From studying computer science to founding a company in the fashion industry
In this HPI Alumni Portrait, we introduce Caterina Mandel. She completed her bachelor's degree in IT Systems Engineering (2020) and master's degree in Computer Science (2022) at the Hasso Plattner Institute. After several years of experience in building and scaling digital products, including at Check24 and luca, she founded her own startup three months ago and is now co-founder and CEO of studio vaai.
Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI): Can you please describe your job and your professional responsibilities?
Caterina Mandel: Sure! I am the co-founder and CEO of studio vaai. We are an early-stage startup from Munich with the goal of solving one of the biggest problems in fashion e-commerce: returns. Nowadays, many people equate placing an online order less with paying at the checkout in a store and more with going to the fitting room – and then they often send back a large part of their order. This has a massive impact, of course – on the profitability of fashion companies, but also on the environment and customer satisfaction.
We are developing technology that enables digital fitting that is as realistic as possible. This allows users to “try on” clothes in different sizes true to scale when shopping online. All they have to do is upload a full-body photo and they can then see exactly whether a shirt fits properly, for example, and which size fits best. Since we are still in the very early stages, my job currently consists of three main areas: building the team, steering the product in the right direction, and establishing a place for us in the fashion industry.
HPI: What aspects of your work do you enjoy the most?
Caterina: There are two things I particularly enjoy about my work:
- I am working on a product that I think is really cool. What we have set out to do is technically very complex, but in the best case scenario, it solves a huge problem. And that's in an industry that has always fascinated me – before I started studying computer science at HPI, I always wanted to work in fashion. Then I learned how to develop good digital products in computer science – something that is still urgently needed in the fashion industry. And now, all of a sudden, part of my job is to go to Fashion Week and meet potential customers there – it still feels surreal.
- I work with super cool, intelligent developers who actually do a mixture of research and engineering at our company. Because we are working on something new, we are all learning something new every day, and it's really fun to share the curiosity and ambition to build the best product with a team like this.
HPI: How did your computer science studies at HPI prepare you for your professional career?
Caterina: I've always worked at the interface between tech and other areas of the company, for example in product or business development – never as a classic developer. A solid technical foundation is extremely important for this. My computer science studies at HPI gave me exactly this basic understanding, as well as the ability to quickly and deeply familiarize myself with new topics. This enables me to make informed decisions, e.g., about the prioritization of different functions, but also to talk to developers on an equal footing.
With studio vaai, we are now building a product at the interface between the fashion industry and deep tech – a rather rare combination. My technical understanding and the ability to connect that with our domain is all the more important here. And what is probably just as important: it was through HPI that I entered the startup world in the first place. My first job was at neXenio, a spin-off of HPI, which then became the team behind the luca app.
Of course, gut feeling also plays a role:
the more I worked on the idea, the more it felt like
the natural next step for me.
HPI: Many people dream of starting their own business, but few take the plunge. What made you decide to actually do it – and what gave you the confidence to do so at that moment?
Caterina: That's a very good question, especially since (unlike many of my former classmates and friends at HPI) I didn't dare to start a business right after graduation.
I would say that HPI was a springboard into the world of startups. And I gained confidence through the milestones I achieved in recent years in various roles, some of which were very intense. I knew that I could handle the responsibility and I am familiar with the ups and downs that startups can go through. Now, of course, I am experiencing it even more intensely, but I feel well prepared for it. And, of course, gut feeling also plays a role: the more I worked on the idea, the more it felt like the natural next step for me.
HPI: If you could give one piece of advice to a younger version of yourself at the beginning of your studies, what would it be?
Caterina: I'm not sure if my younger self would listen, but I would advise myself to be more relaxed. When I started studying computer science, I didn't even know what a program looked like, and because most of my fellow students were different, I had to catch up a lot before I could even join in the conversation.
At first, of course, it all went way too slowly for me - I put myself under a lot of pressure and made things harder for myself than they needed to be. Some of my fellow students already had 10 years of programming experience, which you can't catch up on in two months, and that's perfectly fine (it would be almost bad if you could).
So I kept going and realized that once you've overcome the initial hurdles, it's actually quite fun to understand more and more. And if you take a more relaxed approach, it usually works better (at least that's how it is for me). Today, I see it as a strength to have many different interests that I like to combine (for example, technology and fashion) and not be afraid to try something completely new.
HPI: How do you balance your everyday life to recharge your batteries?
Caterina: For me, it's definitely exercise and spending time in nature! Whenever I can, I spend every free minute running or riding my road bike, preferably in the mountains. When I'm out in nature for hours and pushing myself physically, I can really "clear my head" – there are few other things that do that for me.
And when you enjoy running and cycling, the inevitable happens: about two years ago, I signed up for my first triathlon, and since then, I've been doing more races every year. I love both the training and the events themselves. I really enjoy getting to know different places along the way, testing my own limits, and meeting people who share the same passion.
Thank you very much, Caterina - we wish you every success with studio vaai!
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Caterina Mandel was also on stage at the 20th anniversary of the Hasso Plattner Institute in October 2019. -
In her free time, Caterina spends every spare minute on her road bike—preferably in the mountains. -
Her love and passion for running and road cycling led Caterina to take up triathlon.
Last change: 27/05/2026, Patrick Lenz