Marswalk: How Victor Founded a Gen Z Agency at 20 and Makes 5 Million Euros Revenue
"Happy Bootstrapping" Volume #40
Victor is 26 years old and founder of Marswalk – a Gen Z agency that helps large companies reach young audiences on social media. Started in 2020 with TikTok, today 45 employees, 5 million euros annual revenue, offices in Vienna, Berlin, and soon Cologne.
The special part: Victor was a TikToker himself with 80,000 followers before founding the agency. A story about horror content, the first client for almost free, and the moment when the first employee quit.
This is a summary of Episode 152 of the “Happy Bootstrapping” Podcast (German).
From YouTube Flop to TikTok Success
Victor was born in Hamburg but grew up in Vienna. At 14, he discovered his passion: videos. “My biggest hobby was making YouTube videos with my friends. We wanted to become big YouTubers together,” he recalls. Comedy sketches, 80 followers – no success, but an important lesson:
“What we learned is how to stick together and how to create a cool creative project together.”
In 2018, TikTok arrived. Victor tried again – this time with horror sketches. “I love horror, it’s my favorite genre. I thought, how can you tell an exciting story in 60 seconds in portrait format?” Everyone laughed at him: “What nonsense are you doing, TikTok is just for teenagers.”
Within six, seven months, Victor had 80,000 followers and was the largest horror channel in Austria. In parallel, he completed his business degree. “I realized I wanted more than just being an influencer.”
The First Client: Almost Free for Espresso Mobil
Victor considered: “How can I use what I have as a passion to help companies?” He went to companies and said: “Hey, I’ll show you how to use TikTok.”
The first client was Espresso Mobil, a well-known coffee stand in Vienna. “We messaged them on Instagram and said, can we work for you, can we create TikTok videos for you.” The offer: work almost for free. “We worked the first months basically for nothing.”
It worked. Espresso Mobil recommended Marswalk. “From there it got easier once you have some well-known names in the background.” A classic foot-in-the-door moment.
Rapid Growth: From 2 to 45 Employees
Victor founded Marswalk in 2020 with a co-founder – right at the beginning of Corona.
“We didn’t pay ourselves anything and took what was left to finance the first employee.”
Growth was fast. Already with the second client, they hired the first employee. But three months later, she quit. “She came to us and said, this is not my future.” A deep blow. “If not even the first employee believes in us, can we even pull this off?”
Victor doubted. “I can still remember the moment well when I asked myself all the questions, whether I even want to do this, whether I should look for a normal job instead.” Mentors helped him persevere. “I had no other choice. I knew I had to be successful.”
Today, Marswalk employs 45 people in Vienna, Berlin, and soon Cologne. Annual revenue is 5 million euros. Marswalk works with large companies to reach Gen Z via TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms.
Austria as an Advantage: Smaller Market, Faster Networks
Victor emphasizes: “In Austria, it’s actually a bit easier to found a company than in Germany.” The reason? “Vienna and Austria is a smaller country. You get to know everyone faster. I could probably organize the chancellor’s number within five to ten minutes.”
This helped build the network. Well-known names like Espresso Mobil opened further doors. “That’s significantly more difficult in Germany,” Victor believes. Nevertheless, Marswalk is now expanding to Germany – with Berlin and soon Cologne.
AI as Opportunity, Not Threat
Victor sees AI pragmatically: “I don’t think AI will take over the whole world or that we all have to worry about our jobs. There will always be space for good people.”
His message: “Everyone has to see it as an opportunity – brands, agencies, employees, entrepreneurs. The people who embrace it are exactly who we’re looking for.”
What I Learned from the Interview:
Early failure is learning experience: 80 YouTube followers weren’t a success, but Victor learned to work in a team – the foundation for Marswalk.
Free work opens doors: The first client paid almost nothing. But the reference enabled all following deals.
The first employee exit is hard: When the first employee quit, Victor doubted. Mentors helped him persevere.
Learnings for Founders:
Niche + timing = gold: Horror content on TikTok in 2018 was the perfect combination. Find your niche early.
Smaller markets are easier: Austria enabled faster networks. If you start in a smaller market, use that.
First clients: references > money: Working almost free for well-known names brings more than high prices with unknowns.
Reinvest everything: Victor and his co-founder paid themselves nothing and financed the first employee with it.
Mentors are worth gold: When Victor wanted to give up, mentors kept him going. Find experienced supporters.
Work hard, play hard works: Victor’s team has crazy hobbies (dancing, DJing, etc.). The balance keeps energy high.
Happy Bootstrapping is a German podcast where I interview bootstrapped founders, indie hackers, and solopreneurs about their startup journeys.
Over the years, I’ve connected with many successful entrepreneurs who have built e-commerce shops, SaaS platforms, mobile apps, content businesses, or hybrid models.
Furthermore I am a bootstrapper myself and growing my DevOps-as-a-Sercice and Web Operations Company “We Manage”.
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