Lars Windhorst - On The Web

First Name: Lars
Last Name: Windhorst
Location: Berlin, Germany, London, UK
Age: 33

Title: CEO
Company: Sapinda Deutschland GmbH
Previous Companies: Windhorst Electronics GmbH, Windhorst AG, Vatas

The Start

Originally from Rhaden, a tiny village in northern Germany, Lars Windhorst started following the stock market at eight years old and made his first investment at the young age of ten.

His investments were so successful, that by fourteen he decided to travel to China and found his first start-up. In China, Lars Windhorst invested in cheap electronic parts, assembled them in his parent’s garage and started selling them in his father’s local store in Germany.

Within a year, the small start-up was so successful that Lars Windhorst continued to travel to China and expanded his business to include Ming Rong Zhang, a young Chinese entrepreneur. Together, the two formed Windhorst Electronics, and Lars Windhorst expanded the business and sold his electronics across Europe. The business grew at amazing speed and within a year sold over $50 million dollars.

International Acclaim and Recognition

This rapid success captured the attention of many high profile businessmen and politicians in Europe and the Far East. Most notably, Helmut Kohl, the former Chancellor of Germany, who called Lars Windhorst the “Wunderkind of the German economy,” and invited him to accompany him on official business trips to Asia in order to expand Lars’ global network and create further economic prosperity for Germany.

In the same year, the German media pegged Lars Windhorst the “German Bill Gates” and named him “Germany’s number one business founder.” In addition, Lars Windhorst was also invited to the prestigious World Economic Forum in Davos and was the forum’s youngest participant at the time.

As Lars Windhorst’s reputation and businesses continued to flourish, Lars decided to relocate to Hong Kong where he started to further expand his enterprises to include real estate and new internet communications. In addition to Windhorst Electronics, his businesses included Windhorst Pacific Holdings Ltd., Windhorst Capital Holding GmbH and Windhorst AG. Within a year, he opened 20 branches in the Far East and hired over 200 employees to grow his companies.

Adapting to Change

Since Lars Windhorst heavily invested in new communication and the internet, in 2001 when the internet bubble burst, his enterprises were dramatically affected and his companies eventually went bankrupt by 2003.

Known for his persistence and determination, Lars Windhorst continued to use his global connections to create successful international businesses. Without missing a beat, Lars Windhorst established a partnership with a successful South African industrialist family and created Sapinda, an investment company, in 2004. In Sapinda’s first five years, the investment company successfully trade over 2 billion Euro and furthered Lars Windhorst’s reputation as an smart investor and an entrepreneur with proven talent.

Current Position

Since the global recession hit in 2008, Lars Windhorst has managed the restructuring of Sapinda and founded Sapinda Deutschlnd GmbH. Currently he serves as the Chief Executive Officer.