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Katharina Sommerkamp
Operating Partner for mission-driven startups ⟡ Mentor ⟡ Angel Investor
🌊 I’m a proud generalist with business depth and a designer’s mindset. Across roles in growth, product, community, talent and operations, I’ve spent +15 years figuring out the mechanics behind what makes people tick, synthesising insights into strategy and activating people to bring new ideas to life.
Over the past decade, I have moved startups from 0→1 at Polymath Ventures and Founders Factory, incubated new business functions and built the foundations to drive sustainable growth across Europe and Latin America. This taught me to make the different pieces of a business fit together, bring structure and creativity to ambiguous problems, and build momentum long before anything feels clear or certain.
Before this, I worked in structured commodity finance, managing cross-border deals tied to physical operations (where I built my analytical judgment and learned how to win buy-in from a wide range of stakeholders). Later on, I project-managed some of the world’s biggest IPO roadshows - which taught me to think on my feet and stay steady under immense pressure.
Born bicultural, I've lived and worked in 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇨🇠Switzerland, 🇬🇧 UK, 🇲🇽 Mexico and 🇨🇴 Colombia - and worked on projects that spanned Europe, North and South America and Africa. Currently Madrid-based, often found in Switzerland.
Highlights
If you know me, you know my passion lies in driving innovation that fosters equity, collective progress, and brings out the best in us - by working at the intersection of business, design, and community.
This passion has taken shape in many forms throughout my journey: founder, startup operator, coach/mentor and connector.
Today, I’m starting a next chapter in this journey as I join d.MBA as their Program Director. At d.MBA we believe that the business world needs more design-led companies, and contribute towards that mission by empowering designers with business confidence through quality content, support and community.Â
Lots of exciting things to come!
#designMBA #businessdesign #design
Time and time again, I meet incredible women that dream of striking out on their own but never seem to hit start. That's why I'm really excited that Amela is supporting the next generation of women entrepreneurs through The Aspiring Founders community 💜 If you have that entrepreneurial spirit and want to explore the path of entrepreneurship, whether you are still looking for an idea, just starting to build something, already testing your MVP with users, or jumping into fundraising - this is your sign! 💥 With this membership, you'll have access to a private network, curated resources, benefits, and an active community that will help you on your journey. Join the sisterhood of entrepreneurship with Anais Cisneros and Michelle Fischman ✨ 🎯 Apply directly here: https://tally.so/r/3qdpv8 📅 Deadline: July 24th ✨ More info: https://amela.club/ #AspiringFounders #Entrepreneurship
