EP 3 – Startup Growth Strategy with Marco Vietor

Episode Stream

Biography

Dr. Marco Vietor is an entrepreneur, investor, and proud alumni of WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management. He is cofounder of audibene (aka Hear.com), the world’s largest online seller of hearing aids. Since launching in 2011, audibene now employs over 1000 people, grosses over $100m in revenue each year, and has offices across the globe serving millions of customers facing the ever-growing challenge of hearing loss.

Since selling a majority stake to hearing aid giant, Sivantos, in 2015, Marco continues to lead daily operations of audibene as Managing Director/CEO. He is also an active angel investor with notable portfolio companies including Movinga and Carboobi, is a member of the WHU entrepreneurship board, guest lectures on entrepreneurship at various universities, travels; and spends time with family in his adopted hometown of Berlin.

Chapters

Interview Introduction (0:30) 

Intro to Marco (1:31)

Part 1: Becoming an Entrepreneur (1:59) 

Part 2: Why hearing aids? (6:52) 

      MUSIC INTERLUDE (8:56) 

Part 3: The challenge of online personalization (9:29) 

Part 4: How Audibene works (11:27) 

Part 5: Having Multiple Sales Fronts (13:21) 

Part 6: Scaling Globally (15:08) 

      MUSIC INTERLUDE (15:39) 

Part 7: What Gets Measured, Get’s Done (17:15) 

Part 8: Transparency in Management (20:26) 

Part 9: Building Systems for Growth (22:29) 

      MUSIC INTERLUDE (26:41) 

Part 10: Limiting Corporate Hierarchies (27:19) 

Part 11: Staying Agile and Lean (29:32) 

      MUSIC INTERLUDE (32:18) 

Part 12: Does Less Structure Equal More Work? (32:38) 

Part 13: Audibene’s Growth Trajectory (34:33) 

Part 14: From Idea to Market to Scale (37:44) 

Part 15: The Future of the Hearing Loss Industry (40:45) 

      MUSIC INTERLUDE (43:21) 

Part 16: How New Technologies will Impact Business (43:47) 

Part 17: Reaching the Bottom of the Pyramid (46:36) 

Part 18: Lessons for Future Founders (47:53) 

Part 19: What are you currently reading? (50:44) 

Part 20: What’s on your playlist? (52:44) 

Closing Summary (54:01)