Business
Mathias (@ockenrock (https://twitter.com/ockenrock)) eats and breathes marketplaces. He is a partner at Speedinvest (https://speedinvest.com/), one of Europe’s leading Venture Capital funds. The fund has it’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria and just recently raised its latest fund of €190m. Mathias runs Speedinvest x, a focus fund investing into network effects and marketplaces. Previously he was a General Manager for the German market at Uniplaces (https://www.uniplaces.com/), an international marketplace for student accommodation. Before that, Mathias built out the marketplace-practice at Berlin-based Point Nine Capital (http://www.pointninecap.com/), an early stage fund focusing on SaaS and marketplaces, where he was a Principal for 4 years. Previously, Mathias led the M&A-department of Ricardo Group (https://www.ricardo.ch/), then a subsidiary of South African Naspers, that operates several online marketplace, classifieds and auction businesses across Europe. Earlier, he started his career as an Investment Manager at Mountain Partners (https://mountain.partners/) in Zurich where he lead early stage investments in companies such as Lieferando (https://www.lieferando.de/) or reBuy (https://www.rebuy.de/). Mathias holds a German-French double-diploma from European School of Business Reutlingen and Neoma Business School Reims. Knowing Germany’s capital city like the back of his hand, Mathias now leads Speedinvest's Berlin office as a Partner at Speedinvest x. Please follow me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/leaptakerspodcast/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheRemoKyburz), and my Website (http://www.leaptakers.com/), where I post new episodes, share interesting articles I found, and blog occasionally about cool startups! Sign-up for the mailing list to stay in the loop (https://www.leaptakers.com/subscribe)! Show notes: * 03:08 -- Who is Mathias Ockenfels * 04:40 -- How Mathias got interested in the Venture Capital industry and how he landed his first job in VC * 08:44 -- Tips for getting a job in Venture Capital * 13:56 -- What are the most important skills and abilities to work in VC * 16:30 -- Mathias’ path from Analyst to Partner at a VC firm * 22:27 -- Intro to Speedinvest and what kind of companies Mathias is interested in and is investing in * 25:51 -- Key investment criteria to get an investment from Mathias / Speedinvest * 28:48 -- Books and Resources for (aspiring) entrepreneurs and VCs * 31:55 -- Mathias’ best financial and personal investment * 33:28 -- Advice to younger self / someone starting out their career * 35:23 -- Mathias’ favorite books and movies * 37:23 -- What does courage mean to Mathias If you're enjoying the podcast, the best way to support the show is by leaving a review on Apple Podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/ch/podcast/the-leap-takers-podcast/id1468975811?l=en) or in your favorite podcast app. Special Guest: Mathias Ockenfels.