Erik Steiger

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Operational Director Software & AI at TUM Venture Labs

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Overview

Erik is the Operational Director for Software & AI at TUM Venture Labs, where he supports researchers in building deep tech startups. His background spans AI consulting, co-founding a stealth AI startup, and tech leadership. He holds a Master of Science from the Technical University of Munich and attended the TUM Entrepreneurial Masterclass.

He is passionate about the intersection of AI research, cutting-edge technology, and the startup ecosystem. Erik actively engages with the Munich AI community, participating in discussions with industry leaders like Anthropic on topics of trust and security in developing responsible AI.

Erik co-founded a startup that developed an analytics AI for the music industry using sophisticated agent and RAG technologies.

Personality Overview

Price-Sensitive

Not Easily Convinced

Value Seeker

They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point.  While they don't hesitate to ask questions, they are generally risk-averse and tend to be late adopters. They are more likely than others to negotiate on pricing and terms.

Topics They Care About

AI Startup Ecosystem
His current role is focused on enabling researchers and founders to build deep tech startups at the frontier of artificial intelligence.
Advanced AI Models
He follows and posts about the progression of AI beyond LLMs, including concepts like World Models and Meta's Segment Anything Model (SAM).
AI in Music
He has co-founded a startup and served as a Tech Lead on projects specifically building AI analytics and automation tools for the music industry.

Media Appearances

Erik has no verified media appearances

Work History

11-2025
Operational Director Software & AI at TUM Venture Labs
1-2025
Software & AI Consultant at Self-employed
Tech Consultant at Netlight
Co-Founder at Stealth AI Startup
Tech Lead at Takkt

Education

2019 - 2022
Master of Science - MS from Technical University of Munich
Education details unavailable from TUM Entrepreneurial Masterclass

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 1 Location : Munich, Bavaria, Germany Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Operational Director Software & AI at TUM Venture Labs
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Insights For Selling To Erik

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Back up any claims with data and numbers
  • Tell them that you will come back if you don’t have a good answer for a question
  • Emphasize on objective proof of ROI, help them do a thorough evaluation

DONT's

  • Don’t try to be too friendly or informal with them
  • Avoid phrases like ‘do not worry about’, ‘no one compares to’ etc.
  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Erik is

  • Confidence that the product provides ROI, effective pricing and process adherence matter the most to them.

  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Erik

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Erik move?

  • They can move at a reasonable pace while making their decisions if they have the necessary information.

  • Can Erik take some risk or not?

  • They can take risk if they are convinced that they have analyzed the circumstances well.


You And Erik

Personality Compatibility


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