Management Board
Christoph GerlingerManaging Director
In 2020, German Startups Group merged with SGT Capital Pte. Ltd. and became SGT German Private Equity GmbH & Co. KGaA. Christoph has gained over 20 years of management experience in the Internet industry, in which he has founded and brought to life a number of businesses. Amongst these is Frogster Interactive Pictures AG, founded in 2005, which he took public and managed as CEO for seven years. Prior to that, he was Head of Germany for Infogrames/Atari and CFO of CDV, which he took public as well.
Christoph was named one of the 50 most interesting founders by the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche, was appointed external expert of the network 'Digitalization' and member of the digital commission by the federal board of the CDU. Christoph is member of the board of the Freunde der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem eV. (Friends of the Hebrew University Jerusalem eV.). He holds a graduate degree in Business Administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt and is alumnus of Singularity University’s Executive Program class of 2017 in Santa Clara (California, USA). Christoph occasionally releases own articles and gives interviews in various publications.
Carsten GeyerManaging Director
With almost two decades of private equity experience, Carsten is responsible for origination, execution, and value creation for all of SGT’s transactions.
He was a Founding Partner and Head of Europe of XIO Group from 2014-2019, where he was an IC and Board Member of Compo Expert, Lumenis, and J.D. Power, and played a central role in the origination, execution, and the ongoing running of these companies.
Prior to founding XIO, Carsten was a Principal at Permira Advisers, responsible for the TMT, Financial Services, and Healthcare activities in German speaking countries.
Before joining Permira in 2006, Carsten spent over 7 years at McKinsey & Company in Munich, Vienna, and Berlin, focusing on clients in the TMT and Financial Services sectors.
Carsten is member of the board of the Freunde der Hebräischen Universität Jerusalem eV. (Friends of the Hebrew University Jerusalem eV.). He holds a Masters’ in Business and Economics from the University of Passau and an MBDA from INSEAD.
MANAGERS OF AFFILIATED COMPANIES OF SGT CAPITAL GROUP
Carsten GeyerCo-Managing PartnerInvestments and Monitoring
With almost two decades of private equity experience, Carsten is responsible for origination, execution, and value creation for all of SGT’s transactions.
He was a Founding Partner and Head of Europe of XIO Group from 2014-2019, where he was an IC and Board Member of Compo Expert, Lumenis, and J.D. Power, and played a central role in the origination, execution, and the ongoing running of these companies.
Prior to founding XIO, Carsten was a Principal at Permira Advisers, responsible for the TMT, Financial Services, and Healthcare activities in German speaking countries.
Before joining Permira in 2006, Carsten spent over 7 years at McKinsey & Company in Munich, Vienna, and Berlin, focusing on clients in the TMT and Financial Services sectors.
Carsten holds a Masters’ in Business and Economics from the University of Passau and an MBDA from INSEAD.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Strategy, ESG, and Fund Minder
Joseph PaciniCo-Managing PartnerBusiness Development and Investor Relations
Prior to founding XIO, Joseph was Managing Director and Head of BlackRock Alternative Investments for Asia Pacific, responsible for the continued growth of BlackRock's $24bn alternatives platform and product offering in Asia.
Previously, Joseph was Head of the Alternative Investments for J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Asia where he was responsible for hedge fund, private equity, real estate and direct deal opportunities. Before this, Joseph was a member of the J.P. Morgan Private Bank Alternative Investments Due Diligence Team.
Joseph is alumnus of Harvard Business School and holds a BSc in International Business from Brigham Young University.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Strategy, Fundraising, Public Relations, Compliance, and Diversity
Christoph GerlingerPartnerFinance, Technology and Digitization
He was a serial entrepreneur and has almost a decade of experience in equity investments in German Venture Capital.
Prior to joining SGT in 2020, Christoph was a Founder and CEO of German Startups Group, a leading Venture Capital Investor in Germany with investments in start-ups such as Delivery Hero, Chrono 24, MisterSpex and Scalable Capital.
Prior to this, from 2005-2011, Christoph was Founder an CEO of Frogster Interactive Pictures, a listed entertainment software publisher.
Before this, he was the Head of the German operations for Infogrames/Atari and the CFO of CDV Software Entertainment, which he took public.
Christoph holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt and is a qualified banker.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Corporate Capital Markets, Corporate Investor Relations, and Firm Investments
Dr. Marcel NormannPartnerInvestments and Value Creation
He joined XIO Group in 2015 as Managing Director, leading the Financial Services sector coverage and co-leading value creation efforts at portfolio companies.
Prior to joining, Marcel was a Partner at McKinsey & Company where he advised mid-sized and large clients in Europe on corporate strategy, business performance improvement (sales & marketing, product portfolio and development, operations, and cost reduction) as well as large-scale enterprise-wide transformation and Post-Merger-Integration.
Marcel holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from the University of Mannheim and a Ph.D. in Economics from the European Business School.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Organizational, Business, and People Development
Marianne RajicPartnerLegal & Operations
She joined XIO Group in November 2018, where she provided legal support for the portfolio monitoring, managed stakeholders, advised on day-to-day matters, and led and coordinated multi-jurisdictional external legal teams. Prior to joining XIO, Marianne was Hong Kong Managing Partner and Head of the Asian Funds Practice at Campbells, before which she was the Head of BVI Funds Practice at Walkers.
Before this, Marianne was an Attorney at Conyers Dill & Pearman, advising on cross-border M&A and joint ventures.
Marianne holds a Bachelors’ in Economics and an LLB from the Australian National University and a LLM from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Risk/Compliance Oversight, General Counsel, and Human Resources
Jens Dino SteinbornPartnerInvestments and Value Creation
He joined XIO Group in March 2016 as a Managing Director, where he was a Board Member of Compo Expert and J.D. Power and led the acquisition, monitoring, and exit of J.D. Power, and the value creation and exits of Compo Expert and Lumenis.
Prior to joining XIO, Dino worked in private equity roles at Candover, Permira, and Cranemere, building his investor experience on selective transactions that delivered attractive risk-return profiles.
Dino started his career in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking, initially with Coopers & Lybrand and later with Deutsche Bank, working in the Financial Sponsors Group.
Dino holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität.
SGT Responsibilities: Investment Committee, Financing, and Special Projects