Jens Horstmann is a seasoned technology executive with over 40 years of leadership in Silicon Valley and the global high-tech sector. He is CEO of X1 Trading Systems, a cutting-edge fintech company pioneering algorithmic FX trading through advanced predictive algorithms and cognitive computing. Jens serves on several international boards and is a member of the Investment Committee at Campus Founders Venture Studio, one of Germany’s most forward-thinking innovation hubs for entrepreneurs and early-stage ventures.

He is a founding partner of StrongHer, a nonprofit supporting women entrepreneurs, and Executive Producer at Crestlight Venture Productions, a global innovation services company and venture fund focused on AI, IoT, and life sciences. Previously, he was Managing Director of Salt Flats Capital, the venture arm of a corporate innovation firm. With more than 25 patents to his name, Jens has advised Fortune 500 companies including NCR as VP of Entertainment Technology. As CEO of DVDPlay, he led the development of Redbox’s original kiosk platform—acquired by Coinstar—and later supported their corporate VC efforts. He has been an active angel investor and board member across multiple ventures including Acceleware Ltd., and formerly chaired the German American Business Association.

Earlier in his career, Jens founded and sold Ensemble Solutions, led Open Grid, an early pioneer in location-based services, and taught at UC Berkeley. He previously held senior engineering roles at Sun Microsystems, Siemens, LSI Logic, and Deutsche Telekom. He splits his time between Silicon Valley and Southwest Germany, and is also an avid pilot.