Michael Aigner
Entrepreneur | Succession Enthusiast | angel investor
WHO I AM
I am an entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in building and leading high-growth, technology-driven organizations. Over the past ten years, I have founded two startups - one in the Climate Tech sector and the other as a digital consumer brand. I built both companies from the ground up, taking responsibility for financing, product, processes, teams, and growth. One of these companies scaled to over 450 employees.Both organizations underwent dynamic development phases - and faced crises: I guided them through periods of growth, upheaval, and transition, including challenging restructurings and ultimately acquisitions during insolvency proceedings. These experiences continue to shape my approach as an entrepreneur.I am a technological CEO who systematically builds organizations from the ground up: technical infrastructure, scalable processes, clear leadership principles. For me, technology, culture, and values are equally fundamental pillars of entrepreneurial resilience.My experiences in founding, scaling, and restructuring have shaped me not only as an entrepreneur but also as a person. Since the birth of my daughter, I have begun to consciously reassess my professional priorities. Today, I want to invest my time and energy in organizations that create long-term value, operate sustainably, and make a positive contribution to future generations.
WHAT DRIVES ME
The succession crisis in mid-sized businesses
According to KfW, over 230,000 companies in Germany are currently considering closure - not due to economic weakness, but because of a lack of successors. This is not just an economic issue but a societal one. I have been actively involved in this field for over a year because I see impact here - and want to take responsibility.Commercialization of European Deep Tech
Europe has a strong research landscape - but too often, technologies fail to bridge the gap to the market. I want to contribute to making excellent European innovations visible, successful, and usable. I am particularly interested in Deep Tech funds - not least because of my technological background and broad operator experience.Advocating for an open, diverse democracy
I view entrepreneurship not as isolated from the societal context. We need organizations that are part of a democratic, pluralistic society - and actively oppose exclusion, intolerance, and polarization. I want to help reconnect economic responsibility more closely with societal responsibility.Actively combating climate change
Climate Tech was not coincidentally my first entrepreneurial focus - and it remains a personal concern. I am convinced that we need economic innovation to find systemic answers to the climate crisis. I want to support companies and models that make a real contribution to climate protection and resource conservation.
my entrepreneurial journey
Let me tell you about the turning points in my life - though using turning points in the context of our current climate crisis may sound cynical, it feels fitting, as both represent irreversible changes.# The first turning point came after more than a decade of technical education and working at one of the world’s largest tech consulting firms. I realized that technology alone wasn’t fulfilling, and that I had no interest in a corporate, political environment. This led me to leave my job at CSC in New York, move to Germany, and pursue a master's in Corporate Management and Economics. This ignited my entrepreneurial spirit and resulted in the founding of my first company, Stilnest.# The second turning point came after five years of leading Stilnest and experiencing the highs and lows of my first startup. I realized I was missing a deeper sense of purpose in my professional life. Stepping away from my operational roles as MD, COO, and CTO, I took six months off to reflect. This journey led me to sustainability and ultimately to founding EIGENSONNE. For the first time, I aligned my work with a higher purpose, sparking the next phase of hyper-growth.# The third turning point was the birth of my daughter, Alma. Her arrival shifted my priorities, making me realize that time with my family was more important than endless business meetings. This led to the end of my more than 10 years in VC-powered hyper-growth startups and a one-year sabbatical dedicated to my family.# The fourth and current turning point came during my sabbatical, when I recognized that I want to continue being entrepreneurial - with foresight, responsibility, and impact. In recent years, I have seen how valuable it is to make alternative paths in entrepreneurship visible: paths that are not primarily driven by valuations but by real value, sustainable structures, and long-term perspectives.I also know that my new path will not be a straight line, but will branch out in multiple directions. For that reason I’m open to interim roles, board mandates or equity-based models - what matters most are entrepreneurial leverage, a values-driven context, the ability to shape outcomes or even as your partner in crime as a business angel on your cap table.