Christoph Behn

Summary

My entrepreneurial journey I started my entrepreneurial journey in 2010, inspired by my wife. I founded kartenmacherei and grew it into the leading European player in personalized cards, hitting over 50 million EUR in annual sales and employing more than 300 people by 2020. We focused on a team-centric approach to maintain motivation, happiness, and success. By early 2020, feeling burnt out, I decided it was time for a change. The onset of COVID sped up my departure, and I left celebrate in Q2 2020. That same year, I co-founded better ventures, an angel investor club aiming to boost investments in world-changing startups. We offer not just capital but also our expertise and time. After a year, I stepped back into a Chairman & Angel Investor role, handing the reins to my co-founders, Tina and Cedric. To date, I've invested in over 30 teams tackling major issues like climate change and health. Three years after leaving, I'm back at celebrate as CEO, to continue building a role model company: one that motivates its people, encourages personal growth, and has a sustainable business driven by customer orientation and a product DNA. But I'm not returning as the same person. I've grown significantly during my time away, ending bad habits and forming better ones. I've strengthened relationships with my family and myself. I reflected on many mistakes and their root causes during my first years as Founder & CEO. I aim to use my newly acquired wisdom to build an even stronger team. With both better ventures and celebrate, I'm privileged to work on dual fronts for societal improvement. Through better ventures, I focus on the "what," investing in visionary founders solving the world's most urgent issues. At celebrate, the focus shifts to the "how," banking on people-centric growth and rooted in the conviction that people are inherently good. We're setting an example for a more motivating and productive way to work together. My personal mission I firmly believe in people's inherent goodness and work to highlight alternative, positive life paths. I view entrepreneurs as catalysts for large-scale, positive change and am committed to propelling them towards success. I also champion meaningful connections as the root of a fulfilling life. My mission extends to promoting robust habits as the key to long-term well-being. Overall, my mission isn't just words but an actionable guide toward individual and societal betterment. Together, let's create a lasting impact that goes beyond generations.