Karsten Hirsch holds a degree in law from the University of Cologne. During a trip to Vietnam, he witnessed the extent of plastic pollution in the Mekong River. Motivated by this experience, he founded Plastic Fischer, the first company to stop plastic directly in rivers before it reaches the oceans. He built the startup into an award-winning social enterprise that has been featured on Tagesschau and recognized by the World Economic Forum as well as with the German Sustainability Award.