David Soskin - Partner and co-Founder
David served as Chief Executive Officer of Cheapflights - which he joined in March 2000 upon the management buy-in - until April 2008. Under his leadership, Cheapflights grew from an attic-based operation into an international leader in online travel search. During this period, Cheapflights won many industry awards and was included in the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track of the UK's 100 fastest growing privately-owned technology companies for five years in a row. David was a Finalist for the Ernst and Young UK Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2006.
David Soskin is on the board of online media company Reaction. He has served as Chairman on many boards including Cortexica, Smart Traffic and Swapit. He was on the board of Aldermore Bank prior to its successful flotation.
He was a non-executive director of the Momondo Group (formerly Cheapflights) until October 2014 when Great Hill Partners acquired a majority stake in the business. Priceline Inc acquired Momondo in 2017 for $550 million.
Previously, David was head of global media and technology at ABN AMRO Corporate Finance.
David's entrepreneurial experience was gained at the Asquith Court Schools Group which he founded in 1989 and on whose board he sat until 2001, when the Company was successfully sold to West Private Equity. Asquith became the UK's leading provider of premium childcare and education for the under-5s and was acquired by Bright Horizons in 2016. In 1995, David's entrepreneurial achievements were honoured by the European Foundation for Entrepreneurial Research when he was named as one of Europe's 500 most dynamic entrepreneurs.
David also has worked in senior capacities both in industry (Redland Plc where he was Group Director of Corporate Planning) and government (Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Number 10 Policy Unit).
David graduated from the University of Oxford (First Class Honours in Modern History), where he was President of the Oxford Union, and from the Harvard Business School (MBA) where he was a Harkness Fellow.
David's book on the business of the internet "Net Profit: How to succeed in Digital Business" (published by John Wiley & Sons) is a best-seller. (www.netprofitbook.com)
David is a Vice President of Petworth Park Cricket Club.
Sascha Hausmann - Partner
Sascha is a partner of the fund.
Sascha started his career in tax consulting & accounting focused on audits, consulting on corporate tax,
company structure, reporting and the implementation of finance systems.
From 1999 to 2005 he worked at WorldRes, one of the first online hotel reservation systems in the
industry, where he was promoted to Global CEO having been Director Finance, Europe.
In 2005, Sascha, together with two partners, incorporated StellantPartners, a consultancy firm
specialized in Mergers & Acquisitions, operational & strategic advice as well as fund management where
he is still a partner today.
Since 2006 he has been an active Venture Capital Investor through HOWZAT Partners based in London
and Luxembourg and StellantVentures, StellantPartners’ investment arm. He has been advising HOWZAT
Partners since 2006 and became a partner in 2013. In the last 14 years, the three funds have invested
into over 80 companies globally across several industries. Currently close to 30 companies have a travel
focus.
Between 2007 and 2012, as part of the consultancy practice and investment, Sascha took on the position
of CEO of eRevMax (operating under the RateTiger brand) to establish a global presence, build a sales
and marketing team and generate a medium to long term business strategy for the business.
Since 2013 he has been the Founder & CEO of Busy Rooms, a Malta-based central reservation system for
the hotel industry where he drives the expansion and product strategy.
Sascha is a well-recognised figure in several industries, speaking at many events and is a senior advisor,
board member and investor at a wide variety of digital businesses.
In his spare time, Sascha is a passionate general aviation pilot and enjoys swimming.
Dr. Thomas Koch
Thomas is Founding Partner at Andersen Tax & Legal Germany. He has more than 10 years of experience in VC and M&A. Previously Thomas worked as lawyer for Luther Law Firm, BakerMcKenzie and Linklaters. Thomas joined HOWZAT Partners 7 years ago as a Partner.
Lars Hahn
Lars is a Senior Partner in StellantPartners. He has been a member of the fund and has helped with running it since 2006.
Lars has a specialization in online distribution systems in Europe and the US. Prior to joining Stellant Partners, Lars was the WorldRes (and subsequently WebRes) Financial Controller, taking responsibility for the financial operations of WorldRes, as well as managing the contractual and support relationships with online partners and hotels.
Having worked with a mid-sized consulting company, Lars has extensive experience in financial and management accounting for both European and US corporations. Developing and maintaining relationships with senior management, auditors and shareholders was another of his key responsibilities.
eRevMax approached Stellant in 2007 to provide financial management services. Lars has been the de facto CFO of the business, implementing new rigorous financial and management procedures, dealing with hedging and leverage and enhancing the financial team. He passed these responsibilities over to an internal CFO in early 2012.
In his spare time, Lars is a passionate soccer player , likes gardening and of course barbeques. Over the weekends he acts as Jack Sparrow of the Rhine River.
Jan-Frederik Valentin
Jan is an experienced entrepreneur, investor and M&A advisor. He is known for his expertise in Strategy, Marketing & Product. Before founding ennea in 2016, Jan made KAYAK a European household name acting as the company’s Managing Director Europe. Prior to that Jan ran listed Travel24.com. He travelled the world as a journalist for many years. Jan holds several advisory/board seats in European companies.
Anton Werner
Anton is a seasoned finance professional & entrepreneur. He has worked at large Private Equity Funds and served as CFO at Outfiittery and Home24, two leading e-commerce companies. He has founded Beach-Inspector, the world's largest beach platform with more than 1 million monthly users, which he sold to the HolidayCheck Group in 2018.
Alexander Trieb
Alex is an international serial entrepreneur with 20+ years in the digital, travel and media industry. He has spent the last decade founding, growing and exiting start-ups. The last 5+ years Alex has worked at Palantir and Amadeus pioneering data-driven digital strategies in the travel and media industry. Before that, Alex spent several years in Management and IT Consulting.
Cassian Silins
Cassian is an experienced consulting and industry expert. Prior to joining ennea Cassian ran KAYAK’s hotel business and acted as an advisor in the travel and software industries. Cassian combines a decade-long experience & expertise in e-commerce, digital marketing, and business development with a strong PE & VC network in London.
Simon Schiller
Simon has worked multiple years for a sports marketing agency managing business development projects. Due to his time working for a family office he gained insights into venture capital and M&A. Simon has garnered experience in the tourism industry working for a large German tour operator.
Rodrigo Ponce de León
Rodrigo is a seasoned Investor and Advisor who has raised more than $100m for various companies. He holds board seats in a number of different companies in Europe and the US including Immersive Artistry Holding Company. Further, Rodrigo is part of Hackers and Founders Advisory board, actively supporting different start-ups through its expertise and network.
Tobias Salzig
Tobias is an experienced Venture Capital Investor serving as Head of Deals at Angelgate. He has more than 20 years of relevant experience in Corporate Finance & Strategy Advisory. He has co-founded several companies and therefore has a strong entrepreneurial mindset. In total, Tobias has raised more than €90m in private & public investments for a range of different companies.