Bjoern Herrmann
Startup ecosystems are the birth canal for the future of humanity, unlocking human potential and bringing it into form. Developing a startup ecosystem is less like constructing a building and more like tending a garden - its about designing the conditions where ideas can flourish.
Bjoern Lasse Herrmann is an AI entrepreneur, startup ecosystem researcher, and builder of data-driven frameworks that help founders and regions turn innovation into repeatable outcomes. He co-authored the foundational Startup Genome research that introduced an developmental assessment of startup — shifting the conversation from “snapshot” metrics to measurable thresholds, stages, and learning-driven progress.
Building on that research, Bjoern helped expand Startup Genome’s work from startup success analytics into global ecosystem benchmarking — supporting comparative studies of leading innovation hubs and the factors that shape ecosystem performance. This included work associated with the Startup Ecosystem Report 2012 and subsequent ecosystem research efforts that enabled ecosystems to benchmark themselves against peers globally.
In parallel, Bjoern has built and scaled technology ventures applying benchmarking and intelligence to real-world decision-making. He co-founded Compass (an analytics and benchmarking platform later acquired by Sage), and went on to lead Sage’s company-wide AI transformation, bringing more than 15 years of experience across data and AI-driven products. Most recently he has helped start Cynch and is advising multiple AI startups, as well as coaching leaders in tech.