Frank was on the German version of the
American TV show Shark Tank for over seven
years and has become one of the most
well known investors and tech experts.
Partly due to that, we've been able to
build up a strong network of editors that
we stay in touch with.
This means not only reaching out to them
when we have a story to tell,
but also listening to theirs.
Frank gives a lot of interviews on political
and economical matters that have nothing to do
with our portfolio. That way we've been able
to build up strong and fair partnerships with
our editors. You have to keep in mind
that PR isn't only about telling the story
that serve the company's good,
it's also about telling the story that the
people want to hear. When we reach out
to our network of editors,
we try to think of which editor might
be interested in the story,
and then we contact them directly and personally,
not via a broad send out.
Because no matter how well your press release
is written, you have to keep in mind
that editors get set dozens of those and
that their time is as valuable as yours.
We always try to think of an angle
that could work for the media outlet we’re contacting,
be it a matter that's constantly relevant,
like climate change or sustainable mobility,
or a topic that's recently been discussed in
the media like CO2 taxes.
Changing up the headlines or setting the focus
on specific areas depending on the media outlet
can help. But in the end,
you have to convince the editor that the
story you're telling is also of interest to
their readers. Getting visibility as a start up
can be tough. Having a well known investor
obviously helps, and we try to support our
portfolio as good as we can.
If Frank gets invited to speak at an
event that's relevant to one of our startups,
we make sure that they get tickets or
even a booth at that event.
If he gets asked for an interview in
a magazine that's of interest to our startups,
we make sure to either mention them or
even get them a story in there.
I love working with our startups because they
all serve a greater cause.
Lilium connects people, Kraftblock aims to play a
big part of the global energy transition,
Endurosat is bringing connectivity and knowledge to all
areas from space, while Smartlane is making our
logistics sector on the streets more efficient,
therefore reducing CO2 and helping our environment.
We need more positive news in the media
and working with our startups help me spread
some of those.