Chief Executive Officer, Yousician
Led the company behind Yousician and GuitarTuna, category leaders in music learning, with more than 20 million monthly active users.
Profile
Sven Ahrens
Consumer growth leader and AI tinkerer based in Berlin. Previously Spotify, Yousician and Bain. Board observer and angel investor.
Summary
Sven Ahrens spent eight years at Spotify (2016 to 2024) through its growth years. He was responsible for more than $1B in subscription revenue, and as Director of Global Growth he led the team that drove more than 60% of Spotify's subscriber growth. From 2025 to 2026 he was CEO of Yousician, the company behind Yousician and GuitarTuna, with more than 20 million monthly active users.
He works on consumer subscription businesses end to end: acquisition, conversion, pricing and packaging, retention, international expansion and the organization behind them. He has done this at a scale of hundreds of millions of users and from zero. He builds his own AI products, Train with Kalle and TrainingZones.
Experience
Board Observer, Female Invest
Financial education and investing platform for women, run on a subscription model.
Chief Growth Officer, Muse Group
Started the company-wide shift to an LTV-driven subscription model.
Founder, Newconic Ventures
Angel investing and advisory. Pre-seed and seed checks into consumer, prosumer, AI and subscription companies in Europe and the US. Advisor to Peloton, Knowunity and Kittl, among others.
Spotify
Global market rollout, then subscription growth in Europe, then global subscriber acquisition and engagement. The Global Growth team drove more than 60% of Spotify's subscriber growth.
- Director, Global Growth · 2021 to 2024
- Associate Director, Subscriptions Europe · 2018 to 2021
- Head of Market Strategy and Operations · 2017 to 2018
- Global Market Operations Lead · 2016
Consultant, Bain & Company
Strategy, operations and transformation in technology and automotive, plus private equity due diligence. 2014 externship at SoundCloud on new-market expansion.
Working together
- Operating role
- Full-time, interim or fractional leadership of growth, product, a region or a business unit.
- Running an existing team
- Taking over a team that has lost focus and resetting priorities, ownership and pace.
- Turnaround
- Short, intensive mandates where a growth or monetization engine has stalled.
- Board
- Member or observer, with a focus on pricing, packaging and retention.
- Advisory
- For founders and executives working through a specific decision. References on request.
Areas
Subscription growth · Monetization · Pricing and packaging · Conversion and trial design · Retention and lifecycle · User acquisition · International expansion and localization · AI transformation · Mobile consumer apps · Regional and business unit leadership
Investments
| Company | What they do | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Alba | Consumer app studio | Active |
| Amie | Calendar and productivity app | Closed |
| Amino Collective | Early-stage biotech fund (LP) | Active |
| Animoca Brands | Games and digital assets | Active |
| Born | Social apps, including Slay and W App | Active |
| Butter | Meeting software | Acquired by Miro |
| CareerOS | Career services platform for universities | Active |
| Dirigent | AI for defense operations | Active |
| EPIX Sports | Community sports experiences | Active |
| Flow AI | Customer-facing data agents | Active |
| Heat and Mile | Luxury fashion retail | Active |
| Informed | News subscription app | Closed |
| Komi | Workflow for brands and creators | Active |
| Litona | Sodium-ion battery cells | Active |
| Melotech | AI music | Active |
| Nemox | AI assistant for freight forwarders | Active |
| Peec | AI search analytics for marketing teams | Active |
| Petli | Dog training and community | Acquired by Agria |
| Protocol Health | AI fitness coaching | Active |
| Voicy | Sound clips for messaging | Closed |
Press
- Vogue: Mystery box Heat raises $5 million from Antler, LVMH Luxury Ventures (2022)
- The SaaS News: Komi raises $5 million in seed round (2022)
- Teosto: Yousician and Vandall on international growth in music (2025, Finnish)
- Medieninsider: Informed, Spotify für Journalismus (2021, German)
- Investor profiles: Crunchbase, CB Insights, StartupMag
Background
- Education
- WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management; Stockholm School of Economics; ESADE Business School
- Languages
- German (native), English, Spanish, Portuguese
- Cities
- Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Helsinki, Munich
Questions
- What kind of roles does Sven Ahrens take on?
- Operating roles (full-time, interim or fractional) leading growth, product, a region or a business unit; board seats, as member or observer; and advisory work with founders and executives.
- Is he open to a full-time role?
- He takes on full-time executive roles selectively, when the company, team and mandate fit.
- What does he specialize in?
- Consumer subscription growth: acquisition, conversion, pricing and packaging, retention and lifecycle, and international expansion, from early traction to hundreds of millions of users.
- What is Newconic Ventures?
- Sven Ahrens's angel investing vehicle, founded in 2019. It backs pre-seed and seed consumer, prosumer, AI and subscription companies in Europe and the US. Exits include Butter (acquired by Miro) and Petli (acquired by Agria).
- Where is he based?
- Berlin. He has worked in Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Helsinki and Munich, and speaks German, English, Spanish and Portuguese.
- How do I get in touch?
- Book a call or send a message on LinkedIn.