Why did you join Project A?
After my MBA, I briefly thought about becoming a consultant because I liked the idea of working with companies in different industries and filling a variety of roles. But after I had a few interviews with firms in that space, I realized I didn’t want to work in that kind of environment. I still liked the idea of working on a broad range of topics from different industries though and having followed the startup ecosystem quite closely during my studies I started looking for opportunities in this direction. That’s how Project A came into the picture.
You transitioned from a generalist role in Venture Development to a specialized position in BI. How was the experience?
It was great — and still is! I’m aware of the fact that I don’t have the same technical knowledge as some people on my team, but that’s okay because I bring something else to the mix. Our goal is to enable our ventures to make better decisions based on data. In order to do so we need to build up a strong understanding of how our business stakeholders work — that’s exactly what I did in our portfolio companies as part of the Venture Development team. Of course, it’s challenging for me to dive deeper into the technical aspects of BI. But at the same time, the BI team wants to develop further into the direction where I’m coming from, and that’s what I can help with.
Who would be the perfect fit for the BI team?
To join our team, you don’t necessarily have to be as techy as one would expect. You’re a good fit if you possess a very good business understanding an affinity for tech. You should be able to analyze data independently, translate it into insights and make sure they are being acted upon.
Our team is closely in touch with stakeholders such as Marketing & Sales, Frontend, and even Talent Acquisition, both in-house as well as in our portfolio companies — so strong communication skills are essential. It goes without saying that we’re looking for team players that are fun to work with and who actively contribute to the very open culture we have here at Project A.
What kind of leader are you?
For me, the most important thing is to enable my colleagues to do their jobs in the way they can live up to their potential. I try to let them focus on the things they are good at and challenge them in a supportive manner in the fields where they feel they need to grow. As knowledge sharing is key for what we do, I put a lot of emphasis on building a team where everybody knows they can count on each other.
If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation! I love to travel, but I don’t like to wait at the airport, in the airplane, and so on — it’s a waste of time. I would love to be able to teleport myself to spend time in the south of France more often!
Philipp will speak at code.talks conference this Thursday, 5pm (Kino 5) about “Analyzing the business value of site speed improvements (using Navigation Timing API & BigQuery)”
Listen to our podcast where Philipp is talking about the future of Business Intelligence: