As a serial entrepreneur, Dr. Justus von Grone is deeply rooted in the international start-up scene. He graduated with a degree in business administration from HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of Hamburg, and completed his doctorate at the KMU-HSG Institute at the University of St. Gallen. There, he conducted research on the topic of “Motivation of Founders.” He founded Lailos Group GmbH, launched wecuddle.com, one of the leading live social discovery platforms, and sold the company in 2015. In 2016, the company was bought back and expanded with the international brand hugmonstar.com. Shortly after its launch, Hugmonstar has already grown into one of the largest live social discovery platforms in Scandinavia. In 2017, Dr. Justus von Grone founded the consulting firm Hiller von Grone. The focus is on advising selected national and international clients in the areas of crowdfunding and ad planning.

As a business angel, Dr. Justus von Grone supports young companies and start-ups, particularly in the medical and biotech sectors. In 2006, he was also awarded the Bertini Prize for young people with civil courage.

Together with Prof. Dr. Timo Meynhardt, Justus von Grone is the initiator of the Public Value Award for Start-ups.