Carsten Maschmeyer

Carsten Jens Maschmeyer (born 8 May 1959) is a German billionaire businessman, investor, and panel member of the German investment television series Die Höhle der Löwen ("The Lions' Den"). He is the founder and owner of the Maschmeyer Group which combines all of his current business activities. Through ALSTIN (Alternative Strategic Investments) he invests growth capital in emerging industries and future markets with outstanding innovations in sectors like the Internet, technology, and life sciences. Through Paladin Asset Management, his team undertakes value investments in publicly listed companies. Through Seed & Speed, Maschmeyer provides seed investments to very early-stage companies.

Early life

Born in Bremen, Germany, Maschmeyer grew up in Hildesheim (Lower Saxony) and had a deprived childhood. He never saw his father and lived in an orphanage. He has one half-brother, whom he first met at the age of 40. As a teenager, he was a successful athlete (middle-distance-runner). In 1978, he completed his Abitur (higher-education entrance qualification) and joined the German Armed Forces for two years. To fund his university courses in medicine in Hanover, he worked part time in the sales department of a financial advisory firm (OVB Vermögensberatung) before becoming a full-time financial consultant in 1982, leaving the university without a degree. He became director of the Lower Saxony division at a very young age, responsible for approximately 3,000 people. He worked at OVB until 1987. Carsten Maschmeyer is a reserve officer of the Joint Medical Service of the Bundeswehr.