. The team aspires to source and eventually invest in Europe’s most promising founding teams. Before joining APX, Onur worked in different verticals in various cities, such as an audit firm in Istanbul and a tech firm in Cape Town before he decided to move back to Germany, working in group controlling for a management holding in Hamburg. Since 2013 Onur has been exposed to the early-stage VC world, starting as an Investment Analyst for a corporate VC. After having worked for a Berlin-based fashion e-commerce company for two years, he decided to switch to the buy-side again. Most recently Onur worked for an early-stage seed investor for the last three years. Onur likes going for long runs at the Spree, playing football and having after-work drinks with friends at the canal or görli in the summer. Email: onur@apx.vc

Anastasia Troyanov is part of APX’s Selection team and works on keeping the deals flowing in her capacity as an investment analyst. Together with her colleagues Marces and Onur, she selects, evaluates and guides startups throughout the investment process. Next to APX, Anastasia currently pursues a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation at a business university in Berlin. And before joining the team, Anastasia studied in Switzerland and worked in a tech startup in Munich, a research centre in Singapore as well as in the digital commerce team of the world’s largest spirits producer in Hamburg. As a polyglot and third-culture kid, Anastasia enjoyed traveling the world and discovering new cultures before settling her home in Berlin. She values creativity as well as diversity and has a keen interest for female entrepreneurship, sustainability and new business models. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her friends as well as consuming or sometimes even producing modern art and photography. Email: anastasia@apx.vc 

Marces William Nitsch interacts as a dealflow and investment analyst. He primarily focuses on discovering and detecting the trends of tomorrow, creating discussions around new candidates in the workplace, and opposing the serious challenge of digitalization in variable market segments. Before joining the company, Marces spent years before working as a User Experience Developer at various analogue luxury brands like Burmester, Porsche Digital, and at the world-leading full-service agency Ogilvy & Mather. Marces started his career in small-town Münster with an apprenticeship as a graphic designer. He then moved back to his roots to Berlin for his studies in interface design with a focus on human-computer-interaction. In addition to his studies, Marces is trained in design thinking as graduate of Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. Email: marces@apx.vc

Søren is Head of Communications and Brand at APX. Before joining APX, Søren worked as PR Manager for WeTransfer in Amsterdam. With a background in journalism, he previously worked for Danish newspaper JydskeVestkysten as a print, web and radio journalist before moving to a freelance position writing for various Danish and international outlets. Søren holds a Joint Erasmus Mundus Master of Arts (MA) in Journalism, Media and Globalisation from the University of Amsterdam, the University of Aarhus and the Danish School of Media and Journalism, and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the Danish School of Media and Journalism. Having specialized in digital and new media, Søren is passionate about news, story-telling and the future of journalism. Outside of work, Søren likes going for long runs in Prenzlauer Berg, discovering independent cinemas in Berlin and traveling. Email: soren@apx.vc

Yannick is Brand & Communications Manager at APX. A social media enthusiast, he runs all social accounts for APX in addition to the blog, newsletter, and website. He joined the communications team after honing his skills in the marketing department. Yannick wishes to diversify the start-up ecosystem by attracting different backgrounds, spirits, and vibes. Before joining APX full-time, Yannick completed his apprenticeship at Axel Springer in digital and print media. Both in and out of the office, he’s a master of photography: Not only does he handle photoshoots for APX start-ups, but he’s also a freelance photographer. In 2019, he founded a mental health startup with his former boss. Having lived in Berlin for only five years, Yannick knows the subway map like the back of his hand. A sneakerhead, he also designs the APX merchandise. Yannick listens to a lot of UK grime, dance, and rap and likes the social culture surrounding it.

Anne is responsible for campus operations at APX as well as managing the diaries of Joerg and Henric. Before joining APX, she worked at Axel Springer Plug and Play and at a crowd-investing platform in Berlin. Anne holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in social science from the University of Cologne and has completed practical training as a shipping agent. Email: anne@apx.vc

Robert Martin works for Porsche Digital in the Venturing and Partnering Team in our Berlin office. He is responsible for building bridges from Porsche to APX and the vice versa in order to give our startups the best possible support. Before his current role, he worked as a team lead at an agency focused on innovation management and branding strategies. The agency consulted many clients including Telekom, Volkswagen, Pro7, and Porsche. Robert started his career as a banker in 1998 in his hometown in North Germany. Robert loves cars–especially old ones–as well as soccer and hip-hop. Email: robert.martin@porsche.de