On a personal note: Goodbye, Michael.

Michael Völter leaves the Stuttgart Stock Exchange. A short farewell letter.

The fact that Startbase was able to grow from stealth mode to become the third-largest start-up medium in Germany within eighteen months is primarily thanks to the trust and commitment of Michael Völter. Michael Völter has led the Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse e.V. association as CEO since 2015 and has made Startbase a project close to his heart.

Unlike other stock exchanges in Germany, the Stuttgart Stock Exchange Group is owned by an association. Its statutory mission is also to strengthen Stuttgart as a financial center. A strong financial center needs a stock exchange, that is clear, but it needs even more. Exchange between the players, financial education, innovation - and therefore also a strong start-up scene. This holistic vision has significantly shaped Michael Völter's actions in recent years.

With Startbase, Michael Völter launched a milestone in German startup promotion in 2019: the creation of a comprehensive database to provide business, science and politics with free access to all startups in Germany for the first time. This will be followed in 2020 by the online magazine, which is intended to give visibility to the youngest start-ups in particular. Michael Völter's next steps also show how much he cares about promoting start-ups: in future, he will be primarily involved with start-ups in various roles. Even if the common path ends here, the start-up scene can look forward to a sponsor and business angel who acts on the conviction that "giving" always comes before "taking".

With this in mind: Thank you, Michael, for the great time together, your trust and your support. We wish you all the best for the future and will certainly be hearing a lot more from each other.