Wise Leaders Fellowship

A 10-month cohort experience blending modern leadership with timeless wisdom for visionary founders and CEOs. 

In the words of past fellows:

*”These models help me navigate and live my life by.”*

— Francescu Santoni (CEO Mojo, YC W19)

*“This program has changed my mind. It will change yours .”*

— Raffael Fellmer, CEO SirPlus

 *“I never knew I have so much kindness in me”*

— Claire Midwood, Former CEO Amorelie

*“Nikolas teaches the science of meditation in a way that immediately is applicable to help me be a better leader”*
— Franziska Schmitt, CEO Humanize

*“An amazing program to reflect how I am showing up as a leader”*

— Oddur Magnusson, Founder Klang Games

Founder 

ForChiefs Alliance | Leadership Sidekicks

I help CEOs and Founders to create the most meaningful work and organisations of their lives. 

My clients typically have 20-1000 employees, have raised $5-150M of capital, and are scaling fast. 

How can I support you?

As a sidekick, I work hand in hand with leaders and their organizations to empower and support ambitious change. 

I design coaching and facilitation experiences that connect minds and hearts:

- Executive & Leadership Coaching
- Leadership Development
- Workshop Facilitation (online & offline)
- Visioning and Strategic Planning
- Executive Team Coaching

Contact me if you need a sidekick to help drive your transformation or a coach to support your team.

Executive Coach/ CEO Sidekick

The Mindful CEO

Receive 1 short email every Monday about modern leadership and timeless wisdom.

Over 5 million people read my writing in the last year. My newsletter "The Mindful CEO" is a must read for leaders that try to "do the hard things in a human way". Sign up below for free.

Writer

Shift Collective

With ForChiefs we co-founded Shift Collective, a group of innovative agencies and consultancies in Germany, that stands for a new economy. 

We have joined forces to provide even better support for organisations, with the agility of 10 founder-managed companies.

We are all united not only by our mission to change the economy in a sustainable way, but also to be a role model for this new economy: 

With the Shift Collective we turn 10 competitors into one strong partner.

Board Member

ŌHIA

Assembling and leading a crew of experienced mind travellers to chart a spaceship on its mission to help curious souls fall in love with their mind. 

Head teacher guiding monthly workshops & weekly sessions on the art, science and tradition of meditation.

Head of Meditation 

Mind Inc

Leadership Coaching, Executive Workshops & Organisational Design 

Supporting the mindful champions of the future - Mind Inc advises organisations & change makers to become mindful leaders in strategy, culture and reflection.

 At Mind Inc we coach change-makers in innovative organisations like Google Deep Mind, AKQA, Sir Plus or Siemens. We are on a mission to inspire the next generations of organisations and change-makers to lead with purpose. Our clients range from the C-Suite to ***Star Michelin Cooks - all shaping the world to come.

Founder

Onyra

Your Home for Mental Wellbeing

Guides, Courses and Community for aspiring & advanced Meditators

European Parliament

The Spokesperson/Coordinator sets the strategical political direction on Data Protection, Migration, Visa and Rule of Law legislation for the second biggest political group in the European Parliament. This work involves the election and coordination of elected decision-makers in high stake negotiations with the aim of delivering fair rules applicable to all European citizens. The Spokesperson is also the European Parliaments negotiation lead (rapporteur) for the E-privacy (the update to the EU cookie law) and the e-evidence regulation.
My role includes i.a.
▪ Advising the S&D spokesperson on Justice and Home Affairs negotiations and policy strategy
▪ Elaboration of strategic position papers, speeches, briefings, amendments, resolutions, reports 
▪ Public relations/Communication with stakeholders & key journalists

Advisor (APA) to S&D Coordinator on Justice and Home Affairs

•	Assisting the President's Internal Policies Team in its general work,
•	Preparing Briefings and drafting speaking notes for the President's meetings with stakeholders (Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of Interpol; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia; Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup; Suma Chakrabarti, President of the EBRD),
•	Researching detailed information for the President on various policy questions (Digital Single Market, European Deposit Insurance Scheme, Banking Union, Tax practices of multinational corporations)
•	Attending and drafting feedback notes from meetings of different committees (Economic and Monetary Affairs, Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Employment and Social Affairs, Industry, Research and Energy, Constitutional Affairs, Special Committee on Tax Rulings), the Conference of Committee Chairs and Trilogue meetings,
•	Drafting speeches, interventions and correspondence of the President in the field of internal policies,
•	Following issues related to the Digital Single Market on behalf of the Cabinet.

Trainee - Cabinet of the President of the European Parliament

TEDx

Leading a team of ten talented people in the organization of a TED conference with nine international speakers and an audience of 150 people. Curated a modern art exhibition showcasing the work of ten local artists in the College of Europe.

Lead Organizer TEDxCollegeOfEurope

Leadership is lonely.

The higher you climb, the higher the stakes, and the fewer people you can truly trust to help you cut through the complexity.

I’ve sat with founders at €2M ARR and with boards of billion-dollar family enterprises.

Different contexts but reality is the same:

• Blind spots no one dares point out.
• Cultures drifting because clarity slipped.
• Teams looking to you for answers you’re still trying to form yourself.

My work is to hold up the mirror and walk leaders like yourself back into clarity.

Sometimes that looks like a silent retreat.

Sometimes it’s a boardroom reset.

Sometimes it’s a series of 1:1 conversations.

But it’s always about one thing:

Turning the inner game of leadership into outer results.

And if you’ve actually read this far, it probably means something here spoke to you.

That recognition (the moment you see yourself in these words) is usually where the real work begins.

I work with scale-stage founders & CEOs above €150K MRR who are willing to grow themselves as much as their companies.

If that’s you, send me a DM saying “CLARITY” or even “Nikolas, I actually read your about section” and let’s talk!

Nikolas Konstantin 🌱

Bachmann Catalyst

Executive coaching for entrepreneurs who want to increase their authenticity, clarity, and output.

I aspire to be the most human-centric investor in Europe: as an angel, fund advisor, scout and advisor to the European Commission.

Bachmann Capital

Private investments in technology companies and venture funds.

Investor

How To Care

I write to bring some sort of order to my chaotic mind. 

* Newsletter: The Effective Entrepreneur
* Book: How To Care / Füreinander (2026)
* Contributor: Sifted, Capital, Wirtschaftswoche, Strive, Gründerszene, Deutsche Startups, Springer Professional (and others)

Author

Music

Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent. The attitude of the motherfucker who plays it is 80 percent.
- Miles Davis

Songwriter & Guitarist

European Commission

Supporting the European Commission in the Horizon 2020 funds allocation.

Expert Advisor to the European Commission

rethink.careers

Co-Founder

Journey

Journey is mobile app that helps you focus on your long-term goals and turn them into action!   
🚀 🎯

Learn more and get early access: www.getjourney.coach
Get early access here: https://www.jrny.coach/

BACKED VC

We’re the human-centric VC fund. Put People First | Be An Apprentice | Push the Limits | Bring Good Energy.

Scout

Entrepreneur First

We invest in the world's top technical talent and support them to build world-class startups in London, Singapore, Berlin, Toronto, Paris and Bangalore.

As a coach in residence, I work with the Berlin-based teams on their personal and team growth.

Coach in Residence

Joyance Partners

Worked as a venture partner (2019/20) to help the Joyance team get settled in DACH. Now advisor.

Investing in the emerging science of health and happiness: EUR 50-250K into pre-seed and seed start-ups across Europe.
Named Top VC in Europe by TechCrunch 2019
Named Top VC under $100M by Pitchbook 2019
Finalist "Hottest VC Fund" at The Europas 2020

Investments in Breakthrough Health (2019), Ave + Edam (2020), Peace of Meat (2019), Dr. Sam (2020), mybacs (2020), Planted (2019), Gourmey (2019) among others.

Venture Partner

Hi, I'm Julius Bachmann. 

I believe in full expression and living a multidimensional life. As a coach, writer, musician, and family man, I've learned that embracing our whole selves leads to exponential growth – both personally and professionally.

After years as a VC investor and tech CFO, I founded Bachmann Catalyst to support founders and investors in creating a more humane approach to entrepreneurship. 

Here are the results:
→ Coached 200+ entrepreneurs and venture investors
→ Published 30+ essays and op-eds in top outlets like Forbes, Capital, Sifted, and Business Insider
→ Released my album "Freedom (Hope)" in 2024, exploring themes of growth and identity
→ Writing my first book: on relational responsibility

I can help you in two primary ways:

1) THE EFFECTIVE ENTREPRENEUR NEWSLETTER
Curious about making entrepreneurship more human? This newsletter shares powerful insights for entrepreneurs craving a human touch beyond the hustle (and provides updates and insights from my upcoming book How To Care).

→ Try it: https://juliusbachmann.beehiiv.com/

2) EXECUTIVE COACHING WITH BACHMANN CATALYST
Join 200+ entrepreneurs and work with me and my team of expert advisors. We specialize in holistic transformation for founders and CEOs leading companies with 50-500 employees. Together, we'll identify and solve your highest leverage issues, creating lasting impact across your entire organization.

→ Learn more: bachmanncatalyst.com

Julius Bachmann

„Es ist echt lange her, dass ich bei einem Abendessen so schnell und so tief mit Menschen gesprochen habe, die ich gar nicht kannte.“

Das war das schönste Feedback nach meinem dritten Catalyst Dinner – diesmal in München.

Neun Gäste, ein langer Tisch, und eine einzige Regel:
 𝐈𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 ü𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧.

Nicht um künstlich Nähe zu erzeugen,
 sondern um Status und Rollen aus dem Gespräch zu nehmen –
 und Raum für echte Begegnung zu schaffen.

Dieses Mal hatte ich wieder drei Bücher dabei, die den Abend inspiriert haben:
 📘 The Creative Act – Rick Rubin
 📗 Halb Angekommen – Ben Scheidt
 📙 Mental Health at Work – Nora Dietrich

Daraus entstanden drei Fragen, die uns begleitet haben:
- Wann hast du dich das letzte Mal wirklich angekommen gefühlt?
- Wann hast du dich das letzte Mal wirklich umsorgt gefühlt?
- Wann warst du das letzte Mal im kreativen Flow?

Danke an alle, die da waren – für eure Offenheit, Neugier und die Gespräche, die bleiben.

Die nächsten Catalyst Dinners finden in Frankfurt und Hamburg statt.

👉 Wen sollte ich dort einladen?

Vielen Dank an alle, die da waren: Dorothea von Wichert-Nick, Dario Tato, Veronika Schweighart, Stephan Schmidbauer, Dr. Sophie Ahrens-Gruber, Nadine Franziska König, Tim Jeck, Annabell Vacano, Diana B. Haidari, Janosch Novak, Mark Kugel, Kristina Walcker-Mayer – und bis bald!

Advisor to Entrepreneurs & PE-backed CEOs | Author & Speaker | Musician & Father

🚀 Suche Board Chair mit Hyperscaling-Erfahrung für meinen Kunden

Zur Company: 9-stellige Bewertung, über 150 Mitarbeiter, erste Akquisitionen durch, Top-Investoren on Board. Jetzt soll's so richtig losgehen.

Der CEO sucht für sein Board keinen klassischen Aufsichtsrat. 

𝗘𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵𝘁 𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿, 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗯𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗛ö𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗝𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻, 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗶ß, 𝘄𝗶𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗵 10𝘅 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗳ü𝗵𝗹𝘁 - 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘁.

Warst du CEO/COO während einer solchen Phase? Vielleicht auch mit ein paar Beulen von aggressivem Scaling? Du kennst den Unterschied zwischen "aggressivem Wachstum" und "viel zu schnell"?

Oder kennst du jemanden, auf den das zutrifft?

Let's connect.

Für solche Fragen aktiviere ich gerne mein Netzwerk. Manchmal braucht es genau die richtige Person zur richtigen Zeit.

💬 Schreibt mir direkt oder tagged jemanden, der das Format hat.

#ScaleUp #BoardChair #Hyperscaling #CEOCoaching #TechLeadership

Christian Rebernik Sebastian Pollok Dr. Gesa Miczaika Julian Teicke Anna Ott Dominik S. Richter Dominik Matyka Simon Schmincke Claude Ritter Doreen Huber Lea-Sophie Cramer Michael Schuster

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲? 💸 

One of my clients recently sold his business.

Instead of “retiring,” he’s entering his next chapter with curiosity: stepping into the world of Private Equity investing. 

(I love these moments when entrepreneurs transition with curiosity!!)

He’s already making small LP commitments and plans to join one or two funds as a venture partner. But he also wants a structured, practice-oriented education to deepen his understanding of PE/VC.

He’s looking for a 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 (weekend or block format) at a reputable European business school, covering:

- Investment strategy & portfolio management
- Fund structuring (legal & tax)
- Value creation and governance

To my Private Equity & Venture Capital network:

 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 — 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

(Think INSEAD, HSG, LBS, Oxford, Cambridge, HEC, IESE — or hidden gems worth sharing. Kaufmann is too venture-focused. I'm looking for something more broadly private equity.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts — comments or DMs both welcome.

Ewa A. Treitz Robert Gallenberger Nikolas Samios Mark Schmitz Videesha Boeckle Cosimo Donati

Viele denken, CEO-Coaching sei einfach Coaching mit höherem Preis. 🛑 

Warum nicht mehr verlangen, wenn die Kunden es sich locker leisten können - oder?

Dabei geht es gar nicht um die Zahlungsbereitschaft. 

CEO-Coaching heißt, gleichzeitig auf drei Ebenen zu arbeiten:
 auf der persönlichen, der Beziehungs- und der geschäftlichen Ebene.

Und genau diese Verbindung macht es so wirkungsvoll – und so komplex.

Ein ganz normaler Tag aus dem letzten Monat zeigt das gut:

1️⃣ Session eins:
 „Eigentlich dachte ich, dass ich im ersten Quartal 2026 eine Growth-Runde machen würde.
 Jetzt habe ich ein Buyout-Offer von einem Private-Equity-Investor auf dem Tisch – und bisher wissen nur mein CFO und mein Boardchair davon.
 Wie soll ich diese Diskussion mit meinen wichtigsten Stakeholdern führen? Wie soll ich überhaupt über diese Frage nachdenken?“

2️⃣ Session zwei:
 „Ich habe in den letzten 18 Monaten mit meiner Firma zehn Akquisitionen getätigt.
 Der Headcount liegt jetzt bei über 500.
 Wie schaffe ich es, eine passende Organisationsstruktur einzuführen – und gleichzeitig die Kultur zu erfrischen?“

3️⃣ Session drei:
 „Ich bin gerade in einem unglücklichen Konflikt mit einem Board Member.
 Es gefährdet meinen Exit... und ich merke, dass es die hässlichsten Seiten in meiner Persönlichkeit aufwirft. Was passiert hier mit mir?"

Drei Gespräche, die ganz gut zeigen,
 𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻 – 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗘𝗢𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻.

Nicht an isolierten Themen, sondern immer an der Verbindung von Persönlichkeit, Beziehung und Geschäft.

Genau dort entsteht Fortschritt.

taplio

The Battle

Nikolas Konstantin 🌱

Julius Bachmann

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJulius Bachmann's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Nikolas Konstantin 🌱

Julius Bachmann

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Julius Bachmann's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJulius Bachmann's LinkedIn Performance