Katja Ruhnke
Katja Ruhnke grew up in a Munich entrepreneurial family. As a trained musical performer and studied cultural manager, she spent 10 years working both on and behind the stage. Even in the cultural sector, entrepreneurship caught up with her early on; with her own theater production company, she brought Shakespeare plays to life in the form of theatrical walking tours.
Eventually, her path led her back to Munich and into the family business. In search of new business opportunities, she became fascinated with startup financing in the summer of 2019 and, together with her sister, founded CK Venture Capital GmbH.
Through this investment vehicle, they act as business angels, primarily investing in impact startups. Today, their portfolio includes 20 startup companies.
In the fall of 2021, she published her first book, "Female Money – How Female Investors Are Transforming the Startup World." She is also active as a keynote speaker and panelist at various events. In January, she and Conny opened the CK Workspace, a shared office space with an integrated incubator for startups. She sees it as her mission to drive the development of new ideas and visions while fostering greater diversity within the ecosystem.
In the fall of 2023, she was honored as Business Angel of the Year by the Business Angel Network Germany e.V. (BAND) and awarded the Goldene Nase (Golden Nose).
Since April 2025, she’s been leading as chairwoman the Business Angels Network Germany (BAND), working to boost and shape early-stage funding across the country.
