Manuel is founder and CEO of PowerX, a company with the mission to combat climate change. PowerX is venture-backed by Seqouia Scout Fund, Y Combinator and Antler.

​

Manuel spent several years working for McKinsey and Company as a project manager. He advised governments and private sector on innovative energy solutions (ie. Power-to-X, hydrogen to chemicals, solar to cooling) and worked with clients from all continents.

​

Before joining McKinsey, Manuel worked for the World Bank and Morgan Stanley Hong Kong with a focus on renewable energy and intelligence testing. He authored different books and articles, which have been quoted in renown publications such as the World Development Report 2018 (WB, United Nations).

​

He was a McCloy Scholar at Harvard University (Germany’s most highly endowed scholarship), a Van Beek Scholar at the Wharton Business School and a Haniel and Studienstiftung scholar. He further studied Chinese, mathematics and business at University of Heidelberg and the Rotterdam School of Management, where he holds the highest grade average in history.

​

Before coming to Harvard, Manuel worked in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, China and India as Chief Information Officer of a global humanitarian aid organization and as adviser of the World Bank, Morgan Stanley and the Ministry of Labor of Saudi Arabia.