Linda Wawrzyniak
Business Coach
Growing up in Germany, with Polish and Austrian roots, she spent several years abroad, for example in the UK, and speaks several languages. She holds a Bachelor of Science in international management from the ESB Business School and a Master of Science from the LMU in brand management. She is still active as vice president in the university alumni community and mentor for the alumni program. Linda Wawrzyniak’s background is in Marketing, Training, Sales, Branding and Product Management in international corporations like Adidas and Swarovski, where she held various positions. After a sabbatical year traveling around the world, she decided to shift her focus towards coaching, workshops and business development. She now works for the Pfeifer Innovation team as well as for SymbiaVC doing one-on-one coaching, workshops and team training for start-ups, founders and their employees.
Her perfect day is being active outdoors in the mountains, doing team sports or dancing salsa. She loves spending her time with friends and having interesting conversations.
- How did you start working at SymbiaVC?
- I was working for the Pfeifer innovations department when SymbiaVC was founded. Bringing Symbia to live was an exciting new challenge I took on together with Johannes. We developed the strategic model and values, defined how we wanted to work together and built the team.
- What are the strengths you bring to SymbiaVC?
- Having worked in different positions for start-ups, medium-sized enterprises and big international corporations I have a wealth of experience to draw from. This expertise, combined with my coaching skills, is a valuable asset to start-ups and a unique combination.
As I have founded my own start-up, I understand the challenges and ups and downs of this journey, demanding leaving your comfort zone often. Therefore, as a business coach for SymbiaVC, I am happy to support entrepreneurs through all the different phases you are currently in, being sparring partner, sounding board, source of fresh perspective, listener, questioner or even a challenger when necessary. - Where do you want to see SymbiaVC developing?
- I want to see SymbiaVC develop as the number one address for start-ups searching for an eye-to-eye level holistic sparring partner with business expertise, funding capabilities and especially coaching support. A place where entrepreneurs like to go growing their businesses further. Our claim “We all grow” states it perfectly. It is a give and take between founder and investor, a constant development for both sides.
- What does innovation mean to you?
- Innovation means successfully implementing new ideas, products or services that have potential to satisfy customers’ needs and create value for them. It is like using a time machine to jump to the future and bringing back the “next thing”.
- What is your favorite tree?
- The boab tree is a survivor, thriving in harsh environments with poor soil and limited rainfall. Its fruit is considered a superfruit due to its nutritious properties and it is also known as the "tree of life." Its quirky appearance, as if it was planted upside down, always brings a smile to my face, reminding me of my travels and the rich experiences I had meeting amazing people and exploring diverse cultures.
