Rolf Schrömgens
Rolf Schrömgens is a serial entrepreneur. Right out of university, in 1999, he started one of the best-funded European first wave internet companies ciao.com. In 2005, he started his second company trivago.com, which became, within a decade, the most successful hotel search and one of the largest global consumer brands. He brought trivago public at Nasdaq in 2016 and moved from his CEO role into a board position in 2020. Lately, Rolf co-founded leadership.sprouts, an NGO that aims to evolve leadership into the digital age.
Rolf’s confessions
Q. DO YOU HAVE A ROLE MODEL OR LIFE MOTTO?
A. Live now
Q. WHAT EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE STANDS OUT IN YOUR MEMORY?
A. My psychedelic experience.
Q. WHAT CAN YOU NOT LAUGH ABOUT?
A. Unnecessary suffering.
Q. WHAT’s Something beautiful that you bought yourself recently?
A. 20 pairs of the same black socks.
Q. WHAT BOOK WOULD YOU NEVER GIVE AWAY?
A. None. The value of books for me is in reading not in keeping.
Q. WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST ALIVE?
A. When I change my mind.
Q. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN?
A. The human potential to create, connect and love.
Q. WHERE IS YOUR MOST PEACEFUL PLACE?
A. Deep in myself.
Q. What was the last good deed you did?
A. Separating the egg tray this morning from the egg shells although it was pretty messy.
Q. WHAT HAVE YOU RECENTLY DREAMED ABOUT?
A. Unfortunately did not keep track.
Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC?
A. Depends a lot on my mood
Q. Beginning or finishing up? Which is harder to do?
A. Stopping