E390 | Christian Meermann, Cherry Ventures: Culture of excellence & underwriting the next generation of emerging managers

In today’s episode, Andreas talks with Christian Meermann, Founding Partner at Cherry Ventures and a Forbes Midas Lister. ith a €320M fund size and €1B in AUM, Cherry Ventures has made its mark across Europe by backing companies like Flixbus, Auto1, Flaschenpost, Finimize, and Ninetailed. Headquartered in Germany, the fund focuses on early-stage investments (Pre/Seed/Seed+) across both B2B software and consumer verticals.Christian shares the secrets behind Cherry’s culture of excellence, navigating competition in venture capital, and how to underwrite new managers in today’s market. He also dives into the art of decision-making for follow-on rounds, discussing what to look for and how to support portfolio companies effectively.With deep entrepreneurial roots, including his role as CMO of Zalando—scaling it from small revenues to over €2 billion at IPO—Christian brings a wealth of operational experience, strategic insight, and passion for founders with global ambitions.Together, we explore:Cherry's founding journey and Christian’s entrepreneurial background.Building a culture of excellence while competing in a dynamic venture market.Underwriting new managers: What investors should look for in emerging talent.The decision-making process for follow-on investments and how Cherry approaches it.Lessons from Christian’s career and success stories, including one of Germany’s largest exits with Flaschenpost.