Dominik Esen
Dominik joined Northzone as an investor in 2021, where he primarily focuses on early-stage companies across AI applications, Vertical SaaS, and Fintech. Dominik started at Northzone’s Stockholm office and moved to our Berlin office in 2024.
Prior to Northzone, Dominik served as a Paratrooper in the German Military, followed by roles at Allianz and Bain & Company. He grew up between Berlin and Istanbul, and holds a Master’s degree from the Stockholm School of Economics.
Meeting people from all walks of life
The most exciting part of this job is meeting and working with people from all sorts of backgrounds who share one thing in common – the vision and drive to build something generational. The motivation that brings people into these demanding journeys can differ significantly.
From growing up without much to serving in the military, selling insurance at Allianz, and working with highly educated people at Bain, I’ve had the chance to meet and work with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. I find that this journey allows me to empathize with founders who have different paths and sources of motivation.
A love of languages
Growing up across Germany and Turkey and having attended a Turkish school in Berlin, I have always been attracted to new cultures and languages. It’s one of the perks of my role, getting to travel and meet founders from all around the world. After 6 years in Sweden and having married a Swede, it was great to pick up another language in recent years. Now that we live in Berlin and have a young daughter, our home is an interesting and sometimes confusing mix of four languages. To anyone trying to learn a new language, my best advice is to read Harry Potter (or whatever book you loved growing up) on a Kindle with a built-in dictionary. It worked wonders for my Swedish and was much more fun and effective than Duolingo.
Recommendations
I love reading, particularly Science Fiction and Fantasy. It’s the one activity where I feel I can fully immerse myself in a different world. My best picks are the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, and The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. I’m also a big One Piece fan!
