Our Mission
The Payments Group Holding (PGH) is a holding company founded in 2012, rebranded in August 2024 and headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The Company focuses on existing assets as well as on the new opportunities and fields of activity announced in its press releases on 13 December 2025 and 16 January 2026 including the operation of an AI-focused company builder called Softmax AI GmbH together with AI experts, in which it holds a 25 % stake, and the spin-offs resulting from this. In addition, PGH holds from its history as a leading German venture capital provider under the German Startups Group brand a heritage VC-portfolio of minority stakes in partly promising German startups via its wholly owned subsidiary German Startups Group VC GmbH.
MANAGEMENT
Christoph GerlingerCEO
Christoph is CEO of SGT German Private Equity GmbH & Co. KGaA, which he founded in 2012 which until October 2020 operated under the brand of German Startups Group and was a leading German VC provider in Germany with investments in start-ups such as Delivery Hero, Chrono 24, MisterSpex and Scalable Capital.
In 2020, German Startups Group merged with SGT Capital Pte. Ltd. and became SGT German Private Equity GmbH & Co. KGaA. Christoph has gained over 20 years of management experience in the Internet industry, in which he has founded and brought to life a number of businesses. Amongst these is Frogster Interactive Pictures AG, founded in 2005, which he took public and managed as CEO for seven years. Prior to that, he was Head of Germany for Infogrames/Atari and CFO of CDV, which he took public as well.
Christoph was named one of the 50 most interesting founders by the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche, was appointed external expert of the network 'Digitalization' and member of the digital commission by the federal board of the CDU. He holds a graduate degree in Business Administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt and is a graduate of the artificial intelligence executive program of MIT Sloan School / CSAIL, Cambridge. He also is alumnus of Singularity University’s 'Executive Program 2017' and 'Future of AI Program 2024' in Silicon Valley, USA. Christoph occasionally releases own articles and gives interviews in various publications.
Supervisory Board
Fund and capital markets expert
Co-founder and supervisory board chairman of Shareholder Value Management AG, an owner-managed investment specialist with focus on value stocks, based in Frankfurt
Roughly 20 years of expertise as executive board member and fund manager
Accredited advocate
Capital Markets Expert
Long-standing seats on various supervisory boards, 35 years of banking experience in leading positions
More than 10 years as CEO of AXG Investment Bank and Head of Corporate Finance Commerzbank
Significantly involved in more than 40 IPOs
Law and Corporate Finance Professional
Financial expert in accounting and auditing (pursuant to § 100 (5) German Stock Corporation Act), certified business valuator (EACVA)
Managing Director of Menz et Cie. GmbH, a firm specialized in transformation, restructuring, M&A, and corporate finance
Over 20 years of experience as CEO, CFO, and supervisory board member in various companies