About Conny

Dr. Cornelius (“Conny”) Boersch is an entrepreneur, business angel and founder of numerous technology companies. Conny is considered one of the best-connected networkers in the tech and start-up scene. He is the founder of the global company builder Mountain Partners AG and drives its strategy as executive chairman. Conny initiated the Unternehmertag at Tegernsee, one of the most exclusive conferences in Europe and regularly holds speeches at universities or tech events all over the world. As a business angel, he has invested in more than 300 companies since 1995 and was voted “European Business Angel of the Year” in 2009.

As an entrepreneur, he initiated the stock-listed RFID-based companies ACG, Smartrac and Identiv as well as the cashless payment systems provider Sandpiper. For his activities he was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2000. Politically, Conny acted as advisor to Dr. Guido Westerwelle, former president of the German Liberal Party, FDP, Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Germany from 2009 to 2012. He studied at the European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Essen with a thesis on venture capital and investing. He later also acted as honorary professor and held lectures at the University of Essen. Conny Boersch continues to hold close ties to the European Business School (EBS), support the university actively and supports several spin-off startups from EBS. He was also the sponsor of the first internet chair at a German university.

Conny’s vision is to guide the digital disruption of all sectors in the right direction in order to empower all stakeholders in the digitalized world. Conny embodies the ultimate can-do attitude and is committed to a hands-on approach in his support of startups, creating long-lasting and close relationships with their founders. Conny is also passionate about flying and spends most of his free time as a pilot, flying over the European Alps.

Experience

Conny has dedicated the last 28 years of his life to the technological advancement and digitalization of the world we live in. As serial-entrepreneur and angel investor he has developed processes to determine early on, which ventures have a chance at success and which don’t. Being invested in nearly all relevant mega trends of the twenty-first century from security, e-commerce, virtual reality, fintech, insurtech, artificial intelligence and blockchain, Conny has developed a deep understanding of disruptive forces.

Conny is a certified Super Angel

“EAF is an initiative advised by EIF which provides equity to Business Angels and other non-institutional investors for the financing of innovative companies in the form of co-investments. EAF works hand in hand with Business Angels and helps them to increase their investment capacity by co-investing into innovative companies in the seed, early or growth stage. The activity of EAF is adapted to the Business Angels' investment style by granting the highest degree of freedom in terms of decision making and management of investments.

EAF has a current volume of EUR 320m, with more than EUR 200m already committed to some 80 selected Business Angels which have already built a portfolio of more than 340 SMEs co-investments.”

The Unternehmertag is Dr. Cornelius Boersch’s highly exclusive, by-invitation-only network event. Now in its 13th iteration, the event brings together the most influential personalities from business, economics, politics and entertainment. The Unternehmertag has become an established brand in the European digital and private equity scene and increasingly garners international attention not only for its illustrious participant list, but also its unique combination of renowned speakers.

Conny is the co-founder of Angelgate, a closed network for Super Angels and families. The club provides family office services to its members and supports them in all their startup investment activities. Three times a year, Angelgate invites its members to highly exclusive meetups where investors, entrepreneurs and family offices can network in a premium setting and invest in hand-picked startups.

Conny’s annual ski event takes place in early December. For 24 years Conny has invited his 70 closest friends and business partners to Sölden, Austria for four days of skiing and networking. The event is known to be a highlight every year and anticipated greatly by all participants.

Conny is an active member of the FDP - liberal democratic party of Germany. Organizing events and political discussions for FDP, Conny has become a close friend of the party over the past twenty years. Since then Dr. Cornelius Boersch has served as advisor to high-ranking politicians in Germany, consulting people such as former Vice Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the German Federal Republic on economic matters and international relations.

The time between 2001 and 2012 marks Conny’s most active years in politics. He supported the party through his network and was responsible for the organization of the electoral campaign of 2009, during which the party was elected into the government in a coalition with the CDU (led by Angela Merkel).

Dr. Boersch is known for his support of a level-playing field and open political discourse, from which democracy at large will benefit. Therefore he is acquainted with the most important political thought leaders across the globe, regardless of their party affiliations, resulting in close ties and friendships with not only liberal party members such as Guido Westerwelle, but also social political leaders such as Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Christian Lindner and Philipp Rösler. Political guests who frequented Dr. Boersch’s annual Unternehmertag also include former President of the German Federal Republic Joachim Gauck, Roland Koch, Gregor Gysi, Joschka Fischer and foreign politicians such as Yanis Varoufakis, former Minister of Finance to Greece.

His core competence is to advise politicians on economics, digitalization and entrepreneurship. He continues to shape politics through his influence in the business world not alone in Europe but also in Asia and the Americas.

Unternehmertag 2019: March 28-29 2019

For more than 10 years, each spring, Mountain Partners welcomes 500 entrepreneurs, investors, representatives of influential families, business angels, CEOs and personalities of economy, politics and entertainment to its Annual Network Event Unternehmertag in an exclusive resort at Tegernsee.

Mountain Partners' founder Dr. Cornelius Boersch initiated the two-day event at Lake Tegernsee in 2007 with the aim to provide his friends and business partners with an annual networking platform in a relaxed atmosphere. The Unternehmertag has developed into one of the most popular events in the venture capital and private equity scene in Europe.

At the Unternehmertag, one can still feel the original and incomparable "spirit" of the founding years, offering entrepreneurs and investors the unique opportunity to meet and exchange in a relaxed atmosphere. The often quoted “Kessel Buntes” (a colourful bowl) offers guests a diverse mixture of keynotes around current topics, presentations of innovative start-ups and promising investment opportunities as well as a supporting program with sufficient occasions for networking at the highest level.