The future won’t shape itself

“The future won't shape itself” – that’s the message on the website of Meerkat Holding, which Jörg Holstein runs alongside his wife Amelie Holstein, as well as Klaus Kleber and Susanne O’Brien from the Health Campus in Bochum. The phrase sums up Holstein perfectly: if you want to shape the future, you have to get started. And you have to do it together as a team. Partnership, innovation and sustainability are their core values.

Holstein and Meerkat specialise in software solutions and software-driven innovations in the healthcare sector. They prefer to invest in early-stage start-ups with a social impact.

Their reach is nationwide, but start-ups from the Ruhr region are particularly close to their hearts. “We love the Ruhr region,” says Jörg Holstein without mincing his words. This is where he lives, and where he has built his successful career. And from here, he invests in future technologies for the healthcare sector across Germany. “The Ruhr region is a fascinating location for investors in the healthcare industry because we have a very strong market here, as well as hospitals and universities of the highest standard,” says Holstein.

What matters to him is the character of the founders. They must be fully committed to their project, putting their heart and soul into it. After all, the future doesn’t shape itself. Only then can success be achieved as a team, drawing on the experience and contacts that Holstein brings to the table.  

He is also involved in Quhr, the Smart Health Hub in Bochum, and in the MedEcon Ruhr health network. “Our aim is to make it easier for founders in the Ruhr region to access resources and networks, in order to promote the development of practical and effective solutions for health and society – here at the heart of the health industry. From Bochum for the region,” says Holstein. For him, the city and the Ruhr region are closely intertwined. That is why he has been involved in the Board of Trustees of Business Metropole Ruhr for years and supports the promotion of the region as a strong health brand.

Jörg Holstein is an ambassador for his home city of Bochum – and for the Ruhr region.