Asked about his function at Mate, he likes to answer "all-rounder".  Which actually means: As Managing Director, his official title, and one of the founders, he takes care of the most diverse areas of the company and keeps the threads together. On a normal working day, he may have sales, product development, marketing measures and personnel issues on his calendar. His strategy for staying on top of it all: Structure. A daily, tight schedule. His personal career plan did not include the topics of founding a company and self-employment right from the start; he initially began with projects in the automotive industry. But then came sentibar. Marco is driven by a clear mission: "There are many companies out there that produce great products or offer great services, but so far only a few are aware of them - true hidden champions. We want to help these companies gain visibility! And we do this in a tailored way and as efficiently as possible, using the latest data science technology and combining personal expertise with artificial intelligence. Communication of the future will take place much more via social channels - also in the B2B environment. We want to empower our customers to show their best side online. Because: Being present and active on the social web involves a lot of work. Repetitive manual work, e.g. for researching content with added value for the target groups or for professional editing in appealing video formats, often exceeds the marketing capacities of companies. We support by taking work off their hands - so our client can focus on managing and interacting with their target groups."

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"It's important to me that we live open and honest communication - and also have fun together."

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But it's not just the task of helping companies gain visibility with data-driven content marketing that motivates the 30-year-old on a daily basis, but also his team. "With terrific people around you, it's very easy to go full throttle every day," Marco says. "It's important to me that we live open and honest communication - and also have fun together." To some extent, the corporate culture at sentibar is certainly still shaped by its roots in the Bielefeld startup scene - an area Marco considers very important for the region: "I think it's great to see that the startup landscape in OWL is developing so positively. Many exciting companies have emerged in recent years, from which everyone benefits: People who want to start up and are empowered by initiatives like the Founders Foundation and the many medium-sized companies in the region. The whole thing reinforces itself by the fact that the city is becoming more attractive for people who want to start up, which keeps talent in OWL and they create innovation here.

"As a founder, it's helpful to combine a creative interest in strategic developments and ideas with an analytically neutral view," recommends Marco. "I myself am curious by nature, believing that you can only really understand things once you have done and experienced them yourself. I also think it's enormously important for personal development to leave your usual comfort zone for a change and try something new."

That's what Marco also did in the time before sentibar: "It's generally exciting for me to get to know foreign things and immerse myself in them. I spent several months in other countries, for example in Australia and in England. In Uganda, I taught math and English in a primary school near the capital Kampala. In the five weeks there, I had so many experiences and impressions that it's impossible to describe."

But everyday life may also be with Marco: "I try to move a little every day. Whether it's with real athletic balance at tennis, kickboxing or the gym, or simply with a short walk. From our office in the city, it's a good idea to go for a walk to Sparrenburg Castle or to Johannisberg. I also love to cook. But that's where the available time fails at the moment."