Home Dealerscope 2020 40 Under 40: Erik Ackner, Mercku

Dealerscope 2020 40 Under 40: Erik Ackner, Mercku

For a look at the rest of the 2020 40 Under 40 honorees, be sure to check out the 40 Under 40 homepage.

Name: Erik Ackner

Age: 32

Job Title: President, Mercku Europe

Company: Mercku

Years in the Industry: 5

Where You Grew Up, Live Now: I grew up in a tiny village with only 20 inhabitants in the northern part of Germany and went to school in the next larger town, called Waren Mueritz. For college, I moved to Berlin, which I call my home since. Between 2010 and 2018, I lived for over 5 years in China, mainly in the city of Chengdu. Since 2019 I moved back to Berlin.

Education: Bachelor in Berlin, Germany: Berlin School of Economics and Law (BSEL) -Double-Masters degree, Berlin & Chengdu, China: South-Western University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) and BSEL Virtual MBA: The Power MBA (doing right now).

Accomplishments: Innovation and startup ecosystem contributions. Since 2010, I’m a big believer in entrepreneurship and innovation. What started as a course in college turned into a decade-long journey of helping aspiring minds to start their projects and businesses. To help facilitate and build the global startup ecosystem, I represented the following organizations: Startup Grind, Startup Weekend, Slush, and Lean Startup Machine. With these communities, I inspired, educated, and helped many thousands of people all over the world.

What I like Best About My Job: That we help people to get great Wi-Fi at home. Especially now with increased usage of a home office and online education, a stable and reliable Wi-Fi is a necessity.

Last Book Read: What You Do Is Who You Are, by Ben Horrowitz

Favorite Pastime/Hobby: Longer cycling trips of 50-150km a day to discover the surroundings of my home.

Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Best Concert: The White Stripes (at Rock am Ring in Germany, 2007)

My Hero, and Why: Elon Musk, he single-handedly helped transform multiple industries.

Favorite CE Product: Playstation 4, super excited about PS5!

If You Could be Anyplace Right Now, Where Would it Be and What Would You Be Doing?: I would go hiking in New Zealand.

What Makes You Believe the CE Industry Will Thrive in the Next 5 Years: Growing wealth, environmental consciousness, and artificial intelligence are rapidly improving CE products and the CE industry.