Munich Startup: What kind of education and career path do you have so far?
Lena Naderer: I qualified as a veterinary medicine practitioner at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 2013 and completed my doctorate in veterinary medicine there in 2015. I then gained practical experience in various veterinary practices. Due to the high workload and low recognition in my profession, I switched to a pharmaceutical company, essentially entering academia. Before founding Filu in 2022 together with Christian Uwe Köhler (CEO) and Justus Richard Buchen (COO), I also completed an Executive MBA at IESE in Munich. These forks gave me the perspective and courage to Veterinary medicine at level 2.0 to lift.
Munich Startup: What motivated you to start the company?
Lena Naderer: I am a passionate veterinarian and love my profession, medicine, and working with animals. However, the working environment for veterinarians is not ideal: a lot of stress and work, but little social recognition. Often, it's difficult to combine work with family and leisure time. I founded Filu to change that and create a veterinary practice where everyone, especially the employees, feels comfortable. Filu stands not only for excellent veterinary medicine, but also for new work and work happiness. We embody a new generation of veterinary practices.
Plenty of time to search for employees and locations
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to have known before starting your first business?
Lena Naderer: How many different questions arise that you hadn't anticipated beforehand. There's more to running a veterinary practice and a company that develops one than you might think. I imagined the search for suitable practice space in different cities would be easier. It takes a long time to find a location where everything is just right. I also invest a lot of time in recruiting staff and communicating with the team – that's incredibly important to me. It's easy to underestimate the time required for this.
Munich Startup: How is your company doing so far financed?
Lena Naderer: We found great investors who are a great fit for us and our mission, such as Lukas Keindl, the founder of the US veterinary practice BondVet; Michael Koch, formerly of Fressnapf; and YZR Capital, which specializes in health innovations. This enabled us to raise a total of €7.5 million in the seed round to begin rolling out our feel-good practices across Germany.
Lena Naderer: “Great ideas just need to be implemented”
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Lena Naderer: Outdoors in nature and when I spend time with my cats, Rudi and Socke. Or on the back of my horses and bikes. This clears my mind for new ideas and allows me to develop fresh approaches. But especially when I exchange ideas with other veterinarians and veterinary assistants (TFAs). Everyone has such great ideas; you "just" have to implement them.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favorite work tools?
Lena Naderer: I really enjoy working with our state-of-the-art ultrasound and X-ray machines, and—when anesthesia is necessary—with inhalation anesthesia. Everything is linked to the practice software, and the technology suddenly becomes a joy! Another great way to simplify everyday veterinary practice is our digital patient records, which we create for all the animals we treat. This data is important for improving veterinary medicine. Our practice tools save a huge amount of paperwork and administrative work.
Pitch tip: “Stand by your dreams”
Munich Startup: Your top tip on pitching?
Lena Naderer: Be authentic, be yourself, and stand by your dreams. Show that you have the power to make a difference and that you're passionate about what you do.
Munich Startup: Does this seem like a good time to start a business? Why?
Lena Naderer: Yes, because startups are now recognized in Germany as drivers of economic innovation and prosperity and represent an important economic pillar. Startups are important drivers for Germany as a business location. There are no good or bad times for starting a business; you always need a great deal of courage and confidence, as well as a clear vision. If you have those and a good business model, nothing can go wrong.
Munich Startup: Which technology or industry would you focus on for your next startup?
Lena Naderer: Definitely AI. It plays an important role in medicine. As soon as market-ready AI applications are available for everyday veterinary practice, we will use them and certainly be a pioneer. Several things are already on the horizon. AI-based diagnostic tools, for example, are conceivable. AI often sees more than the naked human eye. These are exciting future topics.
Subsidies for rent?
Munich Startup: In your opinion, what could be improved at the Munich startup location?
Lena Naderer: Munich is a great location, very tech-oriented and open. However, the location is also very expensive due to high rents. This should be offset by subsidies, especially for young entrepreneurs.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Lena Naderer: I already know the founders of Bondvet—thankfully! But if I travel further back in time, I'd like to introduce Elizabeth Blackwell. As the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, Blackwell paved the way for women in medicine. She founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children and promoted the education of women in medicine. Or Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch. I'd also be very interested in meeting the founding team of BioNTech.
But I'm especially curious to meet founders who focus not only on success but also on a positive work environment. Google, Salesforce, and Microsoft come to mind.
