Roman Kirsch is a German serial entrepreneur and investor in the tech- and consumer-internet-space.
Early life and education
Kirsch holds a business degree from the German business school
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a private German business school with campuses in Vallendar and Düsseldorf, Germany. As of September 2024, there are 2,007 students (including doctoral students) at WHU, about 251 employees and 5 ...
. He also has a
Master of Science degree
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...
from the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
in Finance, Accounting and Management.
He also spent time at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
as well as the
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore or IIMB) is a reputed business school and an Institute of National Importance located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Founded in 1973, it was chronologically the third in the first gener ...
.
Career
At the age of 13, Roman set up a business of importing watches from China. Later in 2003, at the age of 15, Kirsch founded his first company (a souvenir shop in Hamburg).
In 2011, Kirsch founded Casacanda, a furniture company that was acquired by
Fab.com in February 2012, marking one of the quickest exits in tech history for an e-commerce startup and making Kirsch one of the youngest founders to achieve this milestone.
He subsequently served as CEO of Fab Europe until the end of 2012, during which he oversaw the company’s expansion and its rise to unicorn status with a valuation of USD 1 billion.
Fab ultimately failed to sustain its growth and sold its remaining assets in a fire sale reportedly valued at just $15 million by 2015.
In 2013 Kirsch, alongside Matthias Wilrich and Robin Müller, founded the
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
fashion startup
Lesara with Kirsch as the CEO of the company.
Despite rapid growth and recognition, such as being named Europe's fastest-growing tech company by The Next Web in 2016 and Germany's fastest-growing tech company by Deloitte in 2017, Lesara faced significant challenges. In November 2018, the company filed for insolvency after failing to secure a crucial €10 million bridge financing round. Operational issues, including delays from a newly opened €40 million logistics center in
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...
, and discrepancies in financial reporting eroded investor confidence.
Through his venture studio Rapid Pioneers Group, Kirsch has co-founded and invested in over 30 consumer tech and brand ventures across Europe. In 2012 Roman became an investor of Amorelie, which grew into a leading female lingerie brand in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. In 2015 media company
Pro7Sat1 acquired Amorelie, which is now valued at €100 million.
He was the first investor and advisor in Instagram-native wellness brand Fitvia in 2015, which was 70% acquired by Dermapharm in 2019. Other founding investments include K-Beauty brand Yepoda, HR-tech firm Global Talent Co., and coupon platform Lumaly. The portfolio also includes green tech unicorn
Enpal GmbH, as well as Bending Spoons, LAP Coffee, everdrop, and Wild Cosmetics.
In April 2021, Kirsch has raised $345m in an IPO on the
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...
stock exchange for the investment vehicle Tio Tech. Kirsch serves as CEO of Tio Tech. In April 2023, Tio Tech announced its shutdown after failing to complete a transaction within an agreed two-year deadline.
Awards and recognition
*In January 2016,
Forbes Magazine US listed Kirsch in its ''
30 under 30 Europe'' list for retail and e-commerce
*In 2017, the business magazine Capital listed Kirsch in its 40 under 40 list for young elites
*He is also a "Global Shaper" of the World Economic Forum Davos and a member of YPO
*In 2022, he as listed amongst the Top 50 Seed Investors in Europe by Business Insider.
See also
*
Agile retail
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirsch, Roman
1988 births
Living people
German company founders