Linda Kuhr

🎙️Podcast alert: Had a great catch-up with Kai on 🤝𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒍🤝 this week (🇩🇪) After our first session last year, we again talked about the latest developments in the SaaS and M&A market. Topics we've covered: ➡️ Our approach with saas.group, ➡️ Where we stand and what our goals are, ➡️ Current SaaS and M&A market trends, ➡️ How to properly value a SaaS business, ➡️ Role of AI in SaaS and M&A, ➡️ And more... You can check it out on all relevant podcast platforms. Links to Spotify and Apple below: 🟢 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gn8RaVpD 🟣 Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/g3kBWSBW Enjoy listening! 🙌 @ Kai, Anja + team: Thanks again for having me. Happy to speak again next year and see how good or bad my predictions were.

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🔥 🤝 New Partner @ Tela Network: Matthias Isler, Fractional CTO 🔹 "As an entrepreneur, your most valuable resource is often time." - Matthias Isler 📖 Read about Matthias Isler on Tela Blog: https://lnkd.in/d5bS_DGA 👉 Matthias Isler in one sentence: Matthias is a passionate technologist and entrepreneur with expertise in building cloud-based startups, and experience in business strategy, digital marketing, and managing high-performance remote teams across various industries. 🤝 Add Matthias Isler on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/d5QMcVUR ☕️ Follow Tela Network on LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/dUEVryNw 💎 On Tela, every message pays you. Use Tela to reduce your inbox overload. 👉 You can sign up here: https://lnkd.in/d3gmiTzu 👋 Please consider sharing this post, and if you have any thoughts, let us know in the comments!

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🤖 🛒 Digital shopping turned into something good 🚀 According to the Gartner B2B Buying Report, most (43%) purchasing decisions in B2B purchasing are made without the influence of the salesperson. Gartner calls this "self-service digital commerce". The problem with these purchasing decisions is that there is a 1.65 times higher probability of regretting these decisions. This is probably due to the fact that many vendors do not publish sufficient descriptions of the products and product value on their e-commerce sites. In other words, it can be said that shoppers have a tendency to use digital shopping channels, possibly to avoid what they perceive to be too much influence from sellers. However, if buyers regret these decisions, the tables should be turned and they themselves should use digital procurement tools to get the ideal price and terms after researching the product or service beforehand. In this way, the seller can once again clearly emphasize the value of the product/service, but is limited to the value for the customer due to the competitive situation with other suppliers. Modern procurement and especially sourcing software combines the digital purchasing process with strong negotiating advantages through the creation of competition (aka Game Theory). 💯 Contact me if this sounds interesting to you. #sourcing #procurement #digitaltransformation SourcingDNA https://lnkd.in/dtzMntQ4

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Start-ups in Europe: a light at the end of the tunnel - finally!    This article by Nadine Schimroszik in Handelsblatt gives reason for hope for the tech ecosystem, as it summarises a development that has been tentatively emerging for some time: The number of new #start-ups in Germany is growing again, by 17 per cent, as shown by a comparison of the first quarter of 2024 with the same quarter of the previous year.   💡It is particularly interesting to see that most investments are being made in AI. An unmistakable sign that they continue to be a driver of innovation for the German startup ecosystem.   We recently came to a similar conclusion with my team, as part of our analysis of the German startup landscape. Our conclusion: more and more funding are being mobilised for ♻️ #Greentech business ideas that are based on AI-based technologies and have a positive impact on our planet. More info on our research at IRIS can be found in Startup Insider`s Investors Report 2024: https://lnkd.in/dU-5AMPz More info on Nadine’s insightful article here: https://lnkd.in/depicwGA

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On the first day of the K5 conference, you can join me on a very special guided tour - the Marketplace Universe Tour at K5 in Berlin. 🤝 It starts on 25 June 2024 (first day of K5) at 4 pm. We will spend a interesting and entertaining hour together with lots of valuable information and contacts! You will get first hand insights from me as a Marketplace expert. I am looking forward to answer your marketplace related questions.  I will introduce you to four great marketplaces and marketplace service partners. I will share with you my stories and insights I have about them and we will meet them at their booth to ask all your questions. I won´t tell you upfront whom we meet. But you can be sure that we will have a insightful and great hour together! You can find all the information about the program here: https://lnkd.in/dMSDhMd5 You definitely want to be part of my guided tour? Then register now in the K5 App (And please note, the number of participants is limited.): Marketplaces Universe Tour: ‘Your journey through Marketplaces and Marketplace Service Partners’ 📅 25 June 2024 🕓 4-5 pm. Looking forward to meet you in Berlin! And if you can´t make it to the tour - just come to me and talk with me at the conference wherever you will see me :) #marketplaces #marktplatzmanager #marketplacemanager #platformbusiness #platform #marktplätze #marketplacebusiness #k5 #ecommerce

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See you at Startup Nights 2024 | October 31 & November 1 | Winterthur #startupnights #sictic #sn2024 Topic: Prepare for funding - Things you should do before talking to any investor. Together with Thomas Dübendorfer

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🚨 𝟮 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥: 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 🚨 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘👉 https://lnkd.in/e44FstAS 📅 Join us on 𝟭𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆, 𝟯𝗽𝗺 𝗕𝗦𝗧/ 𝟰𝗽𝗺 𝗖𝗘𝗧 for an insightful webinar featuring: 🎙️ Christian Paul (CEO & Co-Founder, nnamu GmbH) 🎙️ Myself, Lance Younger (CEO & Founder, ProcureTech) 🎙️ Special Guest Speaker: Cyril Pourrat (Founder & CEO, BT Sourced) Don't miss out on the discussion between industry leaders on how game theory and AI are transforming sourcing and autonomous negotiations! #ProcureTech #nnamu #BTSourced #Procurement #DigitalProcurement #GameTheory #AI #Sourcing

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The digital #education #industry is going through a lot of changes, many due to the incredible technological advancements of #genAI. 🤖 It was fun to catch up with Tim Burnett ✨, who is a leading voice in the industry and has started the Test Community Network to provide a place where the ecosystem can share and exchange insights and talk about emerging trends. 🎉 It was a blast talking to Tim this morning together with my good friend and business partner Bernhard Waglechner. We briefly touched on the #digital #assessment #industry, new #trends in both #technology & #regulation, how Europe differs from other markets, such as the US, and how our solution - bizExaminer - fits into all of it. 🤓 Thanks Tim for having us, and for all you do for the ecosystem. 🙏

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Discussing growth in B2B #SaaS – in our Tiny House 🏠 Julian Ostertag, Julian Wolf and I joined ARRtist SUMMIT in Berlin last week together with 500 B2B SaaS founders, CxOs and 100+ B2B SaaS investors to network, discuss innovations, trends, and the participants’ views on the sector and share our insights on 🔵 M&A trends in software / SaaS, 🔵 what investors are looking for in the space and 🔵 decisive KPIs that make a company ready for a transaction. Many of our meetings took place in our exclusive Drake Star Tiny House located in the middle of the event site – thanks to everyone who came by and said hello or met us for a chat. Also, thanks for bringing this to life together with us, Matthias Ernst, Jannis Bandorski, Julius Göllner and Julia André. As a proud sponsor of the event, it’s great to see how the community is coming together at #ARRtist. On the evening before the event, I got to attend the Speaker & Investor Dinner – another opportunity to connect with speakers and attendees. I had great conversations with VCs from the US and the Nordics about promising SaaS players in Germany and Continental Europe and we spent the night discussing what brought us all together: Our passion for SaaS companies and how to enable their growth to foster innovation in different sectors. #InvestmentBanking #MergersAndAcquisitions #Growth

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I was delighted to join as a mentor for the second time, engaging with a new round of entrepreneurs and mentors. The presentations and direct feedback are always insightful, but the true highlight for me is the networking break and the Q&A sessions with the founders afterward. These interactions not only enrich the event but also provide unique opportunities to address the founders' specific needs and foster deeper connections. #startup #mentoring

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I have news to share: In the upcoming months, you will see more of me in Business Insider Gründerszene as I share some of my perspectives on the startup ecosystem as a founder turned investor. First up: Why do start-up companies with remote-only employees face significant disadvantages, and why am I reluctant to invest in them? A take that I’m aware everyone won’t agree with... but I rest my case here! Here are three key takeaways: The importance of a strong corporate culture: A strong corporate culture, built when actually working together, is essential for the success of all startups. It fosters engagement and builds loyalty - crucial for a company’s stability and growth, especially during uncertain times. The risks of remote work: Remote work increases the risk of communication errors, delays in information sharing, team-building challenges, and potential employee isolation, which can hinder team development. The importance of a balanced approach: Hybrid teams must invest in building and maintaining a strong corporate culture through regular in-person interactions, team-building sessions, and coaching to keep employees motivated. Thanks to the team at Gründerszene for a great collaboration – more to come! Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dgD-KUBr

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"At the end, 25% of company shares were owned by my employees." 😳 Fabian Tausch asked serial entrepreneur Stephan Schambach how he retained his employees at yesterday's Founder's Breakfast by Unicorn Bakery x re:cap. this answer was not what I expected. but it excited me even more. 🙌 because he quantified the importance of making a team part of the vision and story. Stephan is currently building his third (!) venture NewStore, after Intershop and Demandware, which was acquired by Salesforce for $2.8 billion dollars. in yesterday's fireside chat, he explained WHY he made all of his team members co-own a part of his company. no matter which role or at what time they joined. he pointed out how the spirit of sharing the company’s vision made the team more: - engaged - innovative - committed and giving away almost a quarter of the company is one thing – motivating people to live and share that spirit is where the magic happens. 🪄 because equity can be the cherry on top of this mindset. but it starts by letting the team co-own and co-create a company’s story. for example, by motivating them to share their own experiences and learnings on LinkedIn. in fact, companies with socially engaged employees on LinkedIn are: 58% more likely to attract top talent AND 20% more likely to retain them.* 🙌 I always like to compare it with a conversation: if I am just allowed to listen, chances are high that I leave and join another conversation. if I am encouraged to interact and join the conversation, I am automatically more engaged. with that said, huge thanks to Fabian, one of our Scripe Ambassadors, for making an early morning event on the SumUp rooftop terrace so interactive and engaging. 😍🚀 let's continue the conversation here and drop your thoughts or experiences on team engagement below. 👇 #employeeadvocacy #employerretention #linkedinmarketing #unicornbakery

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How to measure success in restructuring key business units, functions or transformations? By Thomas Kessler Managing Partner at Integration Success GmbH and Atlantic M&A Partners | Pioneer in AI and M&A Integrations | I was recently pinged by Sofoklis Yiannacou, FCCA with a very interesting question following one of my posts: "How do you measure restructuring of key business units or functions or transformation?" My answer: Measuring the restructuring or transformation of key business units or functions requires a comprehensive approach that combines quantitative and qualitative metrics. Key performance indicators (KPIs) such as: + Financial metrics (e.g., revenue growth, cost positions), + Operational efficiency measures (e.g., productivity rates, process efficiency and technological, service, and product differentiators), + Customer-related metrics (e.g., satisfaction scores, retention rates) provide a quantitative foundation. These are complemented by project-specific KPIs that track milestones, budget adherence, and timeline compliance. A perfect tool to drive performance in transformation is the GE 9Box Matrix. Maybe long forgotten and yet still tremendously powerful to drive success in transformations. My answer also has to highlight - the importance of the human-centric aspects - of restructuring! This involves explaining the changed purpose and ensuring people buy-in to the picture painted for the joint future. The success of your new strategic direction can be measured by tracking employee metrics like engagement scores, turnover rates, and time-to-hire for new positions. Additionally, qualitative assessments through surveys and interviews can gauge employee sentiment, cultural alignment, and adoption of new processes or technologies. Leadership effectiveness in guiding the transformation, fostering open communication, and addressing employee concerns is another vital human-centric factor to evaluate. Leadership effectiveness is also achieved if the leadership team is fully aware of its strengths, motives and desires. The use of psychometric tools like motivationfinder.com, and https://lnkd.in/giRU__bs have been tremendously helpful for my clients when used in transformation projects. By balancing hard metrics with these human-centric approaches, measuring the success of organizations is one approach that has proven to be massively helpful in the restructuring or transformation process. They help to measure, progress and adjust the course taken all while making informed decisions and adjustments to ensure success. What is your point of view on measuring success in restructuring key business units, functions or transformations?

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I'm excited to share that I recently had the opportunity to participate in the AmongFounders.com project, thanks to Tobias Günther! It was a great experience to reflect on my journey and share insights alongside many other inspiring founders. If you're interested in reading my interview or learning from the experiences of fellow founders, you can check it out here: AmongFounders.com.

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Series A Engineering: How does Dreamcraft Ventures support startups towards a successful Series A? 🚀 Find out in our Bits & Pretzels Masterclass in Munich on 30 Sep, which will be hosted by Nico, Founder Enablement Partner, and yours truly 🙌 We will cover how we invest and support portfolio companies. Using Hiber as a case study, I will talk about our collaboration with Michael and his team, and give you insights into how they raised their $15m Series A led by EQT Ventures 🤩 Nico will do a deep dive into crucial building blocks for early-stage startups. Based on his +15 years of experience from VC-backed startups like Trustpilot and Platypus, which he co-founded, Nico will provide hands-on advice for hiring, creating structural trust, retaining talent and building a performance culture 💪🔥 Are you going to Bits & Pretzels? Then join our Masterclass or reach out to myself, Nico or our colleague, Mads, if you want to meet up elsewhere! 💬 #Bits24 #venturecapital #vc #startup

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Embedded Finance is so much more than just installment loans or online payment. Here's a list of five great use-cases for #insurance. https://lnkd.in/dtEa9n9t

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I am convinced that fairly soon you'll only be able to make contact with valuable people through Tela (or some similar service). They're busy, they're working, they don't want to be bothered unless it actually matters. So: A message from a friend on a normal messaging app is fine. A warm intro via a colleague is fine. But a random stranger is _usually_ an unproductive loss of time, because you'll have to spend effort to figure out if the person is genuine, and not a scammer, and not crazy, etc. (and AI is going to make this infinitely worse.) So: Check out Tela. It's the future. 💎 On Tela, every message pays you. Use Tela to reduce your inbox overload. 👉 You can sign up here: https://lnkd.in/ehFQsjsH

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Investing in restaurant software sucks! So why did 20VC lead the Seed round for allO, the all-in-one software platform for ethnic restaurants!? 👉 Team - Cancan Liu, Teodor Rupi & Benedikt von Lewinski are absolute execution monsters. Deeply understand the customer segment they are servicing... so much so that they actually waited on tables for free to work closely alongside their customers 👉 Clear ICP - churn is big at the lower end of the restaurant market and so they target customer generating a min of €500k ARR, which is not the focus of incumbents and at much lower risk of churn and much higher expansion potential 👉 Product - they have released 450+ updates in the App Store in under 12 months. Their feature shipping velocity is insane 👉 Numbers - servicing 200+ locations in Munich, grown ARR and ARPU 10x and 4x respectively in the past 12 months Fun story, I spent time in Munich, door stopping 30+ restaurants pretending to be a restaurant owner setting up a new location in Munich - "I heard about this software called allO, do you think it's worth me looking into" - honestly, never seen so much customer (and waiter!) love for a software product like I did for allO ❤️ And check out the co-investors in the round - 20Growth, 20Product, Daniel Khachab, Claire Hughes Johnson, Mario Götze, Dr. Martin E. and many more. And a special shout out to Abdul Afridi for seeing their potential early and being a true champion on the inside! $5m Seed round LFG!

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What happens when two precision and planning developers join forces to start a company? Both Andreas Sauer and I are all about detailed planning. We carefully map out: 👉 Resources 👉 Timelines 👉 Money 👉 Processes This is awesome.  Our clients, freelancers and partners love us for this. BUT. We've learned there should be at least some room for flexibility. An example: Initially, we'd get caught up in planning the minute we got a new lead, focusing more on potential issues than on the opportunities themselves. This often led to stress instead of excitement. Now, we've adjusted our approach. When a new opportunity comes along, we see it for what it is: An opportunity. We go for it and combine it with our precise planning. Do you see yourself in this? How do you manage to balance planning and flexibility?

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