Alexander Rinke, born in Munich, Germany, around 1989, is a self-made tech pioneer and the co-founder and co-CEO of the process mining giant, Celonis. His origin story is rooted in German academic rigor and an entrepreneurial necessity that emerged while still a student.

He pursued a highly technical education, studying mathematics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and later completing an exchange semester at École Polytechnique in Paris. This mathematical background was complemented by early professional experience in finance, working at Munich Re and supporting algorithmic trading systems at 'KK Invest'. His company was born out of a simple university project with his co-founders, launching with just a €12,500 investment and a small academic scholarship.

Alexander Rinke’s career is a masterclass in turning academic theory into a disruptive commercial category. In 2011, while still students, he and his co-founders, Bastian Nominacher and Martin Klenk, developed the concept of process mining into a working product. Their 'eureka' moment was realizing they could use event logs from IT systems to create an 'X-ray for a company', visualizing and fixing invisible process inefficiencies.

Celonis successfully grew for five years without any external funding, a remarkable feat that emphasized their focus on profitable execution. The company quickly landed major initial clients like Siemens and Bayer, proving the concept's value. The ascent to unicorn and decacorn status was rapid, culminating in a $1 billion Series D funding round in 2021 that valued the company at $13 billion. Today, Rinke is the co-CEO, steering the global vision and leading the company's aggressive pivot to incorporate Generative AI into its products.

Alexander Rinke is a keen ambassador for sustainability and equal access to education, believing that businesses should not only solve problems but also inspire positive change. His social impact is embedded in Celonis’s product philosophy.

He firmly believes that 'unlocking the world's processes' creates a better future for businesses and the planet. This philosophy is formalized through the focus on the 'Green Line' (sustainability) alongside the top and bottom lines: Celonis tools help organizations reduce their environmental impact and optimize supply chains to lower carbon footprints. Furthermore, he advocates for the democratization of technology, providing free versions of Celonis tools to students and professionals.