futureSAX Team

After graduating with a degree in business administration and a master's degree in Berlin and Cambridge, which she completed with an MBA in general management, she worked in the finance and property industry. After many years in project and department management in a planning office, she came into closer contact with the Saxon innovation ecosystem in 2021 as Project Managing Director of Saxony5. As part of the network, she was responsible for the knowledge and technology transfer of the five Saxon universities of applied sciences involved. As a member of the Saxon Transfer Network, she has since worked with futureSAX on various occasions. Susanne is particularly keen to support the many start-ups, transfer projects and companies in the Free State and thus strengthen Saxony's culture of innovation.

After his training in banking and a degree in business administration with specialization in wholesale and foreign trade, Steffen Beer gained extensive experience in the corporate customer sector as manager and advisor especially for startups in the Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden - mainly in the start-up scene. While working, he earned his diploma at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. In addition, he gained extensive experience in the private sector in the field of finance and administration. 

During her many years working in a renowned property agency in the field of office management and accounting, Antje Hellwig expanded her skills with further training in human resources.

Now is the time for ‘outside of the box’. She has left her comfort zone to broaden her horizons. She tackles her tasks with a lot of joy and experience and strengthens the futureSAX team from within.

After studying transport economics at the Technical University of Dresden, the former basketball player was involved for several years in the interests of the crafts enterprises in Eastern Saxony, including the nationwide broadband expansion. As the representative for innovation and technology in the crafts sector, he supported craftsmen and women in the (further) development of their ideas into marketable innovations. The focus was always on the networking and communication of the various products, players and facilities. This passion for good marketing also shaped his excursion to a medium-sized software company, which he helped to work out the relevant core of the services offered and to communicate in such a way that you are understood by the target group.   

After several years as an international product manager for a global automotive industry, Heinz Truckenbrodt completed a master's degree in industrial engineering and management at the Technical University of Dresden and Mid Sweden University with a focus on corporate development & innovation and lightweight construction. During this time he worked as a startup consultant at dresden|exists and as such became self-employed in the field of business development for startups. His affinity for digital technologies and business model innovations resulted in a thesis on the digital transformation of the automotive industry. In addition, he has been involved for several years as a volunteer in two associations for the promotion of culture. 

How can geoscientific processes, such as earthquakes, be simulated on a computer with the help of physical formulae? This question and her fascination for the Erzgebirge mining region led Anika Lorenz to study geophysics at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.  She then started her career in Lower Saxony, where she worked as a Technical Data Analyst in the inspection industry for a leading global technology company. When this company was looking for a manager for the newly established site in Saxony, she accepted the challenge and spent more than three years setting up the new office with an international team in Radebeul. Impressed by the innovative spirit and can-do mentality of the Saxons, the Zwickau native wants to support founders across all sectors in realising their visions.
<p>In her free time, Anika enjoys hiking in Saxon Switzerland and volunteers for the Aidshilfe Dresden organisation and as an election campaigner.

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The combination of psychological, sociological and analytical principles with research and practice has inspired the qualified educationalist and media psychologist since the beginning of her studies at Chemnitz University of Technology. As a working student at Onkel Sax, Miriam was already intensively involved with the ‘NextGen’. The desire to not only understand and explain media use, but also to be able to derive target group-specific media offers from it, subsequently led her to a marketing agency in Dresden. As a marketing and project manager, she was involved in the planning, implementation and management of campaigns and cross-media marketing projects as well as the development of didactic and educational concepts for knowledge transfer.

Connecting people - that's what Claudia Landrock is passionate about. Before the native of Zwickau completed her bachelor's degree in economics at the TU Dresden, she gained one year of experience abroad as an au pair in Australia and France. An internship of several months in the USA was followed by her master's degree in business administration at the University of Regensburg. Subsequently, she supported and accompanied technology-oriented start-ups and digital start-ups in the Innovation and Start-up Center in Regensburg from the initial idea to the financing round and helped to further develop the regional start-up ecosystem. 

Her fascination with innovation and start-ups is also rooted in her student involvement with "enactus Regensburg". She still supports young start-up projects on a voluntary basis as a mentor at StartUP Teens and also campaigns for better conditions for start-ups at federal level as chair of the Start-up Promotion Working Group at a digital policy association.

Variety - is the name on the former banker's CV. After additional training in the creative arts in South Africa, Marco Schnell started his own business as a creative trainer in Mecklenburg. He later gained further experience abroad during two years of intercultural studies in Argentina and Chile. His interest in foreign cultures and languages, as well as in connecting people, then led him back to Germany, where he worked as a project manager supporting an association in bringing refugee families together on a European level.

For private reasons, he then moved to Leipzig. Here he came into contact with the Saxon start-up world. With his communication skills, the bridge builder was alternately responsible for communication, sales, HR and business development in three start-ups before taking up his last position as Head of Marketing.

He alternates between the bouldering wall, the swimming pool, the bicycle and for finger sports: his piano.

Dörte, an experienced manager with a degree in education, has expanded her skills through various training programmes, including a distance learning course at the University of Hagen and a management qualification in Dresden. In her 25-year career in retail and sales, she has held various positions and gained extensive experience. Her training as a systemic coach, relational corporate counsellor and stress and mental coach was particularly formative. She has supported companies, managers and teams in personnel development measures and change processes. Equipped with this wealth of experience, she looks forward every day to acting as a driving force for Saxon companies and promoting innovative cooperation.

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After completing her Bachelor's degree in International Business at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences (FH), specialising in economic policy, Christiane Demmler initially worked in international companies in various industries in the areas of assistance and controlling. Since 2013, she has been involved in building networks, developing and implementing services and initiating projects in the Saxon energy and environmental technology cluster Energy Saxony e.V., including eight years as part of her employment at the project management organisation VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH. Networking and co-creation are her passion. In her spare time, Christiane works as a coach and supports people in their personal growth process.

Nicole Hübner combines experience in project management, employer branding and human resources. She was already able to apply her expertise in practice during her business studies at the TU Dresden, specialising in management, marketing and HR. She worked as a student trainee in the strategy department of an employer branding agency and in HR management at a research institution. During a semester abroad at the Norges Handelshøyskole in Norway, she deepened her knowledge of behaviour-based development economics and corporate strategy. Her passion for innovative projects and the further development of networks is reflected in her previous commitments, including for the N5 Symposium, a student conference that promotes the participation of young people in politics, business and culture.

Connecting people, telling stories and triggering emotions - these were the goals that motivated Tabea-Elice Hantsche to train as an event manager and then pursue a more in-depth dual course of study in business administration service management/event and sports management at the State Academy of Studies in Riesa.
The native of Lusatia was able to gain professional experience not only in the organization of various events, but also in marketing and public relations as well as in personnel management. In addition, the insight into different corporate structures sharpened the sense for diverse perspective.

Anika Helbig knows the communications industry inside out. With her many years of experience, she is an absolute expert in visual communication and brand development. Her graphic design studies at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau laid the foundation for her career at several agencies in Dresden. There, she played a key role in the development and implementation of corporate designs and marketing strategies for well-known companies. For her, futureSAX events are more than just a variety of different event formats – they are an opportunity to raise the profile of the innovation platform, connect people and promote new ideas. With her creative and solution-oriented approach, she is a true go-getter who values the power of teamwork to realise visionary ideas together. Ready to achieve great things together? Then let's go...

Den ersten Kontakt mit dem sächsischen Innovationsökosystem hatte Robert Schulz mit einem Dresdner Start-Up-Event, das er fotografisch begleitete. Die Energie und Dynamik, die Gründende ausstrahlten, motivierten den aktiven Hobby-Fußballer zu einem Studium der Betriebswirtschaftslehre in Freiberg. Zusätzlich sammelte er Erfahrungen im Social-Media-Management und der Onlinekommunikation familiären Handwerksunternehmen, wodurch er neben der Welt der Start-ups auch intensive Einblicke in die Perspektive der KMUs gewann.

Since successfully completing her degree in International Hotel Management, Laura Keß has gained ten years of professional experience in the hotel industry. During her career, she initially specialised in event management and then broadened her focus to include quality and sustainability. Her goal: to make a positive contribution to the world around her.

With this in mind, in addition to her passion for animal welfare, she volunteers to support children from families in stressful situations. She finds balance in show dancing.

Hans Leonhardt moved from Thuringia to study in Dresden, where he completed his Master's degree in Applied Media Research. He also gained experience in journalism in radio and newspapers. He then took on a new perspective and worked in external and internal corporate communications for a health insurance company in Hamburg and an international semiconductor company in Dresden. In his spare time, he can be found making music or at various concerts in and around Dresden.

After graduating from high school, Luisa Romankewitz studied media research and practice at TU Dresden, where she gained her first experience in event management. She then worked as an influencer marketing and livestreaming manager for an international app. This was followed by several months at a language school in the USA. Luisa later supported the account management team of a global online retailer in the implementation of campaigns. As part of futureSAX, she is particularly enthusiastic about the planning and successful realisation of various events in the areas of founding and transfer.

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