We are delighted to announce that Christian Noske has joined NGP Capital as a Partner in our new Berlin office.

With a global background in corporate venture and as an angel investor, Christian will source investments in the digital transformation and industrial space with a primary focus on Europe and Israel.

Christian got his start in venture capital as a founding partner at BMWi Ventures where he focused on Enterprise Software, Industrial Tech, and Automotive Tech.

Prior to venture capital, he was the CFO for a digital agency acquired by WPP and he worked in finance and business development for Robert Bosch GmbH in Germany and Asia.

We sat down with Christian to get to know him a little better.

What was your first job in the tech or VC world?

That would be BMW i Ventures. In 2011, BMW decided to start a $100m venture fund to focus on Mobility Services and support their new strategic direction. It was an exciting time as most VCs didn’t identify this space as a big opportunity yet and most of the well know companies were created around that time (Uber, Zimride/Lyft, VIA, etc.). We opened the office in the heart of NYC with a very small team, at a time when Michael Bloomberg was mayor of the city and invested heavily in city-tech and open data policies. Later on we expanded our scope to Industry 4.0, Digital Enterprise, Electrification, Autonomous Driving, etc. which is very close to what NGP Capital is doing today.

What first got you excited about the tech industry?

There are two things: 1. When I was maybe 5 years old, I was standing in a big room filled with giant machines. It was a computer room used for trainings and I was super fascinated by that old game Mouse&Cheese and how a machine could do something like that. 2. The tech industry doesn’t create linear innovation. It produces breakout success, access, and wealth. This got me most excited about the tech industry as an adult.

If you got $1B of funding for your own start-up, what kind of company would you start from scratch today?

I would start a Venture fund 😊

What do you like to do in your free time that does not involve a screen?

Playing volleyball or badminton, cooking Mediterranean food, good wine and listening to music. Ideally together with great friends and family.

Diversity and Inclusion is hot topic now. What improvements do you think the industry could make overall?

The good and bad thing is that we are just starting to scratch the surface on DEI and lots of things need to be improved. There are obvious elements that need to be improved around giving everyone equal opportunity in life, starting with education, and continuing into the business world.

However, the biggest impact could be achieved, in my opinion, if the DEI issues would be made transparent and clearly articulated. Not just in the tech industry, but broadly throughout society and regions. In my experience, most people don’t see the problems, can’t articulate it themselves or relate to them.