The start-up Plato, co-founded by Matthias Heinrich Morales, supports companies in B2B sales using AI
05/06/2026
Forbes Once Again Honors WHU Alumnus With a Place on the 30 Under 30 List
Once again, a member of the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management community has been named to the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list: Matthias Heinrich Morales (BSc 2019). In 2023, he co-founded the Berlin-based start-up Plato together with two partners. The company has developed an AI-powered software that serves as a growth platform for B2B wholesale. For this innovative and highly practical concept for the industry, Matthias Heinrich Morales has now been selected for Forbes Europe’s “Manufacturing & Industry” list.
“At WHU, I mainly met people who thought entrepreneurially and had the ambition to build something of their own – this spirit later motivated me to found Plato,” said Matthias Heinrich Morales. “What I took away from that time at university above all was curiosity: the drive to look for problems where others tend to overlook them. That is exactly what I would like to pass on to today’s students: the most exciting problems are rarely found where everyone is looking.”
Since 2012, the Forbes 30 under 30 list has annually recognized young, emerging, and successful individuals from business, science, technology, art, and sports. Originally limited to a US list, the recognition has since expanded to include Europe, Germany, and Switzerland, among others. It is a highly coveted distinction – and yet, in recent years, nearly 40 WHU alumni have made it onto these prestigious lists, placing the school’s graduates among the most successful in Europe.
About Matthias Heinrich Morales
Matthias Heinrich Morales studied Business Administration at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management until 2019. He subsequently pursued studies at the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) and the Technical University of Munich. He then gained practical experience in the start-up ecosystem, including at WHU start-ups Lesara and Rocket Internet, where he focused early on digital business models and product development. In 2023, he co-founded the Berlin-based start-up Plato together with Benedikt Nolte and Oliver Birch, where he now serves as CPO. The company develops software that uses artificial intelligence to automate and simplify sales processes in wholesale, enabling companies to work more efficiently and focus more strongly on sales.