References
What founders and investors say
I admire the strategic clarity and the wealth of frameworks and own experience that Lars brings to the table. With his help, I can often make the most difficult trade-offs really quickly.
Henrik BacheCEO, eSmart SystemsAs an active chairman, Lars has an eye for the essentials, advises strategically and helps the founders develop their leadership skills.
Michael DonnellyPartner, Energy Impact PartnersLars has been our chairman since Series A. He is always helpful, no matter where the shoe pinches me. I don't want to do without his continuous support.
Alejandro CabreraCEO, Green Eagle SolutionsLars brings to the table what I expect from a startup chairman: among others VC experience, consulting skills, and structured thinking.
Anton ArtsManaging Partner, SET VenturesSix more references
I am grateful to have such a good chairman who can mediate between the interests and always manages to move us forward as a leadership team.
Thomas SchleglCEO, eologixLars runs board meetings with finesse, balancing the interests of all involved. He understands how to succeed in a high-level environment.
Moritz JungmannPartner, Future Energy VenturesLars helps us build our digital business, with everything from technology to organization. But more than that, he is a motivating advisor for the entire management team.
Florian ReinersCEO, WiferionLars is member of our strategic board. He is a great communicator with strong analytical skills and broad energy transition expertise.
Lucille BonnetManaging Director, Alantra Energy Transition FundWith his entrepreneurial experience, technical understanding and network, Lars is an important advisor for us. It's fun to work with him, too.
Katharina FerrerCEO, VectoflowLars is chairman of the board at one of our portfolio companies. We highly appreciate his entrepreneurial spirit and strategic thinking.
Charles VasletPartner, Emerald Technology VenturesHow I work
Three roles, one focus: shareholder value
Chairman and board member
I support tech companies as an active board member. As chairman I align the expectations and needs of management and investors, and make board meetings worthwhile for everyone involved.
Senior advisor
I support private equity and venture capital firms in their investment decisions and advise their portfolio companies, with a view on trends in generation, distribution, storage and use of electrical power.
Leadership coach
I help leaders focus on the right aspects, grow personally and professionalize their organization. In venture companies I help lay the foundations of processes, culture and strategy to be able to scale.
- Where I push hardest:
- Sales acceleration
- Operational excellence
- Culture-first leadership
My sweet spot
Where my time makes the biggest difference
I focus on European early to growth stage energy tech companies that will make a difference.
Why founders listen
I have sat in your chair: ten years of building fos4X
From a university spin-off to a full-stack clean energy company, sold in a strategic acquisition. Including the hard parts.
- 2010Founded as a sensor technology company at Technical University of Munich
- 2012Pre-seedSpin-off from university after proof-of-concept in wind energy
- 2013Seed roundInitial product-market fit in wind energy, start of software development
- 2015Series AScaling the retrofit business, first greenfield series supply contract
- 2016A turning pointSeries delivery starts, EBIT positive for the first time, co-founders depart
- 2018Series BSupply chain scalability, China subsidiary, software organization
- 2020Sale to PolyTech A/S>€10M revenue, >100 employees, >200 patents, >20,000 sensors
Killer application
Active load reduction enables a strong reduction of the cost of energy.
Customer example
Nordex's Delta 4000 turbine platform is highly versatile and cost efficient thanks to the use of fos4X sensors and streaming analytics.
Selected mandates
Companies and investors I work or have worked with
| Company | What they do | My role |
|---|---|---|
| CoreSensingDarmstadt | IIoT sensor suite for the machinery industry | Chairman |
| eepMunich | Energy consulting services for gastro franchises and real estate | Chairman |
| eologix-pingGraz | Wind turbine operation optimization based on wireless sensors | Chairman |
| eSmart SystemsOslo | AI based solutions for inspection of energy infrastructure | Chairman |
| Green Eagle SolutionsMadrid | Robotic process automation for wind park operationsSold to CoPilot | Chairman |
| RTDT LaboratoriesZurich | Wireless pressure measurement for rotor blades | Chairman |
| VectoflowMunich | Aerodynamic probes for aerospace and industrial testing | Chairman |
| 5Io.TechMunich | IIoT sensor developmentSold to fiSens | Co-Founder, Board Member |
| Alantra KlimaMadrid | Venture capital for late stage companies in the energy transition | LP, Board Member |
| Unlimited Sky ConsultingAugsburg | Sales maturity assessment for energy and tech companies | Co-Founder |
| ZenveoMunich | Modern residential property management | Co-Founder, Board Member |
| Allegro EnergyNewcastle | Organic redox flow batteries | Advisor |
| Bain & CompanyMunich | Consultancy to utilities and renewable companies | Advisor |
| BarocalCambridge | Solid-state heating and cooling based on barocaloric materials | Advisor |
| BlackwaveMunich | Lightweight structures for electromobility and new aerospace | Advisor |
| CarlyleMunich | Private equity investment in energy companies | Advisor |
| DabbelDuesseldorf | Building efficiency through AI based HVAC automation | Advisor |
| fiSensBraunschweig | Fiber Bragg technology supplier | Advisor |
| FlenderVoerde | Digital solutions for wind energy and industrial gearboxesSold to Triton | Advisor |
| GreenmetricsLisbon | Smart sensors and data analytics for flood early warning and resource monitoring | Advisor |
| Leap435Berlin | VC for early stage companies in mobility and logistics | LP, Advisor |
| PulsetrainMunich | Distributed inverter architecture for batteries | Advisor |
| STABL EnergyMunich | Modular battery inverters and storage systems | Advisor |
| Turn2XMunich | Synthetic methane for grid injection | Advisor |
| UVC PartnersMunich | VC for early stage B2B technology startups | LP, Advisor |
| Vireo ElectrificationBerlin | VC for early stage startups in electrification | LP, Advisor |
| WiferionFreiburg | Wireless charging for autonomous guided vehiclesSold to Tesla | Advisor |
Background
Engineer, researcher, consultant, founder
- laho.tech GmbH, Managing Owner
Board-level guidance for digital energy businesses and LP in several European energy VC funds.
- fos4X, Founder and CEO
IIoT and machine learning for wind energy, with a subsidiary in China and three funding rounds.
- McKinsey & Company, Senior Associate
Capital efficiency and margin resilience for automotive, robotics and telecom clients during the financial crisis.
- Technical University of Munich, PhD
Fiber-optic sensor technology for robots, space applications, and wind turbines.
- Reilhofer KG, Development Engineer
Hardware and software for noise and vibration measurement systems.
Working with me
Long-term, and with aligned interests
I strive for long-term cooperation. We agree on an hourly rate, I document my hours and invoice a fixed monthly retainer. Hours above the retainer volume are preferably settled in virtual shares, so that the goals of the company and my own are aligned.