Portrait picture of Christian Leybold from Headline

Christian Leybold

Investor

Berlin
progression

A Conversation with Christian

The most important trait in an entrepreneur is founder’s paranoia – the sense that at any moment, someone might come out of the woods and try to beat you at your game. It’s never safe, especially not at the top.

Summarize your career leading up to Headline in one sentence.

A bit like a Catholic priest who has spent time in the Vatican – I learned the American style of VC in Silicon Valley before launching Headline in Europe.

What’s the strangest place you’ve ever met a founder?

A ski resort in the mountains of Tatarstan.

My Investment Philosophy

To me, it’s always about teams and working with great people. I make sure to enforce the no asshole rule within the firm.

Sector(s)

Consumer Marketplaces, SaaS

Name one that got away.

Skype, Zendesk, Twilio...lots of great names in the inverse portfolio, too!

What’s always in your travel bag?

Too many cables and lots of optimism.