Marie -Theres Heimke 🇩🇪
- Feb 3
- 9 min read
''I just keep asking until i find the right answers''
Marie is the Founder of ExpoTherm - A Green-Tech Startup Developing Thermal Covers For Professional Cooking Pots, That Helps Large Kitchens In Gastronomy Save Up To 50% Of Their Energy While Reducing CO₂ Emissions And Cutting Costs At The Same Time. She has taken the challenge to answer our 20 Truth Questions, For us to gain some insight, And learn the Truth about the person behind the venture.
My TRUTH Story:
1. INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN THE THIRD PERSON TO A CROWD OF 10,000+ PEOPLE?
Marie Heimke is the co-founder of ExpoTherm, a young Greentech startup from Germany.
At 25, she decided to turn her curiosity, creativity, and drive to create something innovative into her own project. ExpoTherm develops thermal covers for cooking pots that reduces energy waste in professional kitchens.
For Marie, building a company is an adventure: uncertain and challenging, but also full of opportunities to grow personally and create real impact.
ExpoTherm is currently supported by the EXIST Founder’s Grant – an essential foundation that enables the team to bring their idea to market readiness. For Marie, this not only provides financial security in the early phase, but also sends a strong signal that people believe in the potential of the idea and its chance to transform the industry in a sustainable way.
2. WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF A TRUTH FOUNDER?
To me, a Truth Founder is someone who doesn’t hide behind a polished image, but shows up with honesty and vulnerability.
It’s about admitting that you don’t have everything figured out and still having the courage to take the next step.
A Truth Founder is curious enough to ask questions, creative enough to imagine new solutions, and brave enough to explore uncharted paths.
For me, being a Truth Founder means daring to start before everything feels certain, trusting the process of learning, and allowing an idea to grow into something bigger than yourself.
3. WHAT EVENT OR EVENTS HAPPENED TO YOU THAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A FOUNDER?
For me, the inspiration didn’t come from one single moment but from a constant feeling I’ve carried since my bachelor studies, My urge to create something of my own that is both innovative and meaningful.
That thought never really left me. Along the way, I chose internships in startups to get closer to that world and to learn what it takes to build something from scratch. Over time, the desire to stop observing and finally start building grew stronger. ExpoTherm is the result of that path – the point where curiosity, creativity, and the wish to make an impact finally came together.
4. WHAT IS YOUR MORNING ROUTINE & RITUAL?
My mornings begin with making coffee with my portafilter machine. After a good shower, I sit down at my desk and have a simple breakfast, put on some relaxing music in the background.
This routine grounds me and gives me a sense of structure before diving into the uncertainties of startup life.
5. WHAT MANTRA,QUOTE,LINE OR PHRASE DO YOU SAY OFTEN TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE YOURSELF? You can’t plan every step, but you can trust that when one door closes, another one opens. This perspective helps me stay calm in uncertain times and reminds me that setbacks are often just redirections toward something better.
6. WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD CARE ABOUT YOUR VENTURE? Energy is one of the biggest invisible costs in professional kitchens. Every day, huge amounts are wasted without anyone really noticing it. When I first started looking into this problem, I was surprised how little attention it receives compared to the impact it has.
With ExpoTherm, we are showing that it doesn’t always take complicated systems or expensive technology to make a difference. Sometimes the most powerful solutions are simple, practical, and easy to implement. Our thermal covers reduce energy use and CO₂ emissions while saving money at the same time.
People should care because this solution brings together two urgent needs of our time: More sustainability and more efficiency. And what makes it powerful is that it integrates seamlessly into the daily routines of kitchens. Change doesn’t have to mean disruption, but can happen quietly, with immediate effect.
7. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONE TO MAKE YOUR VENTURE A SUCCESS?
I'm still at the beginning of my founder journey, but that is exactly why I believe I can make ExpoTherm a success. I bring fresh eyes, a strong drive to create something meaningful, and the curiosity to keep asking questions until I find the right answers.
Together with my co-founder, we complement each other’s strengths and push forward as a team. What sets us apart is not that we know everything already - we don’t - but that we are willing to learn, to adapt, and to keep moving forward.
8. WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE FOR YOUR VENTURE? ( START WITH: IMAGINE A WORLD... WHAT IF... WE WILL BE... )
IMAGINE A WORLD where professional kitchens no longer waste massive amounts of energy every single day, where sustainability is not an exception but simply part of the routine.
WHAT IF every restaurant, canteen, and catering company could save up to 50% of their energy just by using one simple product, while lowering costs, reducing CO₂ emissions, and proving that change doesn’t have to be complicated?
WE WILL BE the team that makes this vision a reality with ExpoTherm. By bringing our thermal covers into kitchens everywhere, we want to set a new standard where cooking is efficient, affordable, and sustainable at the same time.
9. ANSWER THESE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE - I BELIEVE... I DON'T BELIEVE...
I believe that small changes can create big impact.
I believe that learning never stops and every challenge carries a lesson.
I believe that building something meaningful takes patience and courage.
I believe that teamwork makes ideas stronger.
I don’t believe that you have to wait until you feel fully ready to start.
I don’t believe that sustainability has to be complicated.
I don’t believe that failure is the opposite of success but it is part of it.
I don’t believe that only big corporations can drive innovation.
10. WHAT'S ONE DECISION YOU MADE AS A FOUNDER THAT COMPLETELY CHANGED THE COURSE OF YOUR JOURNEY? We are still a very young startup, so there hasn’t been that one life-changing decision yet that completely transformed our path. But one step that already made a big difference was the decision to go full-time into ExpoTherm.
For me personally, this was not an easy choice. I am someone who usually doesn’t like the unknown, but building a startup means living with uncertainty about the future almost every day. Choosing to embrace that uncertainty gave our idea real momentum. It allowed us to focus fully, take bigger steps, and see ExpoTherm grow from just a concept into something tangible. That decision was the starting point of everything that will follow.
11. WHAT DO YOU REGARD AS YOUR GREATEST SUCCESS PERSONALLY & AS A FOUNDER? Personally, one of them is seeing how much I’ve grown in just a short period of time. I've become more confident, learning to make decisions faster, and proving to myself that I can handle the challenges of building a company.
I consider our greatest success so far to be securing the EXIST Grant. It gave us the foundation to work full-time on ExpoTherm and the validation that others also believe in the potential of our idea.
12. WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY? Since starting my own company, I’ve realized that I simply can’t know everything in advance and often the only way forward is learning by doing.
What I like most about myself is that I don’t shy away from this. It gives me the confidence that, even if I don’t have all the answers right away, I can figure them out step by step.
13. WHAT'S ONE THING YOU CAN IMPROVE ABOUT YOURSELF, AND WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE NOT DONE IT BY NOW?
One thing I want to improve about myself is making clearer priorities and saying ‘no’ more often. In a startup, there are endless ideas, opportunities, and to-dos, and it’s easy to get caught up in trying to do everything at once. I haven’t mastered this yet because I get excited about new possibilities and want to keep doors open. But I know that learning to focus on the few things that really move us forward will be key for the long-term success of ExpoTherm.
14. WHAT'S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED OR GIVEN, OR BOTH?
The best advice I received recently was ''Bigger goals are easier to hit.'' At first it sounded counterintuitive, but I’ve realized it makes sense.
When you aim higher, you automatically think differently, plan more boldly, and push yourself further than you would with small, cautious goals.
This advice has changed the way I look at building ExpoTherm. It reminds me not to limit myself or the idea too early, but to give it the space to grow into something much bigger than I first imagined.
15. ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 10 - 10 BEING THE BEST. HOW WELL DO YOU THINK YOU AND YOUR TRUTH STORY IS CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD BY YOUR COMMUNITY? ( WHY NOT 10? )
I would say around a 6 or 7. People who work in gastronomy understand our story quickly, because they immediately see the value of saving energy and costs in the kitchen. But for a broader audience, our message is not always as clear yet. We are still learning how to tell our story in a way that connects emotionally, not only logically. That’s why it’s not a 10.
16. WHO DO YOU MOST ADMIRE AND WHY?
I admire my brother, who is ten years older than me and has always been my role model. He has followed his own path no matter what others said, showing me from an early age that it’s possible to trust yourself and move forward even when the future is uncertain.
What I admire most is his persistence, the way he stays true to himself in every situation, and the fact that he has always believed in me and encouraged me in my own decisions. That belief has inspired me throughout my life and now gives me strength on my founder journey, reminding me that progress often comes from simply continuing, step by step.
17. DESCRIBE YOUR VENTURE - ELEVATOR PITCH STYLE?
ExpoTherm is a Greentech startup developing thermal covers for professional cooking pots. Our solution helps large kitchens in gastronomy save up to 50% of their energy while reducing CO₂ emissions and cutting costs at the same time. What makes it powerful is its simplicity where chefs don’t need to change their routines at all. ExpoTherm fits seamlessly into everyday kitchen work and delivers immediate impact.
18. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT MISSION STATEMENT OR MESSAGE + MARKET FIT FOR YOUR VENTURE?
Our mission at ExpoTherm is to stop the enormous amounts of energy that are wasted in professional kitchens every single day. When we first looked at the scale of the problem, it was surprising how little awareness there was, even though the impact is huge financially and environmentally.
We want to change that by making sustainability in kitchens the default, not an exception. For us, that means creating solutions that are simple and practical. Real change only works if it fits into existing routines, especially in the busy environment of a kitchen where there is no time for complicated systems. That is why we designed ExpoTherm to be easy to use and to deliver immediate results.
The timing is also right where energy costs are rising faster than ever, climate goals are becoming more urgent, and the gastronomy industry is under increasing pressure to adapt.
Many kitchens are searching for solutions that don’t just sound good on paper but work in practice and show results from day one. ExpoTherm is built exactly for that intersection. It saves money, reduces CO₂, and shows that sustainable innovation can be straightforward and effective at the same time.
19. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AFTER A LONG WORK DAY?
After a long work day, I like to slow down and create balance with small rituals. Most evenings I cook with my boyfriend and then sit down to crochet while listening to music. It helps me shift my focus away from work and do something creative just for myself.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU TREATED YOURSELF TO AND WHAT DID YOU CELEBRATE? The last thing I treated myself to was two days of vacation in Berlin. I added them onto the EXIST founders meeting to explore the city in ‘tourist mode’ for a change and to visit my family. It felt good to combine work and something more personal. Celebrating both the support we received through EXIST and taking a moment to recharge and enjoy time outside of the startup routine.
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