CBS International Business School, 4 February 2020

Start-up investor Christian Miele in alumni interview

Is there perhaps an entrepreneurial gene after all? In any case, our graduate Christian Miele has the same entrepreneurial spirit and ambition that his great-grandfather showed in building up his company for household and commercial appliance manufacturers. After completing his bachelor’s degree at CBS and a master’s degree at INSEAD, he worked for Bertelsmann and Rocket Internet among others before founding his first start-up Todaytickets in 2012. Since 2015, he has been a partner responsible for the management of the Berlin-based venture capitalist e.ventures. Last year, he was elected President of the Bundesverband Deutsche Startups e.V., representing around 1,000 German start-ups as the voice of the next generation of German entrepreneurs.

CBS: Why did you apply for the bachelor’s course "East Asian Management" at our campus?

Christian Miele: I wanted to study in English and get to know Chinese business practices better.

CBS: What did you like best about your studies at the CBS?

Christian Miele: The particularly practice-oriented training!

CBS: What does a typical working day look like for you today?

Christian Miele: In my position as a partner at e.ventures I talk to talented founders about their innovative business ideas every day and then decide together with my team whether we want to invest in a start-up. In addition, I look after our investments as a board member, so I am available to the founding teams as a sparring partner in day-to-day discussions. A final part of my work involves networking and cultivating contacts in business, politics and the start-up scene so that we are always up to date.

CBS: What do you like about your work?

Christian Miele: My work is very varied; I get to look into the future and work with very talented and ambitious people. I have the feeling that my work makes a meaningful contribution to our future.

CBS: What typical cliché about your current position does not apply?

Christian Miele: There is the cliché that we VCs are not good entrepreneurs ourselves. However, I do notice a trend for former entrepreneurs to become investors.

CBS: What are your professional plans for the next few years?

Christian Miele: I will stay where I am and want to make e. ventures one of the most successful VCs on the planet.

CBS: How did studying at the CBS prepare you for your current position?

Christian Miele: Especially the rhetoric training helped me a lot to present my own ideas.

CBS: What would you give prospective students as advice?

Christian Miele: Work hard, work a lot, try everything.

CBS: Thank you very much for the interview!

Learn more about the CBS Alumni Network

CBS International Business School

CBS International Business School is a state-recognised private university of applied sciences for business. We offer accredited Bachelor's, Master's and MBA degree programmes in German and English on a full-time or part-time basis. Throughout Germany, the university is represented at three locations in Cologne, Mainz, and Potsdam.

Download a brochure & learn more about us

Would you like to learn more about our Bachelor's and Master's programmes at home in peace? Download the CBS brochure for an in-depth look at our business study programmes.

We hope that you enjoy getting to know more about our school, study programmes and what we stand for. Follow us on Instagram & Facebook, get to know us at one of our Information Events, or Contact our student advisors to get more info.