Florian Bogenschütz is CEO of the Telefónica investment arm. As a former founder, he knows a lot about startups and knows how they can remain independent despite a lack of funding. Wayra, startup scene
Florian Bogenschütz is Managing Director of Wayra Germanythe investment unit and the Startup-Accelerator at Telefónica/O2, where he is responsible for business development and strategic direction. Bogenschütz knows from his own experience what it’s like to get into financial difficulties as a founder. In 2016, he co-founded the Munich startup Airgreets, which took care of renting Airbnb apartments, had to file for bankruptcy in 2019 and is now part of the Austrian home-sharing provider Keyone.
A wave of insolvencies is currently sweeping across the startup industry, which has already taken a considerable number of young companies with it. Even recently successful startups are not immune to the effects of inflation and high interest rates. The current lack of financing is pushing many founders increasingly into a defensive role and making them particularly dependent on existing investors.
In an economic climate in which financial resources are much more sparse than in 2021, for example, it is becoming increasingly important that startups not only survive, but also that founders do not restrict their autonomy too much. The question is: how can they consolidate their position?