At an age when most professionals begin making retirement plans, he’s busy chasing a new career goal. Well in his late 50s, Claus Gollmann is giving entrepreneurial millennials a run for their money with his startup – Kind in Diagnostik (KiD), which helps children deal with trauma through psychotherapy.
Sitting at the opposite side of the room is 19-year-old Kadir Can Kirkoyun. Not even out of his teens, the Turk has put lazy evenings with friends on hold to work on his startup - Scode, an app that teaches coding via storytelling.
The two are competing for a 40,000-euro grant under the Investment Ready Program, for which Allianz has tied up with Impact Hub as part of its Encouraging Future Generations program.
They are facing stiff competition from Ralf Toenjes, who comes from a generation that falls between those of Claus and Kadir. The 36-year-old Brazilian co-founded Renovatio, a non-governmental organization that produces eyeglasses for a dollar to enable visually-challenged children and youth to attend school and work more efficiently.
At different stages of life they may be in terms of age, but what ties the three together is their passion for people. So what inspired them to take the path less trodden? This is their story.