Beginning of the year I quit my job. I had been developing my own ideas all the way through and I felt the time has come to focus on them full-time. Wonderful people had joined me aboard my ship and I was determined to set sail into the wide oceans of uncertainty. What I didn't see coming was the horde of horses running at me with no shelter for me to hide in. What I in turn had to learn was that I cannot focus on all of them and I have to pick one. To use my intuition to figure out which one would obey me
While studying science, reality becomes a dynamic concept. Whenever new insights arise from research, the way we understand the world around us changes. For a scientist it is not difficult to adapt to that change, since we have never been given definite answers to our questions. Neither in training, nor in our professional careers. Most people however strive for stability and certainty. We like to plan ahead. We want to know what we're gonna have for dinner, whether we are going to be in the same job six m
One of my favourite German traditions is the annual men's day celebration when all the boys gather up in large groups and go cycling in the countryside. Equipped with one can of beer, I only made it to the beach where I couldn't resist to play volleyball for the rest of the afternoon.
#longweekend #may #seaside #balticsea #beach #cycling #celebrating #mensday #sunny #happy #relax #volleyball #fitness #beers #gunsout #tourist
A diverse team and creativity are the key components for the creation of great new products. The initial idea behind Innopharmix was turned inside out during the workshop at the HPI School of Design Thinking. Hundreds of new ideas were created and left behind. Unconventional techniques made us access the deepest corners of our minds and come up with the craziest features. Many of the most popular products and services of our time were at first mere jokes, but it turned out that they are just way ahead of t
To tackle the brain as the primary object of my work has been a latent desire of mine for a while. It always fascinated me how little we understand about it and yet how urgent the needs are becoming to really get into it. Treatment of mental disorders is speculative at best, their prevention is a total enigma. How can we adapt to the changes in our environment, in society and to the new requirements to our role on planet earth? Are thoughtful nutrition and physical exercise the keys to a healthy mind? Do m
Since I quit my job to become an independent entrepreneur working on digital health, the first couple of months were a dire experience. If it wasn't for my amazing team, I would have possibly given up several times over. Scientists are a minority in this exciting field that is currently dominated by business people, designers, IT engineers and a few medical doctors. With only limited knowledge in any of these areas, it was at first difficult to find the right niche. The design thinking process really helps
Entrepreneurship usually combines two components: a grown-up sense for the needs people have and childish creativity. The latter allows you to keep your eyes open for all opportunities, to branch out your curiosity beyond the narrow scope of expertise you bring to the table. Forget what you've become and just be who you are when brainstorming because it is the most unexpected stuff that great ideas originate from. However, it requires a certain level of maturity to really execute on it. Always keep in mind
Four years ago today I had 100k left to walk to Santiago de Compostela along the most famous way there is for a pilgrim. When I heard about it from a friend, I immediately knew that it was the right thing to do at the time. I had been in a terrible state of mind when I got going. The Way of St James gave me immense strength, resources and the confidence that I could achieve any personal milestone thereafter. Feats that felt too far away and challenges that seemed insurmountable have all been achieved and s
And another week has come to an end. The constant weather changes made it difficult to remain motivated and focused, I'm sure my fellow Berliners will agree. On that note, I would like to praise all the smart people at Berlin's eurefcampus working on sustainable solutions to slow or undo climate change. I have come across those people on multiple occasions when mingling with the innovation ecosystem. However, never have I made it to their base until yesterday. Our own strategic designer petja_i bas been wo
After last night's shenanigans, it was unsurprising that this morning would end up slightly chaotic. It was nearly too late when I realised that this year's Startupbootcamp mentors brunch is on a boat that takes off at the other end of the city. But I still managed to jump aboard as it was departing. The accelerator has selected 10 outstanding teams with the mission to innovate health care across the areas of cardiology, neurology, mental health and more. On the boat they had the opportunity to meet a high
In contrast to last year, Berlin has blessed us with a marvellous summer this year. Since I will probably have to take the bullet of not going on an extensive summer trip in order to develop Fontane Labs, it's all the more pleasing that the weather is supportive of this decision. And it becomes obvious why entrepreneurs thrive here more than anywhere else. This city has a unique wealth of different places to explore on weekends that have become like islands of joy between the hard pushes towards self-actua
It has been a busy few weeks lately and so I've fallen a little short of maintaining my solid record of deep reflection. We have been working tirelessly to ascertain our launch for World Mental Health Day on Oct 10th. Before I start the countdown with a post every day, here's a little teaser:
With her newly launched NGO Freeliance, my brilliant friend wanderlustwithlola has organised a huge web conference that I wouldn't recommend to miss if you're a freelancer or thinking of becoming one. Get your ticke
As a teenager I never really engaged with the growing online community with activities such as blogging. I never aspired to be a YouTuber or an influencer on the gram. Many of the topics people were talking or writing about appeared too shallow for me to engage. Yet the new rise of people sharing their stories and inspiring sustainable change have motivated me to give it a go. Not only did the Freeliance web conference give me a platform to tell people about my emotional journey from an employee to a freel
On this very special day I would like to commemorate a friendship that has lasted over 12 years now. Friedrich was one of the first to reach out to me when I was the new guy in high school. I had just escaped merciless bullying and humiliation that I had to endure for over a year. Naturally I was in a very vulnerable place, couldn't trust anyone around me. At only 13 years old he moved out of his family home to our school's own dorm and despite this major transition of his own, he proved to be a rock in co
Good morning, my friends! How are you all feeling? I imagine most of you have worked their first full week of the year, looking forward to a refill at the weekend, whether at the bar or cuddled up under tons of blankets in bed. On Wednesday I returned from Singapore, the city of gardens. A magnificent journey that I was looking forward to since I was like 14 finally materialised in the light of an invitation to the most glamorous wedding of my friend karenlhh and her partner - kinda symbolic for the prospe
