Chris Schagen

Christian Schagen is a distinguished angel investor based in Berlin, Germany, widely recognized as the co-founder and former CEO of Contentful, a leading content platform that achieved considerable success, including raising a $175 million Series F round. Leveraging his extensive experience in building and scaling a global tech company, Schagen has transitioned into an active role supporting early-stage developer technology and SaaS entrepreneurs. His investment philosophy is deeply rooted in providing more than just capital, aiming to guide founders from the nascent "crazy idea" phase through to achieving product-market fit and optimizing their go-to-market strategies.

Schagen's investment portfolio, as detailed on platforms like Crunchbase, showcases a clear focus on the Seed stage. He has made at least 10 angel investments in companies primarily operating within the developer tools and infrastructure sectors. Notable companies in his portfolio include Gitpod, a cloud development environment; Storyblok, a headless CMS; Clerk, an authentication and user management platform; Supabase, an open-source Firebase alternative; and Deepnote, a collaborative data science notebook. These investments highlight his commitment to supporting foundational technologies that empower developers and streamline software development workflows.

While specific individual check sizes are not publicly disclosed, the seed rounds Schagen has participated in typically range from approximately $1.5 million to $15 million. Based on his profile as a successful founder with significant capital and a desire to be a meaningful partner, his typical first checks are estimated to fall within the range of $75,000 to $400,000. This range reflects his capacity to provide substantial early-stage capital, often alongside other venture funds or prominent angels. Beyond the financial investment, Schagen is known for his hands-on mentorship, offering strategic guidance on product development, team building, and scaling operations, making him a valuable ally for developer tech startups.