Carolin Wais is a Partner at Plug and Play. Her background combines corporate operating work with experience in venture investing, including direct startup investment and fund investment.
Earlier in her career, she worked at Siemens through its international leadership rotation program, gaining experience across strategy, finance, sales and operations. She then spent three years at Next47, the Siemens-backed venture firm, working on both fund investments and direct venture deals.
She studied management at ESCP Europe with a focus on entrepreneurship and venture capital and became involved in startup mentoring during her university years.
That combination is relevant to founders who need to connect a financing plan with the commercial and operating realities of their business. Her mentoring topics include sales and international expansion, where an investor’s view of the company and a corporate operator’s view of customers can raise different but complementary questions.
Where Carolin can help
- Venture investing — experience with both direct startup deals and fund investments
- Enterprise sales and commercial planning — connected to earlier corporate operating work
- International expansion — an investor and operator perspective on entering additional markets
- Financing and company development — connecting investment choices with strategy, finance and operations
Operating and investing experience
A selection of companies and roles connected to Carolin Wais.
Ventures
Plug and Play
Partner in the venture and startup ecosystem
Next47
earlier work on fund investments and direct venture deals at the Siemens-backed venture firm
Siemens
earlier international leadership-rotation experience across strategy, finance, sales and operations
Highlights
- Combines corporate operating experience at Siemens with fund and direct-investment experience at Next47
- Partner at Plug and Play, with mentoring interests in sales and international expansion
Questionsfounders ask aboutCarolin Wais
What is Carolin's professional background?
Wais moved from corporate operating experience at Siemens into venture investing at Next47 before joining Plug and Play. At Next47, she worked on both fund investments and direct venture deals, giving her experience with different layers of venture finance.
Which founder topics connect most directly to Carolin's experience?
Her experience is relevant when founders need to connect fundraising with sales and international expansion. Her earlier work across strategy, finance, sales and operations can help frame questions about customer priorities and the practical demands of growth, alongside an investor’s view of the company.
What is Carolin working on now?
Wais is a Partner at Plug and Play. Her investing and founder-support work draws on earlier experience in corporate operations, fund investments and direct venture deals.
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