Filip Felician Dames

Filip Dames is a German entrepreneur and Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures, a European early-stage venture capital firm. Prior to Cherry he was a member of the founding team of Zalando (ZAL) and played a pivotal role in business development, including the international expansion and product development of the company. Filip was also the founder and CEO of Zalando Lounge, a shopping club within the Zalando group. Before Zalando, Filip was the founder and CEO of digital marketplace for art and collectibles. Filip Dames has received the "Investor of the Year 2022" award by the German Startup Association and is listed as Europe's Best Early-Stage Investors in 2022 by Business Insider. He appears on Forbes Midas List Europe recognising him as one of the top 25 technology investors on the continent. Filip serves on the board of KfW Capital as well as the Bundesverband dt. Startups (BVDS), the German Startup Association. He is a guest lecturer at IMD-Lausanne Business school and his alma mater, WHU. Filip is also an active supporter of the Ashoka network, an organization focused on helping founders establish social businesses worldwide. Together with his wife he established the a Family Foundation dedicated to supporting education and providing access to entrepreneurship for families from disadvantaged backgrounds.