Mariko Schmitz is one of Germany's few sake sommelières certified in Japan. To all those who get wanderlust for Japan when the Olympics start in Tokyo in July, she advises to refine the evening with sake.

Passion. People who come from great entrepreneurial families usually strive to create lasting value themselves. Kurt A. Engelhorn took a long time. But now he seems to have found his way there. The focus is on a special investment strategy, a virtual company, historic automobiles and, above all, a very special car race - the Bernina Gran Turismo.

Perspective. Investors want to know exactly how good their asset managers really are. They, in turn, want to be able to prove that they deserve their clients' trust - especially in times of crisis. "Both have a high interest in objective, neutral and bank-independent proof of performance," says Alexander Etterer, partner at the auditing firm Rödl & Partner: "We deliver it."

Science. Decoding the 3.2 billion letters of the human genome 20 years ago was a sensation. Now researchers are taking the next step - deciphering the proteins, the actual carriers of life.

Innovation. Greg McDougall is the founder and CEO of Harbour Air, North America's largest seaplane fleet. He managed to make the world's first flight in an all-electric commercial aircraft. He won't save the world with it, but it's a start.