Hendrik Kleinwächter

I advise C-level executives on AI and build the first proof of concept myself — time-boxed Discovery → POC → Enablement engagements, from Hamburg and remotely across Europe.

• Discovery: ranking the AI use cases worth building — a written systems assessment, a prioritized shortlist, and one POC candidate scoped to be buildable.
• POC: building the first proof of concept myself — production quality, with the technology that fits the business — measured against a success metric defined up front.
• Enablement: working sessions with the C-level and hands-on training for developers; every engagement ends with a handover.

CTO at AHEAD Automotive, a collaborative venture by ZF, Hella Gutmann, Clarios, and Niterra, building SaaS solutions for the automotive aftermarket.

• Launched two major products on time: 1) A RAG-powered application helping thousands of mechanics diagnose and fix cars faster. 2) An industry-leading loyalty program adopted by multiple partner companies.
• Established AI-first engineering principles and enabled the company to adopt a stronger engineering-driven mindset.
• Implemented cost-efficiency measures through pragmatic, user-focused development.
• Built and mentored a 15+ person engineering and product team; managed C-level stakeholder alignment across shareholder companies.

CTO and consultant at dyve GmbH, a boutique consultancy and later fully employee-owned company.

• Led the successful transformation of dyve into a fully employee-owned structure, ensuring long-term sustainability and employee engagement.
• Delivered full-stack engineering and technical due diligence projects for clients such as LichtBlick, Toni Kroos, ZF, and Solana.
• Introduced growth-focused engineering practices that improved client acquisition and retention.
• Mentored and scaled a 15+ person engineering team, instilling high-quality delivery standards and agile methodologies.
• Combined hands-on coding with strategic leadership, bridging business goals and pragmatic technology execution.

• Acted as a founding partner, supporting the studio on core engineering topics and product architecture.
• Provided strategic consulting to portfolio ventures in AI and Health Tech, guiding them through digitization and scalable product development.
• Helped shape the company's AI-first approach to building applications, aligning engineering with business growth goals.
• Supported early-stage ventures in adopting robust engineering principles and delivering production-ready solutions.

Founder of the_bread_code, the world's most-followed sourdough-focused YouTube channel and author of The Sourdough Framework.

• Built a global community with 300k+ YouTube subscribers and 100k+ monthly book downloads through open-source, educational content.
• Published The Sourdough Framework, a 250-page, science-driven guide to sourdough baking, establishing credibility as both engineer and educator.
• Combined engineering mindset with baking expertise, designing scalable content and distribution systems for global reach.
• Recognized globally for making sourdough approachable while maintaining scientific and technical rigor.

Joined trivago after the acquisition of Tripl, working across multiple teams depending on where the business value was highest.

• Contributed to the data engineering team, the user profiling team, and the SEO team, driving initiatives that improved product performance and business outcomes.
• Built a pre-rendering SEO solution within the SEO team that significantly boosted search engine visibility and generated millions of euros in additional revenue.
• Part of a 300+ engineering organization, collaborating with some of the best engineers worldwide - an experience that greatly strengthened my engineering skills and broadened my technical expertise.
• Worked as an intrapreneur, focusing on pragmatic, value-driven engineering initiatives aligned with company strategy.

Founder of tripl, a travel-tech startup focused on personalized recommendations.

• Built and scaled a global travel recommendation engine using statistical twin modeling to deliver highly personalized destination suggestions.
• Led full-stack development and architecture, creating multiple core components of the system.
• Secured acquisition by trivago in 2017, integrating tripl's technology and expertise into their product ecosystem.
• Gained deep experience in startup building, from product ideation to exit, combining technical execution with business growth strategy.

Co-founded Zeit.io, later rebranded to dyve, a boutique consultancy specializing in building MVPs for corporations.

• Focused on creating user-centric, user-first applications that reduced long-term development costs by validating ideas early.
• Helped enterprises rapidly test and scale digital business models through lean prototyping.
• Delivered multiple MVPs as a consultant and full-stack engineer, ensuring pragmatic, user-focused execution.
• Established the company's reputation for speed, quality, and business impact in developing early-stage digital products.

Co-founded OrdiFy, a mobile ordering solution for the restaurant industry.

• Developed an app that allowed guests to order directly from their phones, eliminating the need for waiters and improving service efficiency.
• Built an intelligent recommendations feature that increased average order size and boosted client revenue.
• Secured high-profile clients including Berlin's Olympia Stadium.
• Learned valuable lessons on the importance of marketing and sales, realizing that building great technology alone is not enough, and that successful ventures require equal focus on go-to-market and customer adoption.

Co-founded byMii, a social commerce solution integrating e-commerce technologies into a unified Facebook storefront.

• Designed and built the platform, enabling brands to sell directly through Facebook.
• Secured high-profile clients, including FC Bayern Munich.
• Gained valuable experience and lessons on company structures, co-founder dynamics, and startup growth, which informed future ventures.

Founded DuoBlogger, a consulting firm supporting online communities in optimizing their monetization strategies.

• Helped forums and communities increase revenue by integrating and optimizing online advertising services.
• Built and grew D3scene, one of the largest gaming-exploit communities of its time.
• Learned early lessons in scaling digital communities, balancing growth with sustainability, and managing diverse online ecosystems.