Johanna Junkermann joined the b2venture Fund Team at the beginning of 2021 as an intern and quickly came on board full-time as Analyst and has served as an Investment Manager since January 2024.

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She studied business at the ESB Business School and Dublin City University and received her Masters of Science from the University College Dublin & HEC Paris. 

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“I was determined to become a strategy consultant like business schools always tell you to,” she says. “But something felt off.” A last-minute internship at a startup changed her perspective. “It really expanded the frontiers of my experience up until then in a profound way. There was so much more creativity and passion, and the decisions you make at a young startup are always critical. I worked closely with the C-suite on restructuring the company and saw first-hand how analysis turned into action.” 

A friend of hers who worked in venture capital thought it would be the right fit for her, with the need for both analytical rigor in carrying out due diligence and understanding many different sectors and businesses, yet also be highly sociable and interact with lots of different teams and navigate various founder dynamics. 

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“My parents are amazed I found something that satisfies my need to be social and talkative while being intellectually demanding too,” she says with a laugh. The decision to come b2venture was also an easy one. 

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“There’s both a humbleness to the culture at b2venture and a level of freedom I’ve had from the very beginning has been amazing and was really attractive. The learning curve was steep, but the generosity of my colleagues has been invaluable.” says Johanna. 

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Johanna is from a region in Germany famous for its wine - Rhineland Hessen - but Johanna’s drink of choice is Diet Coke.

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Johanna herself is an avid runner and early riser, always looking to beat her best time.

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“I am always on, it’s part of my nature. That’s why I love working with founders. Metaphorically speaking you really are running a marathon with them over the long-term, both in good times and bad. It’s a partnership, not a relationship of convenience.”