# Johannes Quodt

> Johannes Quodt is a German entrepreneur based in New York and the co-founder, former co-CEO and retained shareholder of Koio. A former McKinsey consultant and Wharton MBA, he helped develop the footwear brand’s creative direction, product design, marketing and manufacturing. Koio grew from a business-school project into an Italian-made sneaker label, refocused after a period of expansion and losses, and was sold in August 2025.

- **Role:** Co-founder and retained shareholder at Koio; former co-CEO
- **Organizations:** Koio, McKinsey & Company
- **From:** Munich, Germany
- **Nationality:** German
- **Education:** BA in Economics; BA in Business Administration, University of St. Gallen, MSc in Accounting and Finance, London School of Economics and Political Science, MBA; Palmer Scholar, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded Koio and helped build its product, creative and manufacturing operations., Graduated from Wharton as a Palmer Scholar., Helped establish Koio’s Italian manufacturing partnership after an extensive factory search.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2013** — Worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in Zurich on strategy, marketing and sales projects.
- **2013-2015** — Studied for an MBA at Wharton, where he met Chris Wichert.
- **2014** — Developed the idea for Koio during business school; the company dates its founding to 2014.
- **2015** — Koio began selling footwear; Quodt recalls a first pop-up in February.
- **2019** — Koio announced an additional $6 million in Series A financing, bringing the round to $9 million.
- **2022** — Discussed regenerative sourcing and the ambition for biodegradable footwear in a podcast interview.
- **2023** — Koio began refocusing after stagnating sales and an oversized cost base, informed by interviews with loyal customers.
- **2025** — Koio was sold in August following a restructuring; both founders retained shares.
- **2026** — Publicly reflected on the sale and the customer interviews that helped turn around the business.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Koio and helped build its product, creative and manufacturing operations.
- Graduated from Wharton as a Palmer Scholar.
- Helped establish Koio’s Italian manufacturing partnership after an extensive factory search.
- Co-led Koio through a refocusing and return to profitability before its sale.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — In a public LinkedIn post, Quodt reflected on Koio’s sale, the customer interviews begun after the 2023 slowdown, and the return to profitability.
- **2025-08** — Koio was sold following restructuring; Quodt and Wichert retained shareholdings.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannes-quodt-7742631b/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/johannes-quodt
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26