Strategic Advisor & Operating Partner, Application

Venture
Ecosystem
Architect.

Engineer. Founder. Portfolio catalyst. I scale ecosystems, unlock capital, build brands & partnerships and transform teams across every vertical.

€10M Seed raised at NOVUS
10,000+ Startups screened
200+ Conferences attended
100+ Founders & CEOs advised
View Full Profile LinkedIn →
Now
Co-Founder & COO Moderator Personal Brand
Before
Venture Scout Ecosystem Builder Startup Advisor Mentor & Trainer Event Host Founder R&D Engineer
Hannes Krieger on stage at CDE 2026
My Thesis for This Role

The one piece
your portfolio
is missing.

Every great fund has capital, deal flow, and expertise. What separates the legendary funds from the rest is the person who makes all those assets 10x more powerful inside the portfolio. That person is a Venture Ecosystem Architect. There is exactly one available.

I create a gravitational field around your portfolio companies, pulling in the right investors, operators, brands and strategic partners until every startup and company becomes impossible to ignore.

And while each company grows stronger, I unlock the synergies between them: connecting portfolio founders to each other, cross-pollinating customers, talent and technology across the fund, and turning your portfolio into a compounding ecosystem that multiplies itself.

Ecosystem Architect
The role every fund needs but almost no one can fill. Part operator, part connector, part fundraiser, part brand builder. All founder.
  • Engineer → Founder → Operator → Advisor
  • Europe & US · 200+ global conferences
  • €10M raised in worst EV climate in a decade
  • 10,000+ startups analyzed at krieger ventures
  • 100+ founders mentored across Europe
Six Superpowers

What a VC platform gains
with me inside the portfolio.

01

Ecosystem Density

I don't just connect, I build dense, intentional stakeholder ecosystems. At NOVUS I designed the strongest shareholder network in European mobility: 468 Capital, GROB WERKE family, will.i.am, ex-Audi CEO, ex-AMG CEO, Lucid co-founder Eric Bach, and 30+ more.

02

Vertical Fluency

I rapidly master any vertical, technology, or business model. From hardware mobility to AI SaaS, from eVTOL pivots to enterprise software, I've operated, advised, and built across them all. Portfolio companies don't need a specialist; they need a universal catalyst.

03

Operational Precision

Engineering background meets startup execution. Multi-million-dollar project delivery at Krones (world market leader), 300+ stakeholders coordinated, Germany's first new premium mobility manufacturer in 31 years co-built from scratch.

04

Capital Magnetism

I convert relationships into capital. Closing €10M seed in the worst EV funding climate in years with institutional VCs, industrial families, and celebrity investors, required a network and narrative only I could construct.

05

Founder Empathy

I've been in the founder seat: the stress, the pivots, the loneliness. I've mentored 100+ founders across AustrianStartups, Teach for Austria, Founders Lab and other programs. I don't advise from above; I embed with teams to create real breakthroughs.

06

Global Reach

Across Europe and the US. International MBA. Global partnerships with HUGO BOSS, leading family offices, Silicon Valley VCs, and DACH government bodies. I operate across cultures, time zones, and boardrooms with equal ease.

Hannes Krieger hosting Krieger Walks, Alpine networking in the Viennese vineyards
space.wine: Exclusive investor-founder evenings in the Viennese vineyards
Career Highlights

A career built on
making others successful.

2021 to 2025
Co-Founder & COO

NOVUS Urban Mobility

Germany's first new premium mobility manufacturer in 31 years

  • Raised €10M seed in the most difficult EV/hardware fundraising environment in a decade
  • Built Europe's strongest shareholder ecosystem: 468 Capital, GROB WERKE family office, will.i.am, ex-Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, Lucid co-founder Eric Bach, 30+ more
  • Secured global brand partnership with HUGO BOSS for the BOSS Edition bike
  • Established Germany's first new premium mobility brand in 31 years
  • Attracted headline customers: will.i.am, Netflix actors, international tennis players
NOVUS One — First 100 Selection, 24 custom configurations
NOVUS One: First 100 Selection — 24 custom configurations for the first 100 customers
2018 to 2023
Founder

krieger.ventures, Venture Scouting Agency

Analyzed 10,000+ startups across verticals. Venture scouting for EY, PwC, Erste Bank, Austrian Trade, Dieter Schwartz Foundation

  • Co-built the AI Founders Incubator: screened 1,700 AI startups, built 550 strategic stakeholder relationships
  • Designed and launched startup incubators & accelerator programs for corporates and government bodies
  • Delivered training programs in networking, pitch, trend scouting & business development
2015 to 2018
Ecosystem Builder

ProSieben Sat.1 PULS 4 & 4GAMECHANGERS Festival

"Mr. Startup", Built the startup program for Austria's largest tech festival

  • Curated & ran the startup program for 4GAMECHANGERS, reaching thousands of attendees
  • Launched Linkups, a conference networking assistant, first startup incubated at aws First
2022
Personal Brand

Mr. Startup for Austria

Austria Wirtschaftsservice & Österreich Werbung, National Ambassador

  • Selected as official startup ambassador for Austria, traveled through three federal states representing the Austrian startup ecosystem
  • Filmed national campaign in the Alps: husky rides, snowshoeing & storytelling for startups & entrepreneurs
  • Represented Austrian innovation culture to international founders, investors & media
Hannes Krieger as Austria Startup Ambassador, filming in the Alps with husky sled
2010 to 2015
Engineer → Innovator

Krones AG, R&D & Global Field Service

World market leader in beverage industry machinery

  • Full project ownership for multi-million USD plant commissioning in the USA
  • Coordinated 300+ stakeholders across 10 departments for a company-wide R&D initiative
  • Initiated 30+ innovation projects; field service deployments across Europe, Asia and the Americas
Hannes Krieger with will.i.am and NOVUS bike at CES Las Vegas
NOVUS × will.i.am, CES Las Vegas
Hannes Krieger with John Elkann at SLUSH Helsinki
SLUSH Helsinki, John Elkann (Ferrari)
Hannes Krieger interviewing Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld at Formula Electric London
Formula Electric London, Nick Heidfeld (F1)
Formula Future Exhibition, Zapata
Formula Future Exhibition, Zapata
BOSS Open 2024 — NOVUS bike winner prize ceremony
BOSS Open 2024, Hamburg
Track Record

Selected impact across
the startup spectrum.

Co-Founder & COO Hardware Mobility · Seed

NOVUS Urban Mobility

Built Germany's first new premium mobility brand in 31 years. Closed €10M seed. Assembled the most powerful shareholder ecosystem in European mobility. Global brand partnership with HUGO BOSS.

€10M seed 30+ top-tier investors HUGO BOSS partner
Hannes Krieger with NOVUS e-motorcycle
Advisor eVTOL · Pre-Seed

Apeleon, SCALAR eVTOL

Supported strategic pivot from passenger transport to priority cargo logistics. Led brand building, ecosystem development, fundraising strategy, and public grant acquisition for this electric VTOL startup.

Strategic pivot Fundraising Grant acquisition
Apeleon SCALAR eVTOL, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for priority cargo delivery
Ecosystem Builder AI · Incubation

AI Founders Incubator

Screened 1,700 AI startups as part of the AI Founders Incubator. 10,000+ startups analyzed across all krieger ventures mandates. Co-designed the incubator architecture and selection process for a major corporate-backed program.

Event Platform Community · Active

space.wine

Produced startup conferences in Vienna's vineyards and Europe's most distinctive venues. Curated intimate investor-founder sessions with Europe's most relevant stakeholders.

Mentor & Trainer 100+ Founders

Startup Advisory Portfolio

Advised 100+ founders and CEOs across AustrianStartups, Teach for Austria, Founders Lab, and government accelerator programs. Specialized in pitch, networking, and ecosystem development.

Research Academic

Startup Ecosystem Research

Master's thesis: "Interconnected Ecosystems in the Startup Scene and Their Influence on Preventing Startup Failure." Analyzed European startup ecosystems and mapped ecosystem interdependencies.

Network Depth

The NOVUS Shareholder Ecosystem.

Building a startup's shareholder ecosystem is both art and science. At NOVUS, the objective was clear: every investor must add strategic value beyond capital. The result was Europe's most intentional mobility startup cap table.

Investors
468 Capital Ludwig Ensthaler, Emanuel Pallua
GROB WERKE Christian Grob, Florian Grob, Daniel Grob
will.i.am Artist & Entrepreneur
Hong Feng Co-Founder & Former CTO Xiaomi
Martin Hoffmann Investor
David Lubbock Solventis
Hansen Group Capital Family Office
Angels
Eric Bach
Co-Founder & Former Chief Engineer Lucid
Nicole Purdy
Managing Director NMP Ventures
Scott Zalaznik
CEO BLACKROLL, Former CDO adidas
Dirk Schwartz
Co-Founder Chrono24
Yann de Vries
General Partner Kembara VC, Former Partner Atomico
Michael Cassau
Founder & CEO NexDash, Founder Grover
Advisory
Rupert Stadler
Former CEO Audi, Chairman Ducati
Philipp Schiemer
Former CEO AMG, Board Leap4 Mobility
Dirk Abendroth
Former CEO CustomCells, Former CTO Automotive Continental
Michael Wax
GP Blueyard Capital, Co-Founder Forto
Cees de Witte
Former President New Balance, Multi-Startup Advisor
Sophia Flörsch
Formula E Driver, Forbes 30 Under 30
"No one in European venture builds shareholder ecosystems the way Hannes does, every name on the cap table is a strategic multiplier, not just a check."

Network Verticals

Venture Capital Family Offices Startup Founders HNWIs & UHNWIs Global Brands Mobility & Motorsport AI & Deep Tech DACH Government Silicon Valley Lifestyle Industries Hardware Industries German Mittelstand Longevity & Health Tech
Krieger Walks: Curated Alpine Networking
Krieger Walks: Curated Alpine Networking · Regenerate, Reflect, Philosophize
Personal Brand

Known. Trusted.
Stage-ready.

A recognized face across startup, luxury, mobility, and investor scenes, not just a name on a cap table but a voice people seek out on stage, in media, and in rooms that shape the ecosystem.

12K+ LinkedIn Followers
1M+ Post Impressions
50+ Stage Appearances
3 Federal States as Austria Ambassador
Hannes Krieger moderating at Motorworld München
Moderation

Motorworld München

Hosted an exclusive talk at Germany's most prestigious automotive venue: standing-room crowd, flanked by AMG, Bugatti and Ferrari. Where mobility, luxury and startup culture converge.

Hannes Krieger interviewing DJ Antoine on stage at MYLE Festival
Interview · MYLE Festival

On Stage with DJ Antoine

MYLE Brainfood Court: entrepreneurship meets culture. Hosted intimate stage conversations with artists, founders and entrepreneurs in front of thousands.

MYLE 24 Brainfood Court, full house
Event Producer

MYLE Festival, Brainfood Court

Co-produced and hosted the full startup & entrepreneurship stage at MYLE 2024, one of Austria's largest youth & lifestyle festivals. Thousands in the room, millions in reach.

Filming the Austria startup ambassador campaign in the Alps
National Ambassador

Mr. Startup
for Austria

Appointed by Österreich Werbung & Austria Wirtschaftsservice as the face of the Austrian startup ecosystem. Traveled through three federal states with a professional film crew: snowshoeing, husky rides, mountain storytelling in the Alps, representing Austrian innovation to international founders, investors, and media worldwide.

Österreich Werbung Austria Wirtschaftsservice 3 federal states National media campaign
Moderations & Speaking
Family Office Foren in Frankfurt, Los Angeles and Zurich. Wolves Summit, CDE, MYLE Festival, The Royal Jungle and more. Speaker and moderator at startup and investor conferences in Europe and the US.
Krieger Walks
Curated Alpine networking hikes for founders and investors. Off-the-record format focused on depth over volume. Regenerate, reflect, philosophize.
Mentor & Coach
Mentor and coach in startup incubators and accelerators. Working with early-stage founders on positioning, fundraising and growth strategy.
Event Organizer
Built and ran events across formats and scales: space.wine investor-founder summits, 4GAMECHANGERS Festival startup program and MYLE Festival.
Education & Formation

Engineer foundation.
Global MBA. Pure operator.

International MBA, Management & Communications The foundation for global venture work: strategy, communications, cross-cultural leadership
Bachelor Professional in Mechatronics Technical precision meets systems thinking, the engineer's lens every operator needs
Electrician & Service Technician; R&D Engineer Krones AG, world market leader in beverage machinery. Hands-on excellence from day one
Master's Research: Startup Ecosystem Interdependencies "How interconnected ecosystems prevent startup failure", the academic backbone of a lifetime of practice
32 countries
200+ conferences attended
100+ startups advised
10,000+ startups scouted & screened
Guest lecturer at universities
Trainer, Mentor & Coach for startups
Let's Talk

Ready to be
your most
valuable asset.

I'm not looking for a seat at the table. I'm looking for a fund that understands that the right Operating Partner doesn't just advise, they transform. If that's you, let's build something extraordinary together.

Connect on LinkedIn hannes@thekrieger.de
Based in Regensburg, Bavaria · Available globally · Remote-first ready