Nanostart AG
Dr. Stefan Elsser - Senior Venture Partner
Dr. Stefan Elsser has been a Senior Venture Partner at Nanostart AG in Frankfurt since June 2008. There he is responsible for the management of the portfolio as well as for Nanostart's acitivities in Russia. Before joining Nanostart, he held various management and professional positions at 3i Deutschland and at Technologieholding VC GmbH, a leading German early-stage investment company, as well as at KfW, the German federal development bank. He brings more than 10 years of investment experience in all aspects of private equity, along with a broad knowledge of fund structuring, fund management, and portfolio monitoring.
Dr. Elsser studied economics at the Karl Eberhard University in Tübingen, Germany, and at the University of Oregon in Eugene. In 1993 he received his doctoral degree with honors from the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart.
He began his professional career at KfW, the federal development bank, where he worked from 1993 to 1998 in the areas of business policy, investment financing, fund financing, and project/export finance. He then moved to Technologieholding VC GmbH, where he built up and managed a new branch office in Stuttgart. At the start of 2000, he was hired from Technologieholding by 3i Deutschland, where he assumed management of the venture capital team in Stuttgart. He later moved to the Frankfurt office, where he was appointed local director with responsibility for venture capital and growth financings. In 2003 he was charged with the new task of building a German portfolio management team responsible for the entire region, which he managed until 2007. In 2007 and 2008, he was promoted to director of the European infrastructure team at 3i in London. Throughout this period from 2002 to 2008, Elsser served as a member of the German management team of 3i Deutschland and also acted as managing director of several venture capital funds under its management.
Dr. Elsser’s track record totals some EUR 107 million of investment transactions, with an aggregate cash multiplier of 2 and an IRR of 17.2%.
Nanostart AG
Hansjörg Ruof - Senior Venture Partner
Hansjoerg has been a Senior Venture Partner at Nanostart AG in Frankfurt since May 2008. Before joining Nanostart, he took over responsibility for 3i´s German Portfolio Team in January 2007 until end of march 2008. Before he has been an investment director at 3i since 2000. He started his career as a consultant for midsized companies and joined the venture capital industry in 1996. Hansjoerg has managed numerous deals covering the complete life cycle of investments in the private equity and venture capital industry. He has a wealth of experience in investment and portfolio management, including restructurings, further funding and in the preparation and execution of exits. Exits realised include IPO´s trade sales as well as secondary buy outs and (multi-case) secondary transactions.
Key deals that he has managed include the IPOs of Varetis AG (directory assistance software), CAA AG (communication and navigation devices in cars), Nanogate AG (nanotechnolgy), and the trade sales respectively secondaries of Interbrand Pro (print and paper industry), Cocreate (software) and Rodcraft (penumatic tools). Hansjoerg is highly active within the German venture capital industry and has a broad network of contacts. He has studied engineering in Kassel (Dipl. Ing.), and gained a second degree in economics from the Technische Universität in Munich (Dipl. Ing. Dipl. Wirtsch. Ing.).
Nanostart AG
Vladimir Bogomolov – Director Eastern Europe
Vladimir Bogomolov has been working at Nanostart AG in Frankfurt since March 2011. As Director Eastern Europe and member of the investment team, he is mainly responsible for Nanostart AG’s operations in Russia. Vladimir Bogomolov has over 10 years’ experience in the private equity sector in Russia. Prior to joining Nanostart AG, he held senior positions at various Russian banks. From 2005 to 2008, as head of the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions departments, he had leading roles at Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest private bank. Previously, he was a member of the finance committee of Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the regional development committee of the Russian Business and Industry Association as well as head of the working group for economic development in the Russian Senate. Vladimir Bogomolov received a degree in Economics (majoring in finance and lending) from the Russian Academy of Public Administration in Moscow.
As a result of his extensive professional experience and his close links with Russian officials and state institutions, Vladimir Bogomolov has outstanding knowledge of the Russian market and a wide-ranging network of contacts.
Vladimir Bogomolov is helping to prepare for the market entry of Nanostart AG in Russia. Following the launch of the planned regional venture capital fund, he is responsible for investments in Russia and management of the Russian portfolio.
Nanostart AG
Michael Flach – Investment Associate
Michael Flach has been employed as an investment associate with Nanostart AG in Frankfurt since 2008. His role includes responsibility for holdings in European nanotechnology companies. He has comprehensive experience in the development of young high-tech companies, and excellent insight into the R&D landscape. He has numerous contacts internationally, particularly within the community of nanotechnology pioneering. He uses his extensive know-how for coaching and consulting with pioneers in the field, who wish to form their own companies.
After a successful completion of his industrial management traineeship, he studied industrial engineering at the Pforzheim/ Baden Württemberg College, majoring in Marketing and Controlling, and complemented his education with an additional course in NanoBiotechnology at the TU Kaiserslautern. Before joining Nanostart, Michael Flach was employed as Business Development Manager with an internationally leading nanotechnology research company, SusTech GmbH & Co. KG in Darmstadt, Germany. His responsibilities included the business area for biocompatible surface coatings, and the planning of research projects regarding spin-off companies, and their transformation into licencing partners.
Nanostart Asia Pte Ltd
Andreas Kröll – Managing Director of Nanostart Asia Pte Ltd, Head of Portfolio Management
Andreas Kröll is Managing Director of Nanostart Asia Pte Ltd in Singapore. Since May 2009 he has been in charge of the Nanostart Singapore Early-Stage Venture Fund I Pte Ltd, which is funded by Nanostart AG and the Singapore government with SGD 10 million each. His responsibilities include the identification and verification of new stakes and their later management within the Nanostart AG portfolio. He is also the Head of Portfolio Management for Nanostart AG, and in this capacity responsible mainly for Nanostart holdings in the USA. He has participated in multiple nanotechnology investments for the company, and was the driving force behind the investment processes of Nanostart in Lumiphore Inc., BioMicro Systems Inc., and NanoGram Corporation, and also played an important role in the investments in MagForce Nanotechnologies AG, Holmenkol AG, and Namos GmbH. He has extensive knowledge in various fields of nanotechnology applications, e.g. life sciences, solar, and new materials. Andreas Kröll joined Nanostart AG in 2006. Prior to his appointment with Nanostart, he worked in the business unit Corporate Finance of Deutschen Bank and for international consulting firms such as Deloitte & Touche. Even then he participated in numerous M&A as well as private equity transactions in Germany and internationally. Andreas Kröll studied business administration at the Johann-Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt/ Main and in the US, and has successfully completed his state examination as tax consultant.
Nanostart Asia Pte Ltd
Sidra Sehar Ahmed – Investment Manager
Sidra Ahmed has been active for Nanostart Asia since 2008. As Investment Mananger Sidra is responsible for the management of portfolio companies of the Nanostart Singapore Early Stage Venture Fund I in Singapore. Prior to her engagement at Nanostart, Sidra worked for the Industry Liaison Office at the National University of Singapore. In her position as Technology Licensing Officer she together with the biomedical sciences group assessed new technologies for their innovation and commercialization potential. Additionally she worked with patent attorneys to develop strategic patent protection for the patents in the Life Science portfolio. She also participated in the active marketing and licensing of these technologies with the industry. Sidra Ahmed is a graduate of the National University of Singapore (BSc, Biomedical Science; Minor in Technopreneurship).