The traditional event took place for the first time in the Innovation Space at HNU, where Vice President Prof Dr Jens Kolb welcomed Peter Förster and introduced him to the guests. Peter Förster founded the B2B transport management platform Transporeon in 2000 together with three fellow students. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform brings together industrial companies and hauliers. In his presentation, he explained how this came about, talked about the highs and lows and gave tips for founders. He was also available for questions and personal dialogue after the presentation. The event ended with relaxed conversations in the Founders Space next door.
Foundation and growth
The success story began in 2000 at a quarry pond when the four industrial engineering students Axel Busch, Roland Hötzl, Marc-Oliver Simon and Peter Förster had the idea of founding a company. They started with the vision of bringing shippers and freight forwarders together on one platform. The company grew quickly, Transporeon was debt-free five years after it was founded and was nominated for the German Founder Award.
Crises and opportunities
In his presentation, Peter Förster also spoke about crises such as the Lehman crisis in 2008, which led to a 25 per cent drop in sales. However, the founders also saw this as an opportunity and adapted the platform's services after a number of discussions with customers. Ultimately, they emerged from the crisis with a 40 per cent increase in turnover.
Strategic sales and exit strategy
In 2011, 60 per cent of the company was sold to Riverside. The sale to HG Capital followed in 2019 and the final sale to the industrial technology company Trimble took place between 2022 and 2023, with a turnover of 190 million euros and an increase of 25 per cent on the previous year. Förster left Transporeon in 2017 and has since worked as a coach and mentor for companies and as an outdoor team and leadership trainer.
Tips for founders
Peter Förster recommends that founders work with a mentor and think about an exit strategy and work-life balance at an early stage. When selecting investors, the chemistry must be right, especially on a personal level. Personality and humanity is also a key issue for Förster when dealing with employees - he advises down-to-earthness, empathy and trust.
About the HNU Management Forum
The HNU regularly invites business leaders to the university to report on current, practical topics from the various areas of corporate management at the HNU Management Forum and to share their valuable wealth of experience.
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