Eric Achtmann is an innovation expert who has an impressive history of creating exponential value in challenging growth environments for both publicly traded and private companies.
Notably, Eric led the hypertransformation of Costa Coffee, where he proposed and delivered the secretive Costa Express “Project Marlow”—an award-winning IoT-enabled fresh drinks system with an IP suite of over 125 patents and claims—within just six months. Project Marlow contributed significantly to Coca Cola’s $5.1 billion acquisition of Costa. Prior to Costa, Eric was a co-founder of V-Nova, a UK-based tech company foundational to the new LCEVC (MPEG-5) international video compression standard. He was managing director of a pan-European early-stage tech and life science venture fund and pioneered McKinsey’s advanced product development business. Eric started his career as a mechanical and software engineer with BMW and Airbus and led strategic innovation initiatives for Dana Inc.
Eric holds a Master’s degree in Aero- and Astronautics and an MBA in Finance from MIT, and is a professor of practice at the MIT co-founded Skolkovo Institute of Science & Technology (SkolTech).
Eric served as part of the U.S. Congressional Lean Aerospace Initiative, where he focussed primarily on lean manufacturing for the F/A-18 Super Hornet at the highly regarded McDonnell Douglas Phantom Works. His impact in innovation continues today through his work as a US Air Force AFWERX and Techstars Mentor.
In addition, Eric:
