Interviews
Interviews
Podcast
31.1.2022
Jörg Karenfort has a fantastic view from his office. He says it's the best. Karenfort sits at Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt with a view of the French cathedral, the German cathedral and the Konzerthaus. When he speaks, he expresses himself with choice, weighing up which word is the best and finding it unerringly. He feels good today, he says, and wants to start the interview.
It was a pool table in the basement that we can also convert into a table tennis table. I've wanted that for a long time. It's very bonding to play a game with friends and family after dinner, for example. The children have a slight tendency to prefer playing pool. For me, it's more like 50/50.
Active relaxation is part of effective and efficient work. And I like to work. As entrepreneurs, my parents always worked a lot and set an example for us children. That's why I'm used to keeping several balls in the air - even if it doesn't help with table tennis.
You ran a delicatessen and later set up a brewery together with my brother and me at the end of the 1980s. The delicatessen sector had a difficult time when the discounters became big. I think that's where my penchant for antitrust law comes from: I wanted to understand what is possible and how markets work.
"I financed my studies at the London School of Economics myself with a very expensive loan. I had to pay well over ten percent interest on it"
Money always played a role. My father and mother were businessmen. They had equal rights and involved us children early on. From the age of 12, I did every job you can imagine. I worked in the store, ran the till, sorted the empties, sold Christmas trees, disposed of garbage and served beer at parties. I know how exhausting it is to make ends meet with simple jobs.
A friend gave me the idea of studying law. I started and then quickly caught on. I financed my studies at the London School of Economics myself with a very expensive loan. I had to pay well over ten percent interest on it. I only paid it back when I started a decent part-time job as a lawyer at a leading law firm alongside my legal traineeship. So the investment in my training paid off immediately.
I always call it 'disposition' because I don't feel ill in the true sense of the word. Fortunately, I've been fine with it so far. It started when I was 43 years old. At that time, I broke my shoulder in a riding accident, but I'd already had pain in the non-fractured shoulder for some time. My shoulders were then examined by various doctors and I finally ended up seeing a neurologist. He diagnosed me with Parkinson's disease. That was no joke. I was shocked, of course, but I learned from my grandma that you should take things as they come. That's what I've been doing ever since, even though Parkinson's is more of a diagnosis with no obvious secondary gain.
"My relationships have become more relevant and more intimate. I know the people who are close to me much better today than I did a few years ago"
People who break a shoulder are typically treated very courteously. They get attention, they are helped, for example when they have to tie their shoes. That's not the case with Parkinson's. I only learned about this very slowly, but am now learning to live with it better and better. Because I am very open about the disease, other people are also very open with me. My relationships have become more relevant and more intimate. I know the people who are close to me much better now than I did a few years ago. I avoid unfavorable or time-wasting people much more consistently. At the end of the day, a large part of what we call life is built on relationships - and I'm currently having a lot of positive experiences. That's a benefit and I'm grateful for it.
YUVEDO is a joint initiative by the Berlin entrepreneur Jens Greve and myself. Jens was diagnosed with Parkinson's around the same time as me and launched this project. The work is divided into three parts, which are closely interwoven: Promotion of application-oriented and cure-focused research, advocacy for better framework conditions with the right incentives and the creation of a better database for research. This is because neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's often still lack the right data on patients in sufficient quantities. We also want to draw more attention to the topic and achieve greater acceptance through visibility. At the moment, things are still going wrong.
We have commissioned a study to explore the non-medical barriers to tackling Parkinson's disease. The study by renowned economists shows strong indicators that there is a kind of market and regulatory failure in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. This arises, for example, because the test procedures are too complex and too long. In public research projects, there is a veritable bureaucratic monster to conquer, which may frustrate researchers. As a foundation, we therefore want to manage as far as possible without public funding: Because funding often imposes a corset on organizations that constricts and blocks creativity and dynamism. We therefore welcome generous donations and are also dependent on them.
"Neuroscience and brain research will decide who is ahead in important areas such as artificial intelligence in the future. So far, the Chinese and the Americans are ahead of us"
Science does not have access to patient data. But if we can't get the data, we can't get the right test subjects and then the tests with new therapies don't work well enough. As a result, pharmaceutical and biotech companies are wasting billions that could actually be used in a more targeted way. In addition, over-regulation needs to be cleverly reformed and the incentives for causal therapy development in particular need to be improved, for example by changing the patent rules. There is a lot to do, but it can be done.
So far, this has not been sufficiently the case due to the framework conditions described. We therefore initially want to offer matchmaking of projects and investors via two platforms and then, in the long term, set up a fund or have one set up. This would be a classic venture or private equity fund, which could possibly also include public funds, for example from the European Investment Bank. With both approaches, we want to stimulate or even help shape at least one billion euros of investment in Parkinson's therapy development and research. If we move ten billion euros in this direction, I am convinced that we will defeat Parkinson's in eight to twelve years. There is also an incredible return opportunity for investors and it would be important for Germany and Europe as a business location.
Neuroscience and brain research will decide who is ahead in important areas such as artificial intelligence in the future. So far, the Chinese and the Americans are ahead of us. If we catch up, we will certainly be able to play a leading role economically in the coming decades, otherwise we will have a problem. An investment in research into degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's would make sense for this reason alone. What's more, if we defeat Parkinson's, we can also get a grip on other neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's, ALS and dementia.
Politically, awareness of the issue seems to have become much greater. Whether that comes from us is irrelevant, but the effect is good. For us, it's mainly about being able to live without Parkinson's again by 2030 once we have defeated this disease. I'll be 60 years old in 2030 - and there's still a lot to experience then.
Personal details: Jörg Karenfort is a renowned lawyer and Global Head of Antitrust Law at the international law firm Dentons. He is a board member of the YUVEDO Foundation, a charitable foundation he co-founded, which campaigns for better treatment and therapies for Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases and supports people in need with such diseases and their families. Karenfort lives in Berlin. He has two children.
Interviews
31.1.2022
Nils Wischmeyer
Jörg Karenfort is a top lawyer, 52 years old and suffers from Parkinson's disease. In this interview, he talks about the really important things in life, how he wants to beat the disease and what hurdles still need to be overcome.
Jörg Karenfort has a fantastic view from his office. He says it's the best. Karenfort sits at Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt with a view of the French cathedral, the German cathedral and the Konzerthaus. When he speaks, he expresses himself with choice, weighing up which word is the best and finding it unerringly. He feels good today, he says, and wants to start the interview.
It was a pool table in the basement that we can also convert into a table tennis table. I've wanted that for a long time. It's very bonding to play a game with friends and family after dinner, for example. The children have a slight tendency to prefer playing pool. For me, it's more like 50/50.
Active relaxation is part of effective and efficient work. And I like to work. As entrepreneurs, my parents always worked a lot and set an example for us children. That's why I'm used to keeping several balls in the air - even if it doesn't help with table tennis.
You ran a delicatessen and later set up a brewery together with my brother and me at the end of the 1980s. The delicatessen sector had a difficult time when the discounters became big. I think that's where my penchant for antitrust law comes from: I wanted to understand what is possible and how markets work.
"I financed my studies at the London School of Economics myself with a very expensive loan. I had to pay well over ten percent interest on it"
Money always played a role. My father and mother were businessmen. They had equal rights and involved us children early on. From the age of 12, I did every job you can imagine. I worked in the store, ran the till, sorted the empties, sold Christmas trees, disposed of garbage and served beer at parties. I know how exhausting it is to make ends meet with simple jobs.
A friend gave me the idea of studying law. I started and then quickly caught on. I financed my studies at the London School of Economics myself with a very expensive loan. I had to pay well over ten percent interest on it. I only paid it back when I started a decent part-time job as a lawyer at a leading law firm alongside my legal traineeship. So the investment in my training paid off immediately.
I always call it 'disposition' because I don't feel ill in the true sense of the word. Fortunately, I've been fine with it so far. It started when I was 43 years old. At that time, I broke my shoulder in a riding accident, but I'd already had pain in the non-fractured shoulder for some time. My shoulders were then examined by various doctors and I finally ended up seeing a neurologist. He diagnosed me with Parkinson's disease. That was no joke. I was shocked, of course, but I learned from my grandma that you should take things as they come. That's what I've been doing ever since, even though Parkinson's is more of a diagnosis with no obvious secondary gain.
"My relationships have become more relevant and more intimate. I know the people who are close to me much better today than I did a few years ago"
People who break a shoulder are typically treated very courteously. They get attention, they are helped, for example when they have to tie their shoes. That's not the case with Parkinson's. I only learned about this very slowly, but am now learning to live with it better and better. Because I am very open about the disease, other people are also very open with me. My relationships have become more relevant and more intimate. I know the people who are close to me much better now than I did a few years ago. I avoid unfavorable or time-wasting people much more consistently. At the end of the day, a large part of what we call life is built on relationships - and I'm currently having a lot of positive experiences. That's a benefit and I'm grateful for it.
YUVEDO is a joint initiative by the Berlin entrepreneur Jens Greve and myself. Jens was diagnosed with Parkinson's around the same time as me and launched this project. The work is divided into three parts, which are closely interwoven: Promotion of application-oriented and cure-focused research, advocacy for better framework conditions with the right incentives and the creation of a better database for research. This is because neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's often still lack the right data on patients in sufficient quantities. We also want to draw more attention to the topic and achieve greater acceptance through visibility. At the moment, things are still going wrong.
We have commissioned a study to explore the non-medical barriers to tackling Parkinson's disease. The study by renowned economists shows strong indicators that there is a kind of market and regulatory failure in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. This arises, for example, because the test procedures are too complex and too long. In public research projects, there is a veritable bureaucratic monster to conquer, which may frustrate researchers. As a foundation, we therefore want to manage as far as possible without public funding: Because funding often imposes a corset on organizations that constricts and blocks creativity and dynamism. We therefore welcome generous donations and are also dependent on them.
"Neuroscience and brain research will decide who is ahead in important areas such as artificial intelligence in the future. So far, the Chinese and the Americans are ahead of us"
Science does not have access to patient data. But if we can't get the data, we can't get the right test subjects and then the tests with new therapies don't work well enough. As a result, pharmaceutical and biotech companies are wasting billions that could actually be used in a more targeted way. In addition, over-regulation needs to be cleverly reformed and the incentives for causal therapy development in particular need to be improved, for example by changing the patent rules. There is a lot to do, but it can be done.
So far, this has not been sufficiently the case due to the framework conditions described. We therefore initially want to offer matchmaking of projects and investors via two platforms and then, in the long term, set up a fund or have one set up. This would be a classic venture or private equity fund, which could possibly also include public funds, for example from the European Investment Bank. With both approaches, we want to stimulate or even help shape at least one billion euros of investment in Parkinson's therapy development and research. If we move ten billion euros in this direction, I am convinced that we will defeat Parkinson's in eight to twelve years. There is also an incredible return opportunity for investors and it would be important for Germany and Europe as a business location.
Neuroscience and brain research will decide who is ahead in important areas such as artificial intelligence in the future. So far, the Chinese and the Americans are ahead of us. If we catch up, we will certainly be able to play a leading role economically in the coming decades, otherwise we will have a problem. An investment in research into degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's would make sense for this reason alone. What's more, if we defeat Parkinson's, we can also get a grip on other neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's, ALS and dementia.
Politically, awareness of the issue seems to have become much greater. Whether that comes from us is irrelevant, but the effect is good. For us, it's mainly about being able to live without Parkinson's again by 2030 once we have defeated this disease. I'll be 60 years old in 2030 - and there's still a lot to experience then.
Personal details: Jörg Karenfort is a renowned lawyer and Global Head of Antitrust Law at the international law firm Dentons. He is a board member of the YUVEDO Foundation, a charitable foundation he co-founded, which campaigns for better treatment and therapies for Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases and supports people in need with such diseases and their families. Karenfort lives in Berlin. He has two children.
About the author
Nils Wischmeyer
Nils Wischmeyer writes about financial markets, investments, banks, banking regulation and white-collar crime.
