Mr. Lars Windhorst - Life Story

Lars Windhorst was keenly interested in electronics, finance, and computers as a young boy growing up in Rahden, Germany. By the time his 16th birthday rolled around, he was purchasing raw computer components, turning those parts into finished products in his family home and marketing them throughout the nation. After researching the industry, he developed a path of ordering parts directly through Asian suppliers, realizing substantial savings. As his successful venture grew, his status as a young entrepreneur became legendary. In fact, he became a media star, as he was written about and reported on across the nation. He was the youngest businessman ever selected to go with ex-Chancellor Helmut Kohl on trade delegations to Vietnam and China, and used those trips to garner business names and contacts. In addition, he participated at the Global Leader for Tomorrow conference being held at the World Economic Forum in Davos. No one of his young age had ever been invited to join that conference.

 

Business Beginnings

 

Lars Windhorst took on a partner from China, Ming Rong Zhang and formed the Windhorst Group GmbH. Later, he founded Windhorst Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd and began doing business in Hong Kong and Vietnam. By this time, the Windhorst Group was involved not only in the areas of electronics, but also real estate, finance, and investment. By then Lars Windhorst was responsible for 20 firms and salaries of at least 200 company employees. With business looking up, two more investment and holding companies were established, Windhorst Capital Holding GmbH and Windhorst AG.

 

Windhorst AG began to transfer its market holdings into the Internet in 2000, as Lars Windhorst saw investments in the New Economy as the strongest way to become listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Shortly thereafter, in 2001, the hi-tech bubble burst, taking the stock market down with it. With the complete collapse of Internet holdings, the company’s position was seriously weakened and by 2003 bankruptcy became inevitable.

 

Business Restructuring

 

Lars Windhorst lost his company but was still left with his knack for finance and business. Putting the two of those together, he co-founded a new investment group in 2004 - Sapinda. The new company had the backing of a family from South Africa and turned over more than 2billion EUR worth of transactions in investments during a five year period. Again, just as things were going well, the global financial recession of 2008 took a toll on his business. Following a difficult restructuring of the company in the late part of the year, the shareholders realized that the German subsidiary was insolvent. By April of 2009, the shareholders had put together a new holding company that they capitalized themselves.

 

Current Business

 

Lars Windhorst serves Sapinda Holding B.V. in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer of the German subsidiary. The company is owned by private funds and focuses on investment in debt, global private equity and public equity.

 

Personal

 

Lars Windhorst was severely injured in a plane crash in 2007. As the plane was taking off, it crashed leaving one of the pilots dead and injuring the other occupants.