# Henrik Zillmer

> Henrik Zillmer is a Danish entrepreneur, AirHelp co-founder and former CEO who became chairman in 2019. His career includes Rocket Internet, Y Combinator’s Winter 2014 batch and co-founding ROOM. Based in Lisbon, he writes and speaks about building international companies, customer acquisition and using technology to make consumer claims economical.

- **Role:** Co-founder and Chairman at AirHelp
- **Organizations:** AirHelp, ROOM, Rocket Internet, Y Combinator, Innovation Center Denmark
- **Nationality:** Danish
- **Education:** BSc in International Business, Copenhagen Business School, MSc in E-Business, Copenhagen Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded and led AirHelp from its early claims service to a reported 750 employees by the 2019 CEO handover., Took AirHelp through Y Combinator’s Winter 2014 batch., Co-founded ROOM, as documented by his Y Combinator biography.

## Career timeline

- **Before AirHelp** — Served in the Danish military, pursued comedy and studied international business and e-business.
- **2009** — Completed an MSc in E-Business at Copenhagen Business School.
- **2011-2012** — Worked at Rocket Internet; helped launch Zalora in Asia.
- **2013** — Co-founded AirHelp with Nicolas Michaelsen and Greg Roodt.
- **2014** — AirHelp participated in Y Combinator’s Winter 2014 batch.
- **2016** — AirHelp raised a $12 million Series A round.
- **2019** — Handed the CEO role to Jimmy Maymann and became chairman; reported 750 employees at the transition.
- **2025** — Identified as founder and chairman in AirHelp’s March announcement of a minority investment from Abry Partners.
- **2026** — Featured on Danish Originals in February and FlashpointSpeaks in July.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and led AirHelp from its early claims service to a reported 750 employees by the 2019 CEO handover.
- Took AirHelp through Y Combinator’s Winter 2014 batch.
- Co-founded ROOM, as documented by his Y Combinator biography.
- Helped build Zalora at Rocket Internet; his Y Combinator biography reports expansion into eight countries and growth from five to 2,000 employees in less than a year.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Featured in FlashpointSpeaks’ Against the Wind episode about AirHelp’s early model, global launch and Y Combinator experience.
- **2026-02** — Danish Originals published Customer of My Own Company; the conversation was recorded on October 22, 2025, from his home in Portugal.
- **2025-03** — AirHelp announced a significant minority investment from Abry Partners, describing Zillmer as founder and chairman. The transaction was a secondary investment intended to return capital to existing shareholders.

## Links

- Website: https://henrikzillmer.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zillmer/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henrikzillmer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henrik.zillmer/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/henrik-zillmer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23