Sunday, December 23, 2018

Thank you for an amazing 2018!

Thank you for an amazing 2018! I love to share this year's highlights with you.


JANUARY
In January, I co-hosted a Changemaker Chat as San Francisco Director for the first time. 
We bring together women across the world for off-the-record conversations with female changemakers – women who have inspired us through their achievements. We ask them about lessons they have learned in their professional and personal journeys. Our focus is on creating an honest and open conversation about their successes and failures, personal philosophies, and advise for future changemakers.


Interviewing Obi Felten, Head of getting moonshots ready for contact with the real world
@Google X (Photo by Allison Walsh, TwentyTwenty Studios)


FEBRUARY
I started Piña Colada, with the mission to connect groups of six like-minded singles over great food in San Francisco’s best restaurants. To date Piña Colada has acquired 650+ users with diversity in gender, age and sexual orientation and hosted 25+ group dinner dates with 150+ paying clients at its partner restaurants The Perennial and Commonwealth.

Photo by Anthony Rogers, Bob Cut Mag


MARCH
I gave two keynotes at Social Media Week in Hamburg and reconnected with my friends from business school. One of the talks was focused on Female Entrepreneurship, the other one on Corporate Career vs Entrepreneurship. Mark Levy, Airbnb's former Global Head of Employee Experience, introduced me to Gravity Speakers and they created a beautiful speaker profile for me. I really enjoy public speaking and engaging with the audience and am looking forward to upcoming gigs.

Photo by Malte Klauck


APRIL
My friend Miri was visiting San Francisco. As a reunited trio we did our traditional weekend road trip to Big Sur along the California West Coast.

Brunch at Cafe Nepenthe 


MAY
I spent a few days at my friend Sarah's in the desert in Joshua Tree National Park and helped her turn the house she bought into a nice Airbnb. You can book a stay at Esmeralda here.

We participated in a sound bath at Integraton - a little too hippie for my taste.


JUNE
Most of June I spent co-working with my good friend Matteo, former Airbnb country manager of Italy, who was in town for a few months on his impact sabbatical. Some early mornings (7 AM) we were watching Germany play in the soccer world cup.

Watching soccer at Schröder's with Britta & Caro, fellow Atlantikbrücke Young Leaders


JULY
My friend Matt hosted me for a week in his beautiful apartment in Venice, Los Angeles. I reconnected with friends who had moved to LA over the years and tested Lime (Code: RBZYZLL) and Bird (Code: EEAGYQ) scooters for the first time. Riding them is quite fun and addictive.

View from my Venice office


AUGUST
Our friends Natalia and Marek got married this summer. Carlos and I had a lot of fun and spent quality time at their Bachelor/ette parties and wine country wedding.

Wild West style photo booth


SEPTEMBER
After working 7 days/week for most of the year, we took some time off in September to visit New Orleans, Madrid and Lisbon. 

Oak Alley Plantation close to New Orleans


OCTOBER
Together with my friend Kristina, I launched a podcast about our lives as entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. We feel honored that we were granted with an award by the German Foreign Service, the Goethe Institute and the BDI. You can find our episodes every other Wednesday on SpotifyiTunes or Soundcloud.

Please, let us know if you have any feedback or want to nominate our next guest.


NOVEMBER
In Q2 of 2018 I worked with a few companies of the current batch of the German Accelerator. I advised Nestpick on their US expansion strategy and helped them with introductions to VCs. I also taught a class on Community Building and advised MegaDev on organizing their first meet-up in the USA. 

I shared my observations and experience of building community at Airbnb and Piña Colada.


DECEMBER
Carlos and I spent the holidays in Spain and Germany with our families including my newly born niece Neele.

Our first stop in Germany was visiting my cousin and her family in Cologne.

I wish you all happy holidays with your loved ones and hope to see you soon in 2019! Come visit me in San Francisco or catch me somewhere around the world. ;) 

Follow me on KaliforniakatiInstagramFacebookLinkedIn or Twitter and keep in touch!

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