MEET OUR TEAM
MEET OUR TEAM
Jan-Frederik Valentin
With over two decades of experience in the venture capital and travel industry, Jan is a seasoned professional with significant expertise in strategic and corporate development. Since 2016, he has been serving as a Managing Partner at Ennea Capital Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in travel and mobility startups across EMEA. Before this, he held influential positions at prominent online travel agencies (OTAs) and tour operators, including a noteworthy tenure as Managing Director at KAYAK Europe. Jan has also provided strategic advice at Howzat Partners and Kaizen VC, and served as a partner at TruVenturo GmbH. His enduring leadership has significantly contributed to establishing leading technology investment, M&A, and advisory businesses in Europe.
Simon Schiller
Simon is a versatile financial advisor with several years of experience in travel and M&A. Joining ennea capital partners in 2019, where he acts as a Partner, Simon led several successful M&A and fundraising transactions in the travel industry. Prior to his time at ennea, Simon worked for a Munich-based family office. Before that, he worked on different projects in the travel industry and in sports marketing & consulting.
Andreas Nau
20+ years veteran of the travel industry holding senior management positions at TUI, Expedia, and Awaze. As Managing Director EMEA at Expedia, responsible for the P&L and growth of the OTA in Europe. At Awaze, the world’s largest managed vacation rental operator, responsible for the management, strategy, and integration of various specialist brands including amongst others James Villa Holidays and Fincallorca. Passionate about how travel technology can advance customer outcomes and work with both startups on growth as well as mature companies on digital transformation. Andreas serves also as board advisor to Nezasa, a leading Swiss travel tech company.
Maurice Lutz
Maurice is an entrepreneurial professional with 10+ years of experience in the travel & leisure industry. Prior to joining ennea, Maurice built up a golf travel department at Hotelplan Suisse, the biggest tour operator in Switzerland and led a VIP team for HNWI at Ten Lifestyle Group, a leading concierge service based in London. Besides this, he is the co-founder of an event agency in Zurich and an advisor of a travel-tech start-up in Paris. Maurice studied at HEC Paris & Yale School of Management for his MBA.
Bente Paulina Baumann
Bente is part of ennea’s team dedicated to M&A, Fundraising and strategic advisory. Prior to joining ennea, Bente has started her finance career working in the Corporate Finance & Tax department of Telefonica bringing valuable insights in accounting to her role at ennea. Bente holds a bachelor’s degree from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich.
Stefan Dapper
Stefan’s career spans over three decades in the travel industry. He started as a Contracting Manager at ITS in 1988, then joined Ltur as a Board Member overseeing contracting and Destination Management. After a stint at Dertour, where he managed warm water productivista and the city break business, Stefan returned to Ltur as a Board Manager, adding Revenue Management to his responsibilities. From 2008 to 2018, he played a crucial role as Managing Director in integrating Hotelbeds into TUI, consolidating three brands under the TUI umbrella. In 2018, Stefan became CEO in Peru, overseeing the integration of Nuevo Mundo Viajes and Condor Travel under the Expertia Travel Holding. Despite his new role, he continues to be actively involved as a Board Member.
Dr. Sven Sterzenbach
Sven has spent his career in corporate and entrepreneurial finance and as a private investor before co-founding ennea Invest GmbH. He enjoys learning about new business models – in particular tech-driven startups that challenge incumbent travel and hospitality players. As professor for travel management at Munich University of Applied Sciences, Sven focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation.
Tobias Wolfshohl
Tobias started his career in the tour operator (TO) business chartering flights and purchasing hotel capacities. With the upcoming new economy during the turn of the millennium he built up a new TO for a German Online Travel Agency. There he designed a new internet based just in time purchasing process for TO’s. In 2004 he co-founded the TO vtours with a successful exit in 2019, when it rose to a stable Top 10 Package-TO in Germany. Already since 2013 he invests in start-ups in Travel Retail, Web Services and in an insurance broker for tourism. Also in the same year he founded CPTW, managed projects and consulted various companies.
Nino Kobalia
Nino joined Ennea in September 2023 as a part of M&A, Strategic Advisory and Fundraising team. In her role as an M&A Associate, she brings over four years of experience in Consulting, Private Equity and Investment Banking, gained through her time at Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Castlelake LP and Rabobank. Nino holds a BSc in Finance from Bocconi University and MSc in Corporate Finance from SDA Bocconi Business School. She is fluent in Georgian, English, Italian, Russian and proficient in French