The minds behind Pulmotree

Ulf Krüger
CEO and Founder
Ulf´s deep knowledge in respiratory drug delivery combined with his strong management skills and innovative entrepreneurial vision are the foundation of PULMOTREE. His comprehensive experience involves key areas across the non-propellant liquid inhaler lifecycle, from research and development, through corporate strategy to successful commercialization.
In his former position as Director – Fox Nebuliser Programs at Vectura, he was responsible for the entire sector of the proprietary mesh nebulizers business. Previously, he held various positions in the research and development department at PARI. He is a graduate biomedical engineer, an inventor listed on numerous patents, and recognized speaker and conference chairman. As a member of The Aerosol Society, and the European Respiratory Society (ERS), he is particularly also involved as PhD student mentor for the TANDEM program at RWTH Aachen University, and chairman of the networking group New Devices, Emerging Therapies and e-Health at the InternationalSociety for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM).

Elena Schaefer
Chief of Staff / Authorised Signatory
As part of the PULMOTREE management team, Elena wears many hats and seamlessly manages the HR department, financial planning, budget monitoring, and organisational reporting. She plays an important role in growing Pulmotree with a controllable speed and in a sustainable way. With a background in general management, Elena has held diverse positions in international corporations and start-ups.
Her experience extends across operations, with a focus on supply chain management and procurement in the FMCG sector and international consulting. In the startup industry, she acquired practical expertise in driving business expansion, fostering rapid but sustainable growth for the company.
Before joining PULMOTREE, Elena played a key role in a hyper-growth start-up’s management team. She played a crucial role in scaling the team from 10 to approximately 2,500 employees. Her responsibilities included not only overseeing expansion strategies but also integral aspects of human resources management.

Mathias Binder
Chief Technology Officer
Mathias brings a wealth of expertise in developing, testing, and documenting complex medical devices, along with a strong grasp of the regulatory landscape. With a background in mechanical engineering and experience at both large corporations and medical device startups, he has honed his skills in managing the intricate development processes of innovative products. His hands-on experience with internationally recognized medical device manufacturers also deepens his insight into effective growth strategies.
Mathias’s solution-oriented mindset and extensive background in quality and regulatory affairs—gained through roles at a notified body (TÜV SÜD) and leadership positions at successful companies—make him a pivotal player in shaping Pulmotree’s growth. He is dedicated to driving the success of our development projects and ensuring that we meet the highest standards in the industry.

Carolina Dantas
Head of Medical & Scientific Affairs
Carolina’s expertise as a pulmonologist MD adds to Pulmotree the valuable insight of both physicians and patients. Specialized in respiratory infectious diseases and lung related indications such as cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis, she has a vast hands-on clinical experience with inhaled drug therapies.
As the Head of Medical and Scientific Affairs her search for innovation in healthcare matches with Pulmotree’s forward-thinking approach to the evolution of respiratory therapies. Besides her knowledge in clinical research, Carolina is an accomplished communicator in science, counting with published scientific papers, a book chapter, and several original presentations in international conferences. Carolina holds a Master’s degree in Medicine, is a member of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia, the European Respiratory Society (ERS), and the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM).

Lara Fischer
Quality Management
With a solid foundation in medical device management and a deep understanding of MDR regulations, Lara plays a key role as our Quality Management Specialist. Over the past two years at Pulmotree, she has gained valuable hands-on experience and is now responsible for overseeing and continuously improving our quality management system. Lara has been instrumental in developing, revising, and implementing critical processes, and she leads comprehensive training programs to ensure adherence to QM protocols across the company.
Beyond her current role, Lara is expanding her expertise through an MBA in Health Tech Management, further enhancing her ability to navigate the complex regulatory landscape of the medical device industry. Her strong focus on quality and compliance drives our commitment to excellence in medtech innovation.
The 2nd degree Pulmotree family

Stefan Kaltenbacher
Advisory Board Member – Marketing & Corporate Finance
Stefan is the one connecting the dots between the Life Science industry and the corporate finance world. His broad background in Life Sciences delivers a number of values to Pulmotree when sharing insights and capabilities in identifying the strategic direction coupled with tactical sales and marketing excellence.
In his former positions as General Manager for Corporations like BAYER AG, Johnson & Johnson and CareFusion Stefan gained a richness of experience in a number of healthcare disciplines but foremost in leading people and developing talents. His extensive international work helped him to practice a global mindset but noteably sharing experiences and let others benefit from them. He lives by his credo.. “ healthcare is all about curiousity, every day.” Stefan is advising world class Private Equity groups and Family offices. He is a graduated Bachelor of Business Administration and holds a Corporate Master degree from the University of Notre Dame, USA.

Benjamin Schimmel
Advisory Board Member – Finance
As a tax consultant and German chartered accountant, Benjamin has many years of experience in implementation-oriented consulting for SMEs, which he gained among other things as a consultant at Deloitte. Benjamin is the managing director of the tax consultant and accountants firm Schimmel Steuerberater, Wirtschaftsprüfer.
We trust in his broad competence and knowledge around the topics of taxes, startups, business management and organizational design. He is our cooperation partner for internal / external accounting, tax declaration as well as tax and business consulting. Benjamin holds a degree in business administration and is a member of the chamber of chartered tax accountants, and the chamber of tax advisors.

Thorsten Reh
Advisory Board Member – Legal
Thorsten looks back at more than 16 years of international experience in med-tech and pharma as Attorney, Legal Counsel, Head of Legal, Healthcare Compliance Officer, Chief Administration Officer and Managing Director. Thorsten Reh is the managing director of MEDIAS REHS, a law firm based in Munich, Germany.
His experience includes medium-sized companies such as Helios and Biotest as well as innovative international groups like ResMed and large international companies such as Linde Healthcare. Thorsten is a fully qualified German lawyer and holds a Master of Laws degree from UNSW (University of New South Wales, Sydney) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Management from ESMT (European School of Management and Technology, Berlin). He is a Certified Compliance Officer (DIZR) as well as a Certified Data Protection Officer (TÜV).