Lars Windhorst

Bio

German native Lars Windhorst was born in North Rhine-Wephalian. He took an early interest in stocks. At the tender age of ten, he started experimenting with portfolios and companies of interest, displaying a natural inclination to the trade. In high school, Lars Windhorst and a group of friends built computer software systems. This first project already succeeded, not just to earn a bit of spending cash, but turning into a profitable small business. But for Lars Windhorst, his business career was just beginning. Lars Windhorst took a trip to China to locate cheaper computer components and, in 1992, partnered with a Chinese businessman then residing in Germany. Already at age 16, his potential for earning was clear and his fame spread under the nickname of “wunderkind.” Riding on the coattails of his spectacular reputation, Lars Windhorst and Ming Rong Zhang founded the company Windhorst Electronics GmbH. The sixteen year old and his partner were very successful; just three years following, Lars Windhorst began living in Hong Kong on a part time -basis to found Windhorst Asia Pacific Holdings. This company went on to grow, branching into Vietnam and China, and also moving from elections into the finance and real estate industries. Not only did Lars Windhorst succeed with this company, but also in subsequent years. He quickly opened two other investment firms, all bearing aspects of his name: Windhorst AG and Windhorst Capital Holdings. As he aged, so did his companies change and adjust. The Internet was a major change in the word, as well as various economic rifts. As the Internet market soared, so did Windhorst Electronics and it’s parent corporation Windhorst AG. In the latter part of the 1990s, as the Internet world shook a bit with change and crisis, Windhorst AG was hit hard and in 2003 closed its doors. This, of course, did not stop Lars Windhorst. He participated in the World Economic Forum in Davis in 1996 where he was named Global Leader for Tomorrow. He is the youngest person to have received this honor at the forum. Regardless of all the recognition, as the new millennium continued to unfold, Lars Windhorst’s projects in the Internet and technology world ran into rocky times. As the Internet bubble popped, so did his fiscal solvency. By 2007, the young prodigy had to fill bankruptcy for all of his major holding companies and later, he also filed for personal insolvency. At this point, Lars Windhorst owed 63 million Euros to various creditors; his creditors agreed to a court settlement, however, which cut down and eventually relieved him of all debt. “Wunderkind” would need to take a new direction at this point. No longer a child and no longer an exception, he had already logged a number of companies that flew to success and spiraled into debt. Lars Windhorst, however, is nothing if not determined. Lars Windhorst already found his new challenge in 2004. He partnered with a South African family, the Hersov’s, with great interests in business and investing. Lars Windhorst and his partner, Robert Hersov, founded a company called Sapinda Investment Group. The goal of this company would be to invest around the world, in public and private equity projects that would be both profitable and sustainable. They have offices in Amsterdam, Moscow, London, Seoul, Johannesburg, Hong Kong and, of course, Berlin, close to where Lars Windhorst began his path in the business world. In its first half decade of operation, the company made more than 2 billion Euros worth of investments and deals. They have put together a global portfolio for investments in both the tangible and the financial markets. One of Sapina’s greatest interests and successes has proven to be trade in raw materials and various other components of agricultural production enhancement. Lars Windhorst wants to ensure that the knowledge he has gained, through both successes and failures, will contribute to his current venture’s impressive success. Among their investments are Ichor Coal, which operates in Asia and South Africa; and Amatheon Agri Holding N.V., which focuses on investing in farms and agricultural ventures across Africa. Like everyone around the world, Sapina had to get creative during the global economic crisis in 2008. Their strategy would be to restructure and encourage shareholders to refinance. This worked out well for Lars Windhorst, who now runs the majority of the company. Lars Windhorst is CEO of Sapinda UK Limited and is also in charge of its German subsidiary Sapinda Deutschland GmbH. After years of learning business in the big wide world, Lars Windhorst has returned to where he started. At Sapinda, Lars Windhorst is dedicated to developing the best risk management techniques in the field and ensuring that he has a strong backing system to see his projects through.