KYTE – Surfing through the Streets of the U.S.: Insights from Francesco Wiedemann, Co-Founder of KYTE

In this episode, Project Associate Stefan Faistenauer chats with Francesco Wiedemann, Co-Founder of KYTE— a San Francisco and Munich-based startup disrupting the rental car industry. Francesco will focus on the corner pillars of KYTE’s journey from startup launch to the ongoing market expansion process. This direct-to-consumer fleet logistics platform has now launched in several U.S. cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Miami. Users can rent vehicles through KYTE and get them delivered right to where they are, be it their home, office, or the beach!

Francesco holds an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Technische Universität München (TUM) and used to work as a Product Manager for BMW Mobility Services where he launched the world’s first multi-modal subscription service combining car-sharing and ride-hailing. At Kyte, Francesco is driving the Product vision of the company.

Modern Alchemy?: On Enterprise Tech’s Newest Bets with Alchemist Accelerator’s Ravi Belani

In this episode, our Managing Director James E. Mister chats with Ravi Belani— Managing Director of Alchemist Accelerator, a venture-backed initiative focused on accelerating the development of early-stage ventures that monetize from enterprises. The conversation includes Alchemist’s journey over the better part of the last decade under Ravi’s leadership and a few of the more memorable turning points or milestones in that time—of course including the decision to expand their footprint to Europe.

Ravi Belani is Fenwick & West Lecturer of Entrepreneurship at Stanford University, and Managing Director of Alchemist Accelerator which is backed by Cisco, Ericsson, GE Ventures, and Salesforce, among others. Ravi formerly spent six years as part of the investment team at Draper Fisher Jurvetson’s Menlo Park global HQ, where he led investments and served on boards as the first institutional investor in companies such as Vizu (acq’d by Nielsen) and Yield Software (acq’d by Autonomy). His expertise also stems from working at two Kleiner Perkins enterprise startups, and McKinsey and Company’s San Francisco office. Ravi is a Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi graduate of Stanford University, holding a BS with Distinction, MS in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Adventuring Entrepreneurship: Insights from Stephan Jacob, Founder & COO of Cotopaxi.

In this episode, our Project Manager Lena Maria Ludwig sits down with Stephan Jacob— Founder & COO of Cotopaxi to talk about the journey of his direct-to-consumer, outdoor gear and apparel company. Giving and ‘Doing Good’ is core to the Cotopaxi model. They manufacture outdoor products and experiences to fund sustainable poverty alleviation. The company was founded in 2013, is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and opened a subsidiary in Bavaria in 2018.

Stephan Jacob was born and raised in Germany. As an outdoor enthusiast and adventurer, he joined the special forces after high school. He went on to study computer science and worked for McKinsey & Company before pursuing his graduate studies and career in the US. After receiving his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Stephan teamed up with his friend, Davis Smith, to create Cotopaxi in 2013. Their goal is to make gear for good and provide fellow outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers of all levels with the right apparel.