The Beginnings.

• I wasn’t the smartest, nor the most skilled.

• At 9, I was diagnosed with dyscalculia - numbers made no sense.

• Because of my grades, I ended up in one of Germany’s lowest‑ranking schools.

​

The Turning Point.

• Dreamed of becoming an investment banker.

• Became the top student at my Hauptschule.

• Transitioned to Gymnasium and completed my Abitur.

• Studied Finance at University and taught Statistics.

• Pursued a Master’s in Maastricht to deepen my expertise.

​

The Start of my first company. 

• Founded e-bot7 during my Master’s.

• No skills. No experience. No roadmap.

• Just a crazy idea and the determination to make it happen.

​

The Grind. 

• Expanded e-bot7 to Madrid, Amsterdam, London, and Paris.

• Temporarily opened offices in Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, and beyond.

• Attended a private dinner with President Macron.

• Invited to the Y Combinator Program in San Francisco.

• Spoke at the UN in St. Petersburg.

• Won 30+ awards recognizing innovation and impact.

• Featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe & DACH​.

​

The Burnout. 

• On the brink of bankruptcy.

• Lost my mother after her long battle with cancer.

• Everything I had worked for felt like it was falling apart.

​

The $60m Exit. 

• Life turned upside down.

• Scaled to 130 employees across 5 offices.

• Served 100+ enterprise customers.

• Raised $10M across 4 investment rounds.

• Exited e-bot7 for $60M to a NASDAQ-listed company.

• Success looked perfect on paper… but inside, I was burned out.

​

Going through hell.

• Traveled to Sri Lanka to recover.

• Focused on my health but progress was slow.

• Slowly, painfully, started getting better after months.

• Learned that real recovery isn’t fast, and strength comes from surviving the lowest lows

​

Doing it again.

• Founded my second company, Vidlab7.

• EQT came on board as an investor.

• Ultimately stepped back due to Burnout, again.

• No longer willing to repeat the pattern.

​

Searching for Meaning.

• Spent 4 months in Africa on a journey to find meaning and clarity.

• Supported two social organizations, contributing skills and time to make a real impact.

• I got quiet. I got real. I found what mattered.

​

New Life.

• Founded The Honest Founder, a community of 22,000+ founders, CEOs, and builders.

• Mission: Help founders build and scale companies successfully without sacrificing health, sanity, or purpose.

​

Why I Do This.

• Because the comfortable path is a trap.

• Because courage isn’t given, it’s earned.

• Because your past doesn’t define you. Your willingness to begin again does.

• And if you’re ready to stop proving you’re not crazy and start building something that matters…

• I’m here to help you do it.