Professor Dr. Tobias Kollmann holds the chair of e-business and e-entrepreneurship at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. Since 1996, he has addressed research questions in the fields of internet, e-business, and e-commerce. As a co-founder of AutoScout24, he is among the pioneers of the German internet economy and electronic marketplaces. He is the author of numerous books and practice-based and expert articles in the areas of e-entrepreneurship, e-business, and acceptance/marketing in new media. For his research and funding concept in this area, Professor Kollmann has received a special award at the UNESCO Entrepreneurship Award “Entrepreneurial Thinking and Acting” in 2007. As a business angel, he has supported and financed several start-ups over the past 15 years and was recognised as “Business Angel of the Year” by the Business Angels Network Germany e.V. in 2012. Since 2013, Professor Kollmann has been the chairman of the “Young Digital Economy” advisory board for the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy. In 2014, Germany’s largest federal state, North Rhine-Westphalia, appointed him as representative on issues of the digital economy. Against this background, Professor Kollmann has become a popular speaker on topics with regard to the digital economy, digital transformation, and digital change. According to the Business Punk journal (2nd edition 2014), he ranks among the 50 most important leaders of the startup scene in Germany.
Dr. Christoph Stöckmann is a post-doctoral researcher (‘akademischer Rat’) at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, where he is a member of the e-business and e-entrepreneurship research group at the faculty of economics and business administration. He holds a German diploma (MSc equivalent) in business administration and information systems, and has received his doctoral degree with a thesis on entrepreneurial management in adolescent ICT companies from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, in 2009. His professional experience includes project management as well as consulting in entrepreneurial and innovation management in young growth companies and established companies. His research on various aspects of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the digital economy has been presented at numerous national and international conferences and in top-tier academic journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (ET&P).