Johannes Deubener grew up in Germany and is now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he leads AI partnerships at Deutsche Telekom. Johannes brings a wealth of experience in business development, product, and innovation, having worked in various strategic roles at Deutsche Telekom for over five years. Before his current position, he co-founded and managed 'As Good As Pros Sports,' a sports marketplace focused on on-demand training and team sports. In our conversation, we discuss the differences and similarities between German and Silicon Valley startup cultures. Johannes shares his experiences as a startup founder in Germany, how COVID disrupted their growth multiple times, how they persevered, and how they ultimately closed the business. He also offers insights into what he would do differently if starting the company again. Additionally, we talk about his role in GenAI at Deutsche Telekom and DT's plans to launch an AI-native phone.