Our jury members 2024

Katja Riebe has been familiar with the topic of self-employment from an early age through her father's business.

As a genuine coastal child and graduate of the University of Rostock in the field of service management, she has been working as a consultant for the service industry at the Rostock Chamber of Industry and Commerce since 2017 and is delighted to be able to support the regional economy in this way. She encounters all questions from the service industry relating to start-ups, business succession and business support on a daily basis.

She is excited to take a look behind the scenes of the ideas competition and get to know the founders of tomorrow. 

Having grown up in a family of entrepreneurs, Pauline Sophie Meyer adopted this passion and, together with her family, took the initiative to take over a traditional inn in Rostock.

She also works in customer service for the company K&K mystery shopping and more. This company has its roots in an excellent start-up idea that was awarded first place in the University of Rostock's ideas competition at the time. At K&K, she looks after the satisfaction of customers from various sectors and develops creative strategies for and with customers. Through this diverse experience, Pauline Sophie Meyer understands the nuances of customer service and the importance of innovation and adaptability in the corporate world.

Prof. Dr. Marc Linzmajer has held the Chair of ABWL: Service Management at the University of Rostock since October 2023. Previously, Prof. Dr. Linzmajer worked at the Research Center for Retail Management at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), first as a PostDoc and Project Manager, later as Assistant Professor for Retail Marketing & Service Management. The aim of the chair team's research is to integrate innovative developments and technologies into service research from a broad interdisciplinary and empirical perspective and in this way to help shape service management. Since the design of service policy measures requires an understanding of consumer, buyer and employee behavior, interdisciplinary, behavioral science aspects are also addressed in the research.

Paul Westphal is a key player at the Digital Innovation Center Rostock, where he works as the coordinator of ACCELERATE:MV. In this role, he supports start-ups through coaching and mentoring and plays a key role in identifying and developing new business ideas. His expertise lies in supporting the development of innovative business models and advising on opportunities for spin-offs from science. In addition, he supports young companies in the acquisition of venture capital and is active in the development and maintenance of start-up networks. By networking various players from politics, science and business, Paul Westphal makes an important contribution to promoting the innovation ecosystem in Rostock. His work in press and public relations ensures that the successes and activities of the Digital Innovation Center are widely communicated.

Riko Zimmermann is an experienced investment manager at ROKA1825 GmbH. In this position, he is responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of 20 start-ups and companies as well as proactively searching for new investment opportunities. With a degree in business administration, specializing in entrepreneurship and start-ups, as well as professional positions at well-known companies such as Mercedes-Benz and DB Management Consulting, he brings extensive expertise and experience to corporate development.

His expertise lies in particular in the identification and promotion of innovative business models. Thanks to his strategic thinking and his ability to recognize opportunities, he has established himself as a reliable partner for up-and-coming companies in the region.

She has been a consultant in the start-up aid and business development department of the Rostock Chamber of Industry and Commerce for over 10 years. As a business economist, entrepreneurial thinking and action are a matter of course for her. She advises people interested in founding a company and start-ups, even if an idea has only arisen from a whim, because it is well known that it can become something big. Her responsibilities in the area of start-up support range from advising on the very personal challenges of setting up a business to giving statements to funding bodies.

The IHK zu Rostock represents the interests of around 36,000 companies in the commercial economy of its district, the Hanseatic and university city of Rostock and the districts of Rostock and Vorpommern-Rügen. It offers consulting services for companies, bundles their interests with regard to politics and administration and is involved in the training and further education of employees.

Silvia Kohlmann completed her A-levels in the USA and graduated from the University of Rostock and the Technical University of Valencia with a degree in business administration.

She worked as a business consultant on the Galileo satellite navigation project at the German Aerospace Center in Cologne and later moved to international project and financial management at BASF in Tarragona, Spain. She was then appointed to the Rostock Research Port and was responsible for maritime R&D projects in the field of international space applications. Since 2015, she has been Managing Director of envitecpro GmbH, based in Rostock. The company advises SMEs, associations, universities and municipalities in South America in the field of circular economy. There she has initiated and implemented a large number of projects in Brazil, Mexico, Cuba and Peru for the recycling of waste and the use of renewable energies.

In 2023, she accompanied Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Federal Minister Özdemir in a government plane and represented the German economy at appointments and panel events in Brazil and Colombia.

For her many years of expertise and commitment, Ms. Kohlmann was appointed as a member of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Future Council of the Minister President and honoured as an economic ambassador of the state government and as a Class Woman of the Economy.

She regularly publishes as an author in specialist journals, appears as a speaker at international congresses and strengthens the visibility of Eastern Germany and female founders and entrepreneurs.

Mathias Ruge, born in 1973, gained early experience as a business and corporate client advisor after completing his training as a banker. During the almost 20 years he has been with the company, he has supported numerous start-ups and expansions in terms of financing and hedging operational and personal risks. After completing his management studies at the Bankakademie in Frankfurt, he has been working as team leader and deputy sales manager in the corporate customer sales division of OSPA in Rostock since 2006 and is responsible, among other things, for the development of the business customer division. 

After completing his basic studies in business administration, Mr. Knüppel studied law at the University of Rostock with a focus on corporate law. He began his professional career as an in-house counsel at an IP asset management and investment company. Mr. Knüppel was also employed as an authorized signatory of an investment fund and supported research-related spin-off companies and research institutions during this time. Mr. Knüppel has been a partner at KLOPSCH & PARTNER Rechtsanwälte since 2015 and advises clients in particular in the areas of commercial, contract and IT law, corporate succession as well as start-ups and investors. In 2018, Mr. Knüppel was awarded the title “Specialist Lawyer for Commercial and Corporate Law” by the M-V Bar Association and in 2023 he successfully completed the specialist lawyer course for IT law.

Wirtschaftsförderung Landkreis Rostock GmbH (WLR) is the first point of contact for investors and companies interested in relocating to the district of Rostock. The district of Rostock offers excellent location conditions for existing companies as well as prospective companies from outside and start-ups. The WLR advises on suitable locations, vacant sites and properties, supply and connections, provides information on funding opportunities and arranges contacts to relevant partners and networks.

Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MBG MV) supports regional companies in the form of open and silent partnerships in the financing of economic projects. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit in the long term from stable market positions and economic performance.

They offer various financing options, particularly for innovative companies, but also for start-ups and commercial enterprises.