Uli Schmitz is managing director of Axel Springer Digital Ventures GmbH and responsible for investments in companies with new or disruptive business models. After studying Electrical Engineering and graduating with a doctorate at the Technical University of Darmstadt he held several leading positions in R&D at Mannesmann and Vodafone. 2001 he joined Axel Springer. There he was involved in the digital offensive of the company, i.a. as CTO of the Electronic Media Division. Schmitz belongs to the founders of the Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator as well as „Unternehmerschule“, a program for Entrepreneurial Leadership at ESCP Europe.