My story
I grew up in Reutlingen. My father had a car accessories business in this industrial city at the foot of the Swabian Alb. Self-employment became my role model. While I was still studying electrical engineering and computer science, I founded my first company at the age of 21. “Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur”, that has remained my professional attitude ever since.
Even in university, I was interested in connecting data with physical products. In the transparency of materials, chemical substances as well as other information from product life cycles, I see a great opportunity for a more sustainable way of doing business – for the transition to a circular economy.
With this idea, I founded the company iPoint-systems in 2001, which became synonymous with the digital product passport. Its approach, which allows companies to demonstrate compliance with social and environmental standards, is now established in many sectors. For over 20 years, I led it as CEO to a leading market position in sustainable product development.
Today, I invest in start-ups and drive innovative developments in companies and organizations. I am a director of INATBA, the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications, and co-director of the “Social Impact & Sustainability” work group.
Securing the future with a sustainable economy: this vision fuels me. I combine my enthusiasm for technological innovation with the ability to think in an interdisciplinary way and in business models. I am a passionate networker and always ready to question entrenched systems.
Our Team
Hans-Gerhard Lang
Director Strategic Sales Development
I have an educational background as business informatics specialist and decades of management experience from internationally operating mechanical engineering and IT companies—both at management level and in sales. Jörg and I have known and appreciated each other for a very long time, especially when we were working together at @ipoint Systems GmbH in Reutlingen. There I managed global sales and marketing for 18 years and was most recently Director Sales for the EMEA region.
At Walden Holding, I’m opening a new chapter and share my experience of the last decades with young companies—by supporting them in building up their sales structures. Why? Good and innovative ideas are crucial. However, strategies are needed to place them successfully on the market.
I’m not talking about just any companies, but innovative start-ups and companies that develop solutions for a sustainable future. The mindful use of resources has always been important to me. Excessive and environmentally damaging economic activity will not get us anywhere. We must use the existing resources of our planet sensibly to provide the next generations with a future worth living. It is very motivating that I can continue to pursue and precisely advance this goal at the companies the Walden Holding is involved with.
Timo Walden
Investment Manager
Right after school, I packed my bags and went to iPoint Systems in Denver (USA). There I worked in marketing and communications. Afterwards, my academic studies remained internationally: I studied “International Management” at the International School of Management (ISM) in Stuttgart and wrote my bachelor’s thesis on sustainable change in the automotive industry.
The exciting thing about my study was the practical relevance with lecturers and partners from the industry. We developed concepts for the sustainable transformation of real companies. We actively went into companies, analyzed the status quo, and developed concrete solutions for their sustainability strategies. And when you saw the positive impact after all that work, it was a good feeling—especially because sustainability is important, both socially and economically. I already knew during this time: That’s what I want to do in the future—maybe in the field of developing sustainable startups.
And that’s where the idea of Walden Holding came in handy, because that’s exactly what it was supposed to be about. So, I joined and today I’m happy to support startups with their sustainable solutions —especially in my passion field of mobility—hands-on, as part of the team, at the startups e-REVOLT and eClever.
What is most important to me is to drive realistic solutions that do not exceed our ecological limits and can be implemented quickly—with as few noticeable restrictions as possible and preserving the quality of life we are used to. Sustainable prosperity—that is my personal goal.
