People
Experts in cities, climate, scaling, storytelling, and implementation.
We help startups think like investors, and organizations think like startups. Our working style is personal, present, and collaborative. Our extended team of urban tech experts allows us to bring unique insights into projects and fast-track implementation.
Dominik Zalewski
Partner
Dominik is an urban economist and former VC CFO with extensive experience in local and regional economic planning and financing of early-stage start-ups.
As a Partner, he pairs the experience of supercharged growth of technologies with the logic of patient development to drive transformative projects and invest in the right startups.
Jonas Schorr
Partner
Prior to founding Urban Impact, Jonas spent ten years working on a variety of international projects in the field of sustainable city-making across Europe and Asia.
As a Partner, Jonas oversees all client relationships, focuses on the agency’s strategic outreach and ecosystem activities, and engages in our investment activities.
Sophie Persigehl
Projects
Sophie is a city planner by training and passionate about urban innovation shaping the city of tomorrow.
Her role in the company spans from orchestrating and driving client projects to actively fostering network partnerships.
Friedrich A. Neuman
Partner
Friedrich is an entrepreneur and early-stage impact investor with 15 years of company-building experience. He co-founded 4 startups and invested in 20 companies, including multiple exits.
Today he spearheads the investment activities and supports startups as a strategic advisor and Partner at the agency.
Lucas Teixeira
Creative
Lucas is a technology-savvy creative director experienced in creating and presenting forward-thinking concepts.
At Urban Impact, he is responsible for storytelling, visual communication, and strategic presentations.
Pascal Vilhelmsson
Research
Pascal is a business generalist with experience selling food boxes in 10+ countries through a crowdfunding campaign, building a fintech startup from pre-product to exit, and writes about climate-tech startups through the ’tings newsletter.
He supports investments and consulting activities through research and dealflow.
Our guiding principles
See the good.
Choose curiosity.
Hold the skepticism.
Measure actions.
Respect the challenge.
Evolve, don’t disrupt.
Bring others in.
Partner to solve.
Thrive in community.
Experts
Our high-level, international network of city experts makes us the go-to partner for clients that want to bring unique ecosystem insights and reach to their project. Our close connections with academia, city networks, politics and investors mean we can validate new ideas right from the start and broker ground-breaking alliances.
Dr. Aditi Ramdorai
Impact investor, startup mentor and former McKinsey Global Institute Fellow. Focused on researching and solving global issues with a societal impact.
Adrian Silver
Sustainability consultant, teacher at Columbia University.
Aleksandra Balkiewicz-Żerek
Economic researcher, expert on public policy and innovation in Poland and CEE region.
Alex Kovbasko
Expert in international business development and growth programs for startups.
Andrew Stevens
Urbanist and researcher looking at city networks, urban management and local ecosystem policy in Europe and Asia.
Dr. Anthony Townsend
World-leading authority on the future of mobility, author of Ghost Road and Smart Cities, strategic advisor.
David Altabev
Expert on digital city strategies, startup collaboration and innovative public procurement in the UK and Europe.
Joanna Erbel
Sociologist and urban activist supporting sustainable development cities and good solutions for housing policy.
Kasia Zalewska
Entrepreneur, impact investor, analyst of future market trends.
Marcus Lukic-Walther
Biologist and innovation expert for nature-based approaches, including topics of blue and green infrastructure.
Dr. Michael Mischke
Mobility expert, ecosystem builder and storyteller.
Dr. Oliver von Quast
Energy expert, innovation consultant and investor. Special expertise in corporate innovation programs for city utilities.
Dr. Thomas Letz
Senior advisor on public policy and smart city strategy.
Travis Todd
Serial entrepreneur specialized in creating values-based tech communities.
