Maschmeyer in “Biz & Beyond”
“I was overworked, addicted to pills and got depressed”
07/14/2023 09:43 am
Carsten Maschmeyer is considered one of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors in Germany. In the new ntv podcast “Biz & Beyond”, he settles accounts with the euphoria among startups and defends his former company, the then controversial financial distributor AWD.
champagne mood? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that! The billionaire and TV investor (“Lion’s Den”) predicts difficult times for the start-up scene. Newly founded companies have to reckon with financing bottlenecks, says Maschmeyer in the new ntv podcast “Biz & Beyond”: “Many startups that don’t have any sales yet get no money. And those that already have sales, at lower valuations.”
Also exits, company exits of investors and founders for the highest possible profit, are currently taking place as well as not. Investors would increasingly benefit from this. “The seller’s market has turned into a buyer’s market.”
The business idea is important. “Everything that is solid, profitable and helps people makes sense,” says Maschmeyer. A good example for him is the financial sales company AWD, which he took over in the 1980s and later listed on the stock exchange. The company has repeatedly faced allegations that small investors and savers have not been adequately informed about the investment risks. “I suspect that with my invention, German citizens, but also people in Austria, Switzerland, Great Britain and Italy, have saved billions in lower contributions,” Maschmeyer replies.
“I was depressed and addicted to pills”
“Biz & Beyond” is the business and success podcast that Germany has never seen before. The transatlantic podcast team Sandra Navidi and Ulrich Reitz talks to powerful decision-makers, international experts and extraordinary personalities. They give insights into their business, their successes – and also into personal setbacks.
Biz&Beyond – the business podcast with Sandra Navidi and Ulrich Reitz. From now on RTL + Music and wherever there are podcasts.
The entrepreneur also talks about the dark side of his entrepreneurial success: “I was overworked, got depressed, was addicted to pills,” he says in “Biz & Beyond”. He had been cured for 13 years. He therefore has a special connection to the “Mental Health” business field. In the meantime, he has held shares in various companies that deal with mental health.
It is important to recognize consumer needs early on. “Just founding alone is not enough.” It’s also about perseverance. Gerhard Schröder serves as a model for this. Gerhard Schröder from 2005. “His perseverance in the last election campaign was zero to four. And then he conquered every market place.” Polls and the media were against him and yet he still managed a close four to four. “I admired that”.