(My) Highlights 2016

As Thomas L. Friedman wrote in his insightful article “Since 2007, dancing in a hurricane” (The New York Times, Nov 19, 2016), Britain’s vote to withdraw from the European Union followed by Donald Trump’s election in America constitute a single giant political event – one that makes 2016 a vintage year in history that will long be studied.

I shall not dare to analyze how could that happen, the true being that many in the West feel adrift (and really outraged): the two things that anchored them in the world –their job and their community- are feeling destabilized. Instead of, I will just write my personal annual highlights, and please note: it is a non-exhaustive and certainly not necessarily in order of importance list. Here we go:
• Formalization of Audeamus Capital first three investments (forth one shall become public in the next days).
• Two-weeks trip to Australia to visit my youngest sister: I love everything about that fascinating continent. The upmost luxury: no obligations (Kids, husband and job remained home) and the opportunity to reconnect and bond with my beloved Carlota.
• AUDEAMUS CAPITAL & NICHE BEAUTY joint Breakfast (June 2).
• Jury of the Start-ups@Reeperbahn festival (Sept. 21).
• Curating, within the ADD ART Initiative, Andrea Grützner’S “DAS ECK” exhibition as well as the organization of the vernissage on November 18.
• To realize the iPhone / smart phones are not quite 10 years old (launched in January 2007), and we can hardly conceive our life (private and business alike) without it.
• In that context, to follow my sister Nuria and her boyfriend when completing the New York Marathon (long live to technology including NYC Marathon App)
• Lots of precious moments with the kids, friends and family including amazing wedding celebration in Hong Kong.
• Further engagement on our catholic parish Saint Elisabeth (including becoming member of the Advisory Board of the Endowment Saint Elisabeth).
• On a much profane area, if last year we dear to bottled our own olive oil (harvest remarkably small), this year I tried (with limited success) home-made apricot marmalade.
• Lady’s Dinner organized by Hamburg Startups on December 13, what a better way to say goodbye to an intense year – and the confirmation that there is a brilliant network of women working in Hamburg.

In fact, over the last years, connectivity and computing got so fast, cheap, ubiquitous and leveraged that they have changed three forms of power – in really different ways- all at once: the power of one, the power of machines and the power of ideas. None knows what this new year shall bring us (on an individual and collective level), but I hope it is no worse than 2016.