Rico Pires

Rico Pires currently serves as the CEO of encoviva, leading the transformation of the German building sector towards sustainable architecture through strategic partnerships. As the CEO of Pires Capital GmbH, Rico oversees investments in innovative start-ups and scale-ups, while also acting as an angel investor in multiple ventures, including the AI-driven platform paretos and deskless workforce training solutions at spoon.tech. Previously, Rico held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Customs Support, and contributed to large-scale transformations at McKinsey & Company as an Associate Partner. Academic credentials include a PhD in Physics from Heidelberg University, where Rico also conducted postdoctoral research, alongside research assistant roles at prominent institutions including the Max-Planck Institute and the University of Connecticut.