Track record · 2003 – today

Track record

Felix Lenhard is an engineer and builder from Graz, Austria. For more than 20 years he has taken products from idea to market: as an application engineer at Lenze, in sales management at Wirtgen Group, as Innovation Manager at RHI Magnesita, as Managing Director of 360 Innovation Lab, as founder of Vulpine Creations, and as Programme Manager of Startup Burgenland.

Milestone · 2021 – today

Startup Burgenland

Programme Manager · Wirtschaftsagentur Burgenland

After 360 Innovation Lab, I designed and co-built Startup Burgenland as Programme Manager, with responsibility for its content. The first cohort started within three months. AplusB member since 2022.

60.9%

share of profitable startups in Burgenland, highest in Austria (national 45%)

#1

Founding Impact of all nine Austrian states

69%

first paying customer outside family and friends before the programme ended

88

startups in Burgenland

+125% since 2021

50+

supported in six programme rounds

129

jobs

€8.5M

revenue

€15M+

invested

  • 95% of alumni recommend the programme
  • Funding path: EUR 10K starting capital, EUR 400K participation, EUR 650K–3.5M for scaling via Athena VC
  • Portfolio examples: anodu (EUR 1M+ transaction volume within six months), Terra Green (ACR Start-up Preis), VitaBlick (investment round closed, expanded to Germany and Switzerland)
“The Austrian Startup Monitor shows clearly: we have created an environment in which ideas can grow, and Burgenland has arrived on the startup scene’s radar.”
Dr. Leonhard Schneemann · Regional Minister for Economic Affairs, Burgenland · startup-burgenland.at, translated from German
“He helped me move from a purely technical concept to a clear roadmap for validation and market entry.”
Michael Strudler · Co-Founder, Wendy Windenergy
“…helped prepare and successfully close our investment round, and guided our market expansion into Germany and Switzerland.”
Amadeus Linzer · Managing Director, VitaBlick
“He brings structure where others bring noise…”
Emanuel Rudas · RVM Rudas Venture Management

Sources: Austrian Startup Monitor 2025 · Wirtschaftsagentur Burgenland

Felix Lenhard speaking to an audience
“Felix is not only a thinker—he’s a doer who connects people, structure, and strategy into solutions that work.”
Helmut Haider · Business Development, RHI Magnesita

Stations

2026

Three books

Author

  • Subtract to Ship: MDR, with Tibor Zechmeister (September 2026): #1 Best Seller in Law, #1 in Health Policy, #1 in New Business Enterprises (Amazon Kindle); 5.0 stars from 8 ratings
  • Late to the Table and Back at the Table (July 2026): Amazon bestsellers, #1 Best Seller in Theater & Stagecraft for more than a month after launch; 4.9 stars (36 ratings) and 5.0 stars (17 ratings)
  • In progress: Subtract to Ship, the method in four volumes
“I haven’t seen another MDR book written this directly for startup founders.”
Lukas Schneider · Subtract to Ship: MDR · Amazon.de, verified purchase
“A page turner is so rare in the magic craft genre of books and Felix has nailed it here.”
J. Taone · Late to the Table · Amazon.com, verified purchase
“Even if you have no interest in magic, there are plenty of ideas here that apply to presenters, speakers, entrepreneurs…”
Pang Peow Yeong · Back at the Table · Amazon.com

See the books

2020 – 2024

Vulpine Creations

Founder

  • 12 physical and 30+ digital products, invented, developed and produced
  • Sold through our own e-commerce and marketplaces in more than 50 countries, with our own international supply chain
  • 4.9-star average without a single refund case
  • Active in Austria and the US; product business sold in 2024

See the products

“He doesn’t just think big; he also understands the nuances of product development and execution.”
Adam Wilber · Partner at Vulpine Creations

2020 – today

Vulpine GmbH

Founder

  • Product, automation and go-to-market work for companies
  • Client costs cut by 60–80% in content, admin, lead generation, CNC and e-commerce

2018 – 2021

360 Innovation Lab

Head of Innovation, then Managing Director

  • Promoted to Managing Director within ten months
  • EUR 4M annual budget, full P&L, seven department heads, 35+ people in Graz
  • Locations in Graz, Warsaw and San Francisco
  • Five ventures in two and a half years
  • Accelerator with 3,000+ applications per batch, eight startups per round, three batches; a 120-developer software lab and hardware prototyping

Closed in early 2021, when COVID hit the investor group's hospitality business. Since then I look for paying customers outside a venture's own ecosystem from day one.

“As Managing Director, he not only had big ideas but knew exactly how to bring them to life, quickly turning early concepts into tangible, market-ready innovations.”
Daniel Reicher · Customer Director, Netconomy

2015 – 2018

RHI Magnesita

Innovation Manager, corporate business development

  • Responsible for designing the Stage-Gate process and rolling it out globally; adopted by business units on three continents
  • Prepared decisions on innovation investments, technology partnerships and make-or-buy questions, and presented them to the board
  • Evaluated M&A opportunities; R&D partnerships with technology leaders on three continents
  • FTSE 250 since 2017, world market leader in refractories
“Felix doesn’t just push ideas—he builds them into programs that move the organization forward.”
Thomas Jakowiak · Executive VP Integration and Project Management, RHI Magnesita
“Felix is a rare kind of innovator—someone who doesn’t just shape ideas but ensures they deliver tangible results.”
Simone Oremovic · Executive VP People, Integration, Recycling, RHI Magnesita
“Felix is one of those rare professionals who not only sees the strategic vision—but actually delivers on it.”
Christoph Jandl · CEO HENNgineered, HENN Connector Group; former colleague at RHI Magnesita
“…brings clarity and momentum into even the most technically complex initiatives.”
Günter Deutsch · Head of R&D Laboratory, RHI Magnesita

2010 – 2014

Benninghoven, Wirtgen Group

Sales management, special machinery

  • Co-built the new branch office in Kalsdorf near Graz, with a ten-person team for sales, after-sales service and plant erection
  • Key accounts in more than ten countries, contributing to more than EUR 35M annual revenue
  • Product team for a transportable micro-plant concept designed for emerging markets such as Brazil, sub-Saharan Africa and Egypt
“…I saw how he balanced complex plant delivery projects with excellent customer communication—even when timelines and conditions were tough.”
Hristo Vakov · Managing Director, Wirtgen Group

2006 – 2009

Lenze

Application engineer

  • More than 350 automation systems developed and commissioned, from production lines to end-of-line test systems for the automotive industry
  • Clients included voestalpine, Böhler, Magna, ZF and Porsche

2003 – 2005

ams

Application engineer

  • Embedded software for MP3-capable mobile phones and MP3 players

Recommendations

“His questions always got to the core of what mattered…”
Lukas Thurner · CEO, FireFighter Rescue App
“He brings clarity, creativity, and structure to every project.”
Florian Mott · CMO, Drone Champions League
“A catalyst for clarity and progress in complex environments.”
Gernot Harm · EVP SCM & Global Procurement, Kapsch TrafficCom
“…he helped us sharpen our positioning, streamline our communication, and prepare a strong investor-facing story.”
Christoph Igler · CEO & Co-Founder, cal gmbh

77 recommendations on LinkedIn, from RHI Magnesita, voestalpine, Kapsch TrafficCom, Wirtgen Group, ANDRITZ, Anton Paar, and founders from Startup Burgenland.

Education

Degree
M.A. and B.Sc. Innovation Management, FH CAMPUS 02, Graz
Certification
TRIZ Practitioner, 2015
Engineering
Engineering diploma in computer science and electrical engineering, HTBLuVA Graz-Gösting
Languages
German (native), English (business fluent)

Work with me

Keynotes, workshops and audits, in English and German.

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