If you don’t manage your intellectual property, you’re essentially boosting your competitors’ chances!

On 21 October 2026, GEISTWERT hosted an exciting panel discussion on the topic ‘Spin-offs, start-ups and scale-ups – everyone’s talking about them!’.

GEISTWERT partner Juliane Messner discussed precisely this topic with serial entrepreneur Constantin Wintoniak and fintech investor Susanne Müller-Taborsky. The event was moderated by scale-up expert Jutta Perfahl-Strilka. Juliane explained how important it is to consider IP (intellectual property) at the right time and to take the appropriate steps. “If you don’t finance the future today, it will leave you behind!” says Susanne Müller-Taborsky with conviction, whilst Constantin Wintoniak provided fascinating insights into his time as a start-up founder and his time in senior management at a large corporation. He believes: “In the early stages, the founder is often the solution to every problem. But when it comes to scaling up, that very fact becomes the problem!”

The event was chaired by scale-up expert Jutta Perfahl-Strilka, who emphasised the importance of scale-up management skills such as in-depth go-to-market expertise, operational capabilities, setting up business monitoring systems, and strong people and culture skills.

A very lively discussion ensued.