Co-founder and COO of LOTARO, Munich
Tobias
Kupke
Mechanical engineer, BI specialist, founder. At LOTARO, employees book live trainings in small groups with one click; Tobias' focus is on processes and measurable impact for companies.1,2,3
Companies already train their employees with LOTARO, as of October 2026.2
Since 2022 co-founder, COO and managing director of LOTARO, together with Julia Kupke and Robin Rudolph.1,2,3
From engineer to founder: Diploma in mechanical engineering, followed by business intelligence and online marketing, then Art Shapes, wow family and LOTARO.1,10
Talk to him about
- Training that actually gets used
- Measuring the impact of training
- Deciding like a poker player
- From mechanical engineering to entrepreneurship
Training that actually gets booked.
LOTARO offers companies live trainings on people skills: leadership, communication, sales, and working with AI. Employees book on their own with a single click and learn in small groups of around ten people from different companies, for no more than two hours at a stretch.2,7
Billing is based on usage, with no contract term and no license fees. HR departments can see usage, skill development, feedback, and impact in the HR dashboard.2 According to the company, more than 10,000 people use LOTARO, with more than 600 courses to choose from.4
An engineer who thinks in probabilities.
- Poker as a school. While studying mechanical engineering, he discovered poker, mainly No Limit Texas Hold’em, and remained a passionate player for many years. Having grown up near the Czech border, the nearest live game was twenty minutes away. What he learns at the table, he applies to decisions at work.5
- First technology, then companies. Degree in mechanical engineering in Stuttgart, a year of medical technology at ETH Zürich, an internship at Continental working on algorithms for passive safety. He then moved on to numbers, marketing and start-ups.1
- His favorite course. At LOTARO, it is "Enabling others to grow through coaching skills".3
- On the water. In his author profile, he describes himself with two words: "Passionate Kitesurfer".6
Where a conversation with Tobias is worthwhile.
- Training that actually gets used
- Why live training in small groups achieves more than videos, and how LOTARO reaches over 70% usage after eight weeks.2
- Making impact measurable
- Optimizing processes, measuring results, creating transparency for companies: these are his focus areas in the founding team.3
- Deciding like at the poker table
- Choosing a market like choosing a table, weighing risk by expected value, judging decisions not by their outcome.5
What he likes to talk about
- "How can you tell whether a training has worked?"
- "Which poker rule helps you most in business?"
- "What do you take from mechanical engineering into founding a company?"
"You should always evaluate your decision on the information you had during the decision process, not based on what happened afterwards."
"A Poker Mindset," November 20175
"Sometimes the risk is worth the reward."
On expected value and risk, 20175
"… talent and brainpower are only supporting you but not replacing effort."
On passion, 20175
"Only copying other companies won’t make you a well known brand that gains market leadership."
On differentiation, 20175
"Most people really feel honored being contacted directly and appreciated for their knowledge."
Why you should simply ask people for advice, 20175
What works differently after eight weeks.
of enabled employees actively book trainings2
from activation to the first booked training2
apply what they have learned on the job within four weeks2
Course rating3
Right from the launch in 2022, the founders ran a demo session with every trainer. Only a small share of applicants made it onto the platform.8
Companies learning with LOTARO
What clients say.
"We would never have found so many great international trainers on our own. With LOTARO, we saved a lot of time."
"Our employee satisfaction rose within a short time. The training offering is also lucrative, especially when searching for new talent."
"The workshop was well structured, with many tangible examples. We were able to focus on practical implementation, since we were a small, motivated group."
Three founders, three roles.
LOTARO emerged in 2022 from a team that had come together before the idea did. Several business ideas generated revenue but did not convince the team; only the platform for live trainings did.7,9
Company vision and product; previously Chief of Growth and People at Stryber.
2022Customers, from the first conversation through onboarding.
2022Processes, measurable results, transparency for companies.
2022Roles according to lotaro.de and Munich Startup.3,9
From mechanical engineering through data to founding.
Every statement is sourced, retrieved on 09.10.2026. English statements are reproduced in the original. The portrait comes from lotaro.de (2023), the second photo from his LinkedIn profile (2021).
- 1LinkedIn profile of Tobias Kupke, as of 09.10.2026
- 2LOTARO, home page lotaro.de, as of 10/2026
- 3LOTARO, "Über uns" and "Our Story", as of 10/2026
- 4LOTARO on LinkedIn, company page
- 5Tobias Kupke, "A Poker Mindset — 7 helpful analogies between business and poker", kartenmacherei tech blog (20.11.2017)
- 6Medium, author profile of Tobias Kupke
- 7Munich Startup, "Lotaro will improve people skills" (05.06.2023)
- 8PERSOBLOGGER.DE, "Startup Lotaro – Weiterbildung via Livetrainings" (07.11.2022)
- 9Munich Startup, "Women in Tech: Julia Kupke von Lotaro" (22.06.2023)
- 10North Data, Tobias Kupke (Art Shapes GmbH, wow family GmbH)