Marcel Kalla - Co-Founder & Investor

Agency building: Co-initiated a "community-first" agency; reached break-even within 2 months after go-live.

Brand strategy: Developed the brand strategy to position as a specialist in community building in the German-speaking B2C market.

Venture ideation: Developed the business idea using a lean startup approach and initiated a six-figure seed round at a €2.5M valuation.

Talent acquisition: Sourced and recruited a top-tier management team (ex-head of operations from a well-known pet-care scale-up).

Go-to-market: Designed the market entry strategy and validated product-market fit through data-driven marketing initiatives to quickly establish the brand in the target segment (five-figure monthly revenue).

Business design & First mover: developing the business model and positioning nationwide in Germany as a pioneer for mini-PV turnkey solutions including installation at a fixed price.

Finance & Valuation: leading the seed investment process (mid six-figure amount) at a post-money valuation of €2.5 million.

Scaling & Revenue: implementing the go-to-market strategy, achieving profitable six-figure monthly revenue within 4 months of go-live.

Digital innovation & Partnership: designing the first digital smart home configurator and securing an exclusive strategic partnership with OBI (integration on obi.de and in stores).

Corporate finance & Funding: managing the pre-seed and seed financing (total volume approx. €1.1 million) at a seed valuation of approx. €4 million, including creating the equity story.

Leadership & Structure: sourcing the management team and strategically setting up scalable company structures for the smart home segment.

Strategic portfolio management: overseeing the value development of 8 early-stage digital companies with a combined enterprise value of approx. €50 million.

Smart capital investment: targeted allocation of capital, network, and operational know-how as a business angel to significantly speed up profitability and scaling of the investments.

Venture growth & GTM: hands-on support in designing go-to-market strategies and establishing scalable organizational and sales structures within the portfolio.

Freelance Lecturer in adult education for certification courses like Online Marketing Manager (IHK), focusing on SEA, SEO, native advertising, and social media marketing.

Didactic delivery of online marketing know-how to groups of around 20 participants – on-site and online.

Designing and delivering practical learning units, exercises, and case studies for immediate application of the taught knowledge in daily work life.

Key Account Management & Revenue: Strategically managed top retail clients (e.g., Porta Möbel, Bünting, Möbel Boss) and took operational responsibility for high six-figure sales and marketing budgets.

Drive-to-Store & Performance: Advised on data-driven, location-based campaigns to drive measurable foot traffic increases and optimize sales in brick-and-mortar retail (platform reach: 200 million users worldwide).

Enterprise sales & Growth: Responsible for national new customer acquisition (inside and outside sales) and winning top-tier clients like PwC, SAP, Deichmann and IKEA.

Sales excellence & M&A experience: Designed and delivered internal sales training and supported the company's growth up to the successful exit of Employour GmbH (mid double-digit million range) and its integration into Embrace GmbH.

Co-Founder of Lean-Up-IT Solutions GbR, responsible for sales strategies, business model development and scaling in the IT services sector.

Co-Founder of Content Core Agency GbR, responsible for the B2B sales strategy and scaling the agency with a focus on performance-oriented marketing solutions.

Team member at KHS & Cognitas GmbH: Maintained and updated safety- and maintenance-critical documentation in the SAP Logistics module.

Team member at RWE Effizienz GmbH in the smart home area, focusing on support, payment, reporting and documentation.

Operational staff in industrial manufacturing at Bochumer Eisenhütte, working on TH & GI profiles.

Staff at the emergency call service (German Red Cross): Ensured availability for emergency calls, initiated support measures and handled technical installation and user training for emergency call systems.