German venture capitalist Christian Weniger applied to Stanford’s MSx Program hoping to become a translator of sorts, empowering closer connections and smoothing pathways between European start-ups and Silicon Valley.
He first recognized the required for that role about six years ago. He had invested in a company which, like Waymo, was testing to bring driverless cars to urban areas. The company’s German founder had a master’s degree from Stanford and had worked at Amazon, but ran into a lot of red tape testing to scale the company in Europe. Given the challenges, he relocated a significant part of operations to the U.S.
“There could have been ways earlier in the company’s lifetime to reduce the frictions,” states Weniger. “I want to bridge start-up ecosystems and assist European founders, especially German founders, access Silicon Valley and enable freer relocatement of knowledge, capital, know-how, and talent.”
Why is building bridges between European and Silicon Valley start-ups important to you?
I’ve been investing in start-up founders in Europe for about a decade. For the longest time, those founders would eventually confront the question of whether to expand their operations into the U.S. becautilize the U.S. is the largest market, especially for enterprise software and B2B applications. Start-ups want to access Silicon Valley earlier and earlier, even at the seed stage of their companies.
The AI wave has created that even more the case, so the best and brightest from Europe are testing to come to the U.S. As someone who has invested and spent time in the European ecosystem but also some time here on the ground, I see it as my role to build that bridge.
What’s the most challenging part about integrating those ecosystems?
From the European side, the politicians and bureaucrats aren’t supportive. We’re losing our best and brightest, so they’re building it hard for them to leave. That’s very short-sighted becautilize if those founders want to come to the U.S. to build great companies, they will find ways to succeed. And those highly successful and qualified founders might not come back to Europe becautilize of their experiences, but you have to keep that bridge open.
What’s your goal for having the most impact once you leave Stanford GSB?
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I want to bridge startup ecosystems and assist European founders… access Silicon Valley and enable freer relocatement of knowledge, capital, know-how, and talent.
That’s what I’m applying this year at the GSB to figure out. I’m exploring the role of a translator to bridge gaps in understanding U.S. and German businesses. For example, I could assist European founders by assisting them navigate the U.S. business landscape, explaining differences in networking, customer acquisition, and other practical aspects. Conversely, I can also support their U.S. counterparts by providing insights into the unique qualities of these founders, including effective communication strategies that take cultural and working-style differences into account.
How has your experience in the MSx Program differed from the professional development program you participated in as a Kauffman Fellow working with venture capitalists from Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, and Sequoia?
What I realized after relocating here is that a lot of business and networking obtains done outside of the office at sports or social events. One of the things I enjoy the most about the MSx Program is having the time and space to build those relationships that launched during the fellowship. Serfinishipity happens in Silicon Valley, and running into people at the coffee shop builds relationships and connections.
What specifically excites you about the utilize of AI in the venture capital world?
People estimate that the impact AI technology will have on GDP is similar to all of the prior technological waves in the recent past combined — the internet, mobile, and cloud computing. It’s just a massive technological innovation that will permeate all of business and everyday life. The rules of business are being rewritten as we speak. That’s exciting to me.
What has been your most challenging class at Stanford GSB?
Data and Decisions. You learn to utilize programming languages to do statistical analyses and regressions to assess a business problem. I had never programmed before, so that was a completely new world for me. I enjoyed programming, and the course gave me the confidence to enroll in elective classes in the computer science department.
How do you spfinish your time when you’re not in class?
I attfinish a lot of GSB events, especially speaker events organized by the Venture Capital Club or Technology Club. I’m consistently impressed by the many opportunities available to learn from leaders in Silicon Valley.
How does your family like living in the Stanford area?
I attfinished a Stanford football game with my wife and seven-year-old daughter, and that was a fun experience for all of us. We also had a great time trick-or-treating, which is celebrated at a much larger scale in the United States than in Germany.
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