Prior to joining Startnext, the biggest crowdfunding platform in the German-speaking area, Markus worked as a farmer and served as a start-up consultant at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Munich. He studied Marketing and Management at the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan and holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from TU Munich, HHL and UC Berkeley. He has accompanied over 1,500 founders on their way to independence and set up new services for crowdfunding and for promoting innovative startups. Beside his job he is a coordinator for social entrepreneurship in the German Startup Association.