Team - copace

The Team

At co-pace, we bring concepts, people, departments, and products together to catalyze new solutions. We are made up of business developers, corporate strategists, designers, thought leaders, engineers, product managers and more.

We stand for absolute inclusion. We celebrate racial and cultural diversity, neurodivergence, gender and sexual identities of all kinds, and more. We do our very best to keep up to date and stay sensitive, and we accommodate physical disabilities to the best of our ability.

Jürgen Bilo

Function@co-pace	Managing Director co-pace GmbH
#	#Leadership #FutureMobility #RelationshipBuilder #Frankfurt
Description	Jürgen is the biggest champion of startups at Continental, uniquely understanding their cutting-edge technologies and new business models. With his vast network both inside Continental and outside, he leverages relationships and holistic industry understanding to provide the foundation for strategic and operational partnerships between the startup ecosystem and Continental.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Jürgen on LinkedIn

Hiren Desai

Function@co-pace	Vice President of Startup Partnerships
#	#VentureCapital #VentureBuilding #Accelerator #MergersAndAcquisitions #RoboticsInnovation #Automation #ArtificialIntelligence #Valuation #Incubator
Description	Hiren heads the partnering arm at co-pace after being our trusted advisor over the past 5 years. With a fantastic track record as a serial entrepreneur, he has successfully founded and led scaleups across various countries. Hiren's expertise extends to leading strategy and business development for autonomous mobility at Continental. He is also our architect when we want to translate a concept into a product
LinkedIn Link	Contact Hiren on LinkedIn

Dr. Chen Zhang

Function@co-pace	Director, Head of Ecosystem Europe, Head of Technology
#	#Software #ADAS #ComputerVision #Connectivity #VehicleDynamics #ArtificialIntelligence #Frankfurt
Description	Chen is passionate about connecting with tech enthusiast and energic entrepreneurs to take emerging technologies to the product roadmaps of the startups and Continental. His background in software, automation technologies and artificial intelligence is complemented by his professional work experience in the fields of ADAS and vehicle dynamics and by his interest in vehicle networking and connectivity technologies.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Chen on LinkedIn

Dennis Xu

Function@co-pace	Director China
#	#Safety #Autonomous #SOA #Sensorics #Strategy #China
Description	Dennis is the co-pace team member in China - a unique and divergent ecosystem that develops both locally applicable and globally relevant innovations. His gained experience in automotive and venture capital industries is ideally suited to translate business needs into innovation products and technologies and, together with startups, draw the execution path.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Dennis on LinkedIn

Wilson Khoo

Function@co-pace	Director, APAC excluding Mainland China
#	#Innovation #APAC #Singapore
Description	Wilson’s drive for innovation and deep tech makes him a key driver for engagement in the Singapore and APAC ecosystem. He is an explorer that bridges the ‘valley’ between technology & business, and between startups & corporates.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Wilson on LinkedIn

Neri Friedlander

Function@co-pace	Director Israel
#	#Sensorics #FleetServices #SmartMaterial #EnablingTechnologies #DataMonetization #Israel
Description	Neri joins the team from Tel Aviv, but he has always had his feet in multiple countries and cultures. While he is an explorer literally, he is also one metaphorically - by stepping into the unknown of innovation fields, he brings together diverse teams to translate consumer insights, data, and technology into customer benefits.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Neri on LinkedIn

Elad Goldman

Function@co-pace	Director, Ecosystem Israel
#	#Innovation #SmartCity #SmartMobility #PublicPrivatePartnerships #Israel
Description	Elad is not new to partnerships. In fact, he brings experience from a variety of public-private partnerships and smart city initiatives. With his innovative business development skills, he drives forward collaboration opportunities while bridging the gap between the corporate world and the fast pace startup ecosystem.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Elad on LinkedIn

Christian Beuther

Function@co-pace	Director Operations
#	#Sustainability #CorporateInnovation #Operations #Regensburg
Description	Christian’s experience in automotive innovation helps him build bridges between startups and the corporate world of Continental. At co-pace, he organizes all operational topics to ensure that the startup Proof-of-Concept projects run at high speed!
LinkedIn Link	Contact Christian on LinkedIn

Andrea Julian

Function@co-pace	Partnerships Project Manager
#	#Innovation #PMP #VentureClients #ProofofConcepts
Description	Andrea is passionate about the complexity behind innovation, how it intertwines and reacts to markets, people, behaviors and understanding the effects that reflect in the daily life.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Andrea on LinkedIn

Ivana Pavic

Function@co-pace	Executive Project Assistant
#	#TeamFocus #Efficiency #Purchasing #Frankfurt
Description	Ivana is passionate about making processes lean in an agile and innovative work style. With her high level of organizational skills, strong communication abilities, and the capacity to multitask effectively she ensures that our purchasing processes run smoothly. She also plays an important role in ensuring that all needs of our team members and managing director are attended to.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Ivana on LinkedIn

Christian Wartig

Function@co-pace	Head of Strategy & Communications
#	#Startups #VentureCapital #VentureBuilding #Accelerator #MergersAndAcquisitions #RoboticsInnovation #Automation #ArtificialIntelligence
Description	Christian, as the driving force behind strategy and communications at co-pace, brings over 11 years of automotive experience from Continental. Having held diverse roles, including Program Management for Autonomous Driving, he enriches our team with a profound understanding of sales, business development and project management. In his role as our chief of staff, Christian provides invaluable support to our global team, ensuring seamless collaboration on all pertinent matters.
LinkedIn Link	Contact Christian on LinkedIn