Who am I and what do I do at autarc?

Hi, I'm Thies, one of the co-founders and COO of autarc and I focus on all topics related to operations, finance and development.

What did I do before autarc?

After my time in Hamburg and Hong Kong at the shipping company Hamburg Süd and a lot of work around process optimization, I came to Berlin in 2020 for a Master's degree. In addition to my studies, I was able to gain deep insights into the startup ecosystem through positions at Trade Republic, Partech and Gorillas. The agility and ability to implement at these companies blew me away and was incomparable to my time at a corporation.

Why autarc?

During my time at the startups, I quickly realized that while it is quite impressive to build companies that deliver a purchase with 15000 people in a short period of time, it does not mean that this contributes to a social change that I want to spend my working hours on in the long term. Etienne and I thought a lot about possible startup ideas during our studies and always had in mind that it had to be something that solves a social problem, and we kept coming back to the climate crisis, skills shortages and energy dependency. With autarc, we see the opportunity to make a significant contribution to all of these issues. Burning gas and oil contributes more than 20% to our emissions - only heat pumps can really contribute to a reduction here - they are often expensive and time-consuming to install. That's why autarc exists. A platform that makes the installation of heat pumps a no-brainer for installers and homeowners.

What do I do outside of autarc?

In my free time, I like to be out and about, swinging a tennis racket or engaging in other sporting activities. I also love trying out Berlin's culinary diversity and am always open to new restaurant recommendations. Finally, a little insider tip from me: Cosmic's stand-up comedy offers free pizza and a few laughs - it's worth it!