Alan Poensgen
Alan Poensgen, now Partner at Antler, formerly co-founder at Westwing, a pan-European home & living e-commerce business, where he spent seven years as part of the executive team and saw the company go public in 2018. He also led a Southeast Asian e-commerce venture backed by Rocket Internet, NEA and others and was part of the early Rocket Internet core team based out of Berlin building out their global product development teams.
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact press@antler.co
Topics
Development of the startup flywheel
Building and sustaining a flywheel effect in startup ecosystems, insights from his experience at Rocket Internet, where he contributed to the technical and operational setup of over 100 ventures globally.
The critical role of technical founders
Why Europe and Germany need more technical founders to create globally competitive tech giants. How the founder profiles in Europe differ from those in the U.S. and what this implies for the region's tech ecosystem. Strategies to foster a second, more technical ecosystem in Europe, addressing gaps in talent and innovation.
State of European Tech
The scarcity of major tech giants in Europe compared to the U.S. (e.g., Microsoft, Google). Structural issues such as financing gaps in Series B+ funding rounds and fragmented markets across European countries. Overcoming barriers that hinder the development of significant, lasting tech companies in Europe.
Sector-Specific Trends:
- E-commerce
- Developer Tools & tech infrastructure
- SaaS
Articles
Press coverage
Gruenderszene: Investors Wunsch: Techies gründet endlich eigene Firmen!
Gruenderszene: Idee oder Geschäftsmodell sind nicht so wichtig – wie ihr ins Startup-Programm dieses bekannten VC kommt
Business Insider: VCs predict the AI trends that will transform e-commerce in 2024