1.Could you give us a brief introduction to Scaleuplab?
We are a leading consultancy for startups and scale-ups in Germany. We offer fast-growing companies pragmatic, innovative and scalable performance on an equal footing, exactly where it is needed to keep up with the status quo. We know the challenges of startups in all stages of development and support them with our own founding and startup experience under the motto of “Advice from founders for founders”.
2.Which digitalisation topics are particularly important to you?
Process digitalisation is one of the central topics in the field of digitalisation of startups and scale-ups. The Covid-19 pandemic is acting as a catalyst here and many founders are faced with the challenge of making their processes as efficient as possible in order to save important financial and time resources. Finally, the appropriate selection and implementation of various tools is an essential task for a smooth workflow within the company.
3.What are the special challenges of your industry at the moment and how do you work on them?
Many founders need support on a wide range of issues. With the multitude of offers, it is often difficult to find the right support/advice for the tasks at hand. Through our proficiency in the startup world, we know the challenges and offer hands-on solutions without the consulting bureaucracy of conventional management consultancies.
4. How do you expect your membership in the eco Association to support you in this regard?
We are delighted to be a member of the eco Association and are firmly convinced that we can contribute exciting insights to the network. Through continuous exchange with other eco members in a wide variety of ways, we understand the challenges of startups even better and gain insights into current developments. In addition, we are pleased to be able to approach experts in the eco network directly and exchange ideas with them on various issues in the field of digitalisation
5. What opportunities does digitalisation offer us in the future?
Digitalisation offers both companies and their employees as well as the end user a great number of opportunities in the future. A digitalised working world allows startups and companies to work more resource-efficiently and flexibly: keyword, home office. New business models and solutions help to fulfil customer wishes better and more efficiently.
Sebastian Janus, 35, is a passionate interim CFO and entrepreneur with 20 years of professional experience in digital business models. Since he became self-employed with his company, Tredex GmbH, in 2005, he has made a steep climb up the career ladder. He was jointly responsible for two exits (most recently to Foot Locker in 2013) in the area of e-commerce. At the world’s largest shoe chain Foot Locker, he was CFO for 4 years and was on the verge of a great career. But he quit his secure job and spent 10 months volunteering for various NGOs as part of a world tour. This decision helped him to break out of his comfort zone and to be open to and take advantage of new, exciting opportunities. As an entrepreneurial personality, he is now the founder and CEO of ScaleupLab, a strategy consultancy for scale-ups in terms of financing rounds & scaling their business. In the last 24 months, he has raised nearly €70 million in venture capital as interim CFO for his clients. He is also mentor and coach of several startups and their founders + lecturer for Finance & Management at ISM Dortmund.
