Robin Scharf
CTO / COO
I'm an early-stage startup executive and founder operating across technology, operations, and revenue. Today I serve as CTO at HorseUp (equine health), Co-Founder at GitAJob (semantic job search), Founder at LumiWed (multilingual wedding sites), and Fractional COO at Disporty.
I straddle builder mode and executive strategy: one moment shaping product, systems, and go-to-market execution, the next aligning teams, priorities, and capital-efficient growth. Recruiters and founders usually bring me in when a venture needs senior leadership that can both define the plan and help ship it.
About Me
As a CTO / COO and founder, I work at the intersection of technology, operations, and revenue. That range is what makes me useful to early-stage ventures that need more than a narrow functional specialist.
I am strongest in startup environments where the role cannot stay neatly inside one box. I can define operating models, hiring plans, GTM motions, and product priorities while still stepping into systems, workflows, and implementation when the company needs immediate leverage.
That means I regularly move between builder mode and executive mode. I have led platform integrations, revenue systems, hiring, process design, vendor strategy, and product execution, and I am equally comfortable in a founder strategy session or inside the details that make execution real.
My current portfolio reflects that mix: CTO at HorseUp (equine health), Co-Founder at GitAJob (semantic job search), Founder at LumiWed (multilingual wedding sites), and Fractional COO at Disporty (eSports). I support ventures that need a pragmatic operator with technical fluency, founder empathy, and bias toward action.
For recruiters, the best fit is typically an early venture leadership role close to the founders: CTO, COO, founder's office, chief of staff to the founder, or a broad startup executive seat that spans multiple functions.
Years Operating
Across startup leadership, venture building, operations, and revenue systems
Current Venture Roles
HorseUp, GitAJob, LumiWed, and Disporty
Revenue Impact
Supported through GTM systems, integrations, and commercial operations
Launches & Systems
MVPs, internal tools, automations, and operating systems delivered
How I Help
I currently operate across HorseUp, GitAJob, LumiWed, and Disporty. For recruiters, founders, and investors, I am strongest in early-stage leadership roles that need a CTO / COO profile: someone who can set direction, build systems, and step into execution when the company needs leverage.
Commercial Operating System Design
Design the revenue architecture, ownership model, and operating cadence that support efficient growth.
AI Workflow & Automation
Use AI and integrated tooling to remove operational drag and give lean teams more leverage.
Founder-Led GTM Buildout
Stand up the early funnel, qualification logic, and handoffs that turn founder motion into a repeatable engine.
Cross-Functional Growth Execution
Translate strategy into coordinated execution across product, ops, and go-to-market teams.
Revenue Instrumentation & Attribution
Implement the visibility founders and executives need to understand pipeline, conversion, and bottlenecks.
Tooling & Process Integration
Select and connect tools so the GTM stack stays simple, scalable, and usable by the team.
Professional Experience
Germany · Remote
Jul 2025 - Present
CTO
Equine health platform consolidating horse health data — digital, holistic, and built for caretakers and veterinary workflows.
- • Lead the company's technical direction across product, systems, and execution
- • Translate business priorities into roadmap decisions, operating cadence, and delivery
- • Move between hands-on builder work and executive leadership as the company scales
- • Build the technical foundation for reliable growth, iteration speed, and cross-functional alignment
Amsterdam · Remote
Jun 2025 - Present
Co-Founder
Semantic job search platform that matches people with better-fitting roles across top hiring platforms.
- • Co-shape company direction across product, positioning, and commercial priorities
- • Build the operating systems and founder workflows needed for an early-stage venture
- • Support strategy, execution, and scaling decisions across multiple functions
Remote
Jan 2026 - Present
Founder
Multilingual wedding websites for multicultural couples — publish once, serve guests in up to 17 languages.
- • Own venture strategy, product direction, and company building from the ground up
- • Develop the platform, execution model, and early operating infrastructure
- • Explore market opportunities, partnerships, and scalable growth paths
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Jan 2025 - Present
Fractional COO
eSports platform for communities and competitions, combining social, rewards, and competition tooling.
- • Provide part-time operational leadership for a growing venture
- • Support process design, prioritization, and execution across key initiatives
- • Step into special projects that benefit from senior operator oversight
Stealth Startup
Remote
May 2024 - Aug 2025
Founder
- • Explored and validated new venture concepts across product, GTM, and company design
- • Built early product and operating hypotheses in founder mode
- • Ran experiments to identify a scalable opportunity and execution model
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada · Hybrid
Apr 2022 - May 2024
Director of Revenue Operations
- • Led post-acquisition platform integration between the media properties and Crozdesk's backend system
- • Served as product owner for the revenue tech stack, billing, and special projects
- • Focused on system integration, platform alignment, and operational execution after acquisition
London Area, United Kingdom
Feb 2018 - May 2022
Chief Operating Officer
- • Served as COO and Director of Board, responsible for deliveries, product development, and partnerships
- • Led company operations and cross-functional execution during a major growth stage
- • Worked closely with leadership on strategic priorities and organizational development
Achievements
- ★ Helped scale the company through to its acquisition by Black & White Zebra
London, UK
Dec 2016 - Jan 2018
Operations Manager / Head of Operations
- • Developed and managed outbound campaigns, lead generation, client onboarding, and upselling
- • Established and improved a new CRM system from the ground up
- • Oversaw data discovery and data improvement processes
- • Led recruitment and supported significant parts of employee onboarding as responsibilities expanded
Achievements
- ★ Co-developed new algorithms and ranking features that became key Crozdesk platform capabilities
Dortmund, Germany
Jan 2013 - Dec 2016
Project Manager
- • Introduced a dashboard reporting suite to drive department controlling and analytical thinking in key roles
- • Built performance control mechanisms and supported process transformation initiatives
- • Worked across project realization and IT-related business development
- • Led cost-cutting and process optimization efforts across multiple initiatives
Achievements
- ★ Digitalized incoming correspondence over a six-month period
- ★ Developed a tool for on-demand customer break-even analysis over a 12-month period
Education
Master of Science (Hons), Information System Management and Innovation
University of Warwick - Warwick Business School2015 - 2016
Grade: 2:1 / 1.7 / 69.30 GPA
Dissertation:
Digital Strategy for a Non-Profit Healthcare Service (Distinction (1st))
Show details Hide details
Courses
- Technological Innovation and Change
- Digital Business Strategy and Strategy Design
- Knowledge Work & Innovation
- Digital Business and Workplace Technologies
- Data & Business Intelligence
- Enterprise Information Systems
- Information Systems Consultancy
- Global Sourcing & Innovation
Activities (2)
- Member of the student funding committee
- Member of the official Warwick Volleyball team, 2nd division
Bachelor of Science (BSc), Business and Management Studies
University of Europe for Applied Sciences2009 - 2013
Grade: 2:1 / 2.5 / 74.02 GPA
Dissertation:
Customer-Satisfaction of Student Apartments (Honors (1st))
Show details Hide details
Courses
- Foundations of Business Administration
- Market-Based Management
- Economic Theory
- Production and Logistics
- Corporate Accounting
- Quantitative Research
- Commercial Law
- Value Management
- Organizational Management
- Economic Policy
- Business Communication Skills in English
- Business Informatics
- Soft Skills
- Corporate Management
- Marketing
- Customer Relationship Management
- Entrepreneurship
- Personal Management
- Management Software
- Research and Practice
Activities (4)
- Member of Student Council
- Member of Funding Committee
- Member of Sanction Committee
- Member of Volleyball club
Let's Connect
If you are hiring for an early-stage venture leadership role or want to discuss a founder support mandate, book a call and we can see whether there is a fit.