This interview was originally published in German and has been machine translated.
Hi Matthias, you’re a co-founder of Ideastream. What exactly does your startup do?
We are building the operating system for startup ecosystems. Ideastream is an AI-powered platform that supports startup centers, incubators, and startup factories in guiding founders in a structured way—from the initial idea to a viable business model. The process is scalable, measurable, and free from unnecessary administrative overhead.
How would you describe your vision in one sentence?
With ideastream.io, innovation should become something natural: a clear, accessible process that empowers many people to turn their ideas into real, impactful solutions for the future.
What sparked the idea to found Ideastream?
In Europe, we see something very positive: significant efforts are being made to grow the startup culture. There are startup centers, incubators, startup factories—an entire ecosystem dedicated to supporting young companies. But we also see a structural problem at the very beginning. The people supporting founders often lack time and resources. Startup coaches and advisors spend much of their time on documentation, applications, administration, and coordination—tasks that take them away from working directly with teams. That’s an enormous waste of expertise that should actually be invested in coaching and sparring.
Ideastream addresses exactly this issue. We provide startup advisors with a tool that gives them back the freedom to focus on what they are truly there for—working with people. At the same time, we guide founders through structured, AI-supported workflows that enable them to move from idea to business model in a self-directed way.
What was your path into entrepreneurship?
We worked together for five years as an innovation agency and supported many startups. With the rapid advancement of AI, we knew we had to evolve. So we conducted a discovery phase for our own idea: interviews, research, prototypes, and validation. The results were so clear that we decided to found the company. After that came the search for investors. Through The Bridge and SouthwestX, we entered incubation.
What does your team look like today, and how do you complement each other in your daily work?
We are currently a team of three: Jan as CPO, Robert as CTO, and myself as CEO. For me, founding a company without a team would be unimaginable. We are very different personalities with complementary skills—and that makes all the difference when you want to move quickly and precisely.
Each of us carries part of the vision, and over time it forms a shared picture. Discourse plays a major role: discussions, emotions, even disagreements—as long as our values are clear. That makes us stronger as a team.
Founding a startup comes with highs and lows. The pressure, uncertainty, and workload are hard to bear alone. As a team, we support each other professionally and emotionally. That’s why diversity within the team is one of the most important prerequisites for success.
How do you experience everyday startup life between product development, finance, and customer acquisition?
Too little time for too many tasks—that sums it up well. We have to build the product, acquire customers, and convince investors at the same time. Everything is in motion and requires constant iteration. Working independently is fantastic, but it requires a stable mindset. You can’t allow your emotions to take over.
Were there key moments that shaped you?
One important moment was when a customer stood up after a product presentation, gave me a high five, and said: “Congratulations. This solves so many of our problems.”
The feeling of truly meeting a real need is incredibly motivating. You should reach that moment as early as possible—it drives you forward. But the most important step is convincing your first customers to actually buy the product.
What personal qualities help you most?
Resilience and agility. Decision-making and action belong together. You have to iterate, adapt, process feedback—and still stay true to your vision. It’s crucial to understand which feedback truly helps and when you need to believe in your idea, even on difficult days.
What has been your biggest challenge so far, and how did you deal with it?
Raising capital. Investor relationships were new territory for us, with an entirely different language and mindset. It’s about communicating vision clearly, managing time pressure, and taking responsibility for other people’s money. SouthwestX supports us strongly, especially our incubation manager Fabian with his experience. Still, it’s an intense learning process because we constantly take on tasks we’ve never done before.
Is there a mistake you made during the founding process that you wouldn’t make again?
Not really. The entire process is highly iterative. Insights emerge step by step, and earlier assumptions were simply limited by the knowledge we had at the time. I learn something new every day..
What has been the craziest moment so far?
The craziest moment was the beginning of our journey—the moment we said, “Let’s do this.” Leaving our jobs, leaving security, and stepping into uncertainty and the startup world.
What advice would you give aspiring founders?
Formulate your idea clearly and make it communicable. Identify a real problem and address it with a clear solution—from the user’s perspective. Read the right books, talk to the right people, and find out as quickly as possible whether your idea is worth pursuing. And of course: use ideastream.io! We have implemented everything we believe in within the platform.
If you could meet someone for lunch (dead or alive) to talk about entrepreneurship, who would it be and why?
Ray Eames and Charles Eames. They shaped worlds and futures and embodied a mindset that is more relevant than ever: everything is open, nothing is ever finished. From them, I would love to learn how to think and design the future—and how to create real value for people.
Thank you for your time!
