Corona has shown that crises not only harbour risks for start-ups, but also opportunities – often with long-term business potential far beyond the actual cause of the crisis. Baltic Business Angels Schleswig-Holstein e.V. (BBASH), a member of Business Angels Deutschland (BAND), recognised this early on. Some BBASH investors backed the Norderstedt-based start-up pakajo some time ago, which now offers a solution for the current challenges in the US mail order business.
With the abolition of the de minimis exemption limit and the introduction of a minimum duty of 15%, parcel shipping to the USA has become considerably more complicated and expensive for many retailers since the end of August 2025. Numerous postal service providers have even stopped shipping to the US altogether – resulting in a slump in shipping volumes of around 80 %.
With its new US Post and US Parcel shipping products, pakajo now offers a transparent, stable and cost-effective alternative for German exporters:
„With our new products, we are ensuring that our customers can continue their business in the USA successfully even under the tightened framework conditions – without any nasty surprises in terms of price or processing,“ says Jörg Blümel, Managing Director of pakajo GmbH.
Claus Ruhe Madsen has been Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Labour, Technology and Tourism since 29 June 2022. He was born in Copenhagen on 27 August 1972; he is married and has one daughter.
Claas begann seine Karriere in der Old Economy bei „AEG und Electrolux Group“, wo er seine Leidenschaft für aufstrebende Industrien entdeckte. Das ist es, was ihn bis heute antreibt. Nachdem er bei „American Heritage Management Corp.“ an der Wall Street war und in den 1990er Jahren an den ersten internetbasierten Börsengängen teilnahm, wurde seine Leidenschaft für Technik und disruptive Technologien immer stärker. Er ist Mitgründer von „New Commercial Room“, einem VC-Unternehmen mit Sitz in Hamburg, mit dem er ein Portfolio von High-Tech-Wachstumsunternehmen verwaltet, das von medizinischen Geräten über Medien bis hin zu SaaS, IT und Cybersecurity reicht. Als Angel Investor investierte er sowohl privat in Unternehmen als auch mit dem „btov Investor-Network“. Er betreut aktiv zahlreiche deutsche StartUps, Accelerator-Programme und ist Scout im Norden für den „High-Tech Gründerfonds“ (HTGF). Dadurch hat er Zugang zu erstklassigem internationalen Deal Flow und Investoren. Darüber hinaus hat Claas mehrere Aufsichtsratspositionen inne und ist Live-Musiker mit der „Soul Lounge Connection“.
As a serial entrepreneur, investor and business angel, Julian has been involved in the German start-up and venture capital scene since 2003. He focuses on helping selected early-stage start-ups and their founders to turn their ambitions into reality. Investments are typically made in early-stage B2B technology companies with an initial track record. Julian’s current focus is on Industrial IoT, data analytics, B2B platform tools, e-health and 3D. He is particularly keen on spin-offs originating from research foundations and organisations or technical universities, but is also open to other opportunities. The best way to find out more about Julian is to visit his Website and here in the Interview.
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