Bridging Worlds for Innovation

Harnessing the strengths of corporations and startups for future-focused transformation

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Dirk Lehmann

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Hi! I’m Dirk and I was born in a country that doesn’t exist anymore. That taught me early on that we can change everything for the better and take control of our future. 

In my daily work, I challenge entrepreneurs, transform companies and inspire people to make change happen by telling engaging stories. I just so happen to do that as an advisor, coach and speaker.

When I’m not helping others to level up, I seek inspiration while traveling other countries and connecting with the global ecosystem. As a world citizen at heart, I’m known for my never ending smile and kindness to my peers.

My Guiding Principles

The Values in Pillars that Shape My Work and Approach

Practice over Preaching

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 Innovation for Impact

Joy and Fun at Work

My Mission

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In today's rapidly evolving world, innovation matters more than ever before. I believe in harnessing fresh ideas that genuinely enhance our lives. Since traditional methods won't solve today's challenges, we need groundbreaking approaches. Thankfully, with today's technology, we can amplify innovation, giving everyone a voice in this transformative era. I'm committed to ensuring every brilliant mind is heard and supported.

I relentlessly challenge the status quo and my own perspectives, striving to empower today's innovators to craft a brighter future. As an Innovation Advisor, I guide corporations towards shaping a more positive impact on the world. Concurrently, as a Pitch Coach, I stand beside founders and executives, and help them find the story they need to make change happen.

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My Passion Projects

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Expanding my horizons through a variety of initiatives to foster knowledge exchange and community engagement.

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My Journey

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My career started with a big opportunity and failure. Right out of college, I was in charge of the Mercedes-Benz Driving Events and in only four years turned them from a small event format into a brand of its own while expanding them into six other countries. Only later I realized that this was my first successful startup. Despite my passion for the projects I was involved in, I realized that the corporate environment wasn't for me. I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, traveling, exploring meditation, and immersing myself in the startup ecosystem.
I enrolled at the European Innovation Academy to build my own startup. It failed after only four months, but this experience taught me all the hardships of entrepreneurship right at the start of my journey. It also showed me that I care more for the humans involved in innovation than the tech, which led me to focus on helping innovators succeed.

Since then, I've helped innovators build and scale startups in over a dozen accelerators and corporate innovation programs, including two Techstars programs, Google Launchpads, Adobe Kickbox programs by Mak3it, a digital health accelerator for the government of Dubai and intrapreneurship as well as corporate-startup programs for Bosch.
On top, I’ve always had a passion for public speaking, and have invested significantly in my speaking development to keep improving how I communicate. That turned into The Pitch Training which supports hundreds of startups and executives a year in developing better pitches. Until today, I continue to share my knowledge and experiences, helping others navigate the exciting yet challenging world of innovation.