Frederik Fahning On Raising Over $100 Million To Build A Casual Job Matching Marketplace For Students

Frederik Fahning’s entrepreneurial journey is nothing short of remarkable. His is a story interwoven with ambition, resilience, business experiences where he faced challenges like almost running out of runway and layoffs, and an unwavering commitment to values.

Frederik has co-founde3d Zenjob which attracting funding from top-tier investors like Aragon Global Management, 500 Global, Acton Capital, Atlantic LabsFor, and estay Capital.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Growing up in a business-oriented family nurtured Frederik’s risk-taking mindset and appreciation for opportunities.
• Frederik left law school to pursue his passion for business, embracing uncertainty to align with his true interests.
• Early startup roles taught him the value of delegation, adaptability, and understanding what drives people.
• Zenjob modernized short-term staffing by automating processes and creating a seamless platform for businesses and students.
• Frederik navigated funding crises by refining operations, showcasing robust business metrics, and maintaining authenticity.
• Frederik emphasizes hiring smarter people, fostering diverse teams, and maintaining a strong company culture as key to success.
• By prioritizing mastery of the German market, Frederik demonstrates the importance of scaling deliberately and sustainably.

 

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About Frederik Fahning:

Frederik Fahning is Co-founder and Managing Director at Zenjob and is leading the Legal and Public Affairs teams. The temporary staffing platform was founded 2015 in Berlin and is currently helping 22000 students a month to find short-term and long-term jobs.

Frederik has a deep understanding of the platform economy as his company is a practical part of it. His expertise ranges from Generation Z, to flexibility in platform work to the megatrends of the future of work.

Frederik has studied Business Law and has met his Co-founders as an entrepreneur in residence, sharing the vision of revolutionizing the working world.

Besides different political roundtables and discussions on a national and international level, he also participated different public talks like the panel on the #futurework21 fair in Berlin.

Connect with Frederik Fahning:

• LinkedIn
• Crunchbase

Read the Full Transcription of the Interview:

Alejandro Cremades: Alrighty. Hello, everyone, and welcome to The Dealmaker Show. Today, we have an exciting founder joining us—a really inspiring entrepreneur. We’re going to learn quite a bit about building, scaling, financing, and beyond. In this case, you’ll hear incredible stories, including near-death experiences of running almost out of funding, layoffs, values, and how to think about them, as well as why they are so important.

Alejandro Cremades: We’ll also discuss the importance of execution and being laser-focused on just one region, like how they started with Germany. So, brace yourself for a very inspiring conversation. Without further ado, let’s welcome our guest today, Frederik Fahning. Frederik, welcome to the show.

Frederik Fahning: Well, thanks a lot, Alejandro. Thanks for the warm introduction. Happy to be here.

Alejandro Cremades: So, originally born in Hamburg, but raised in Miami, you were influenced by your parents and grandparents. Give us a walk down memory lane. What was life like growing up for you?

Frederik Fahning: Of course, happy to share. I grew up in one of the most beautiful cities in the world—Hamburg. I spent almost 20 years there and had many meaningful conversations with my parents about entrepreneurial topics. My parents ran a small fashion house in Hamburg, and we talked a lot about economics and politics. I think those conversations influenced me from the very beginning to move my career in that direction.

Frederik Fahning: At the same time, my grandfather, who was a lawyer, was a very inspiring person. I loved the idea of approaching economics and an entrepreneurial career through law. That’s how I started—I studied law for two years in a small town in Bavaria, in southern Germany. Unfortunately, I didn’t always focus enough on my studies, and I realized there were many aspects of law that I didn’t care about. However, I still wanted to pursue a career that combined law and entrepreneurship.

Alejandro Cremades: We’ll get there, Frederik. But I wanted to ask—how was it for you to grow up seeing your parents run a small fashion shop? What was it like being exposed to the rollercoaster of emotions—the ups and downs—of entrepreneurship?

Frederik Fahning: Well, I think it helped me understand that risk-taking is normal, healthy, and even good. It’s more about recognizing opportunities rather than focusing on what could go wrong. That mindset gave me confidence from a fairly young age to pursue an entrepreneurial career.

Frederik Fahning: Later, as I entered the startup ecosystem in Berlin, I noticed people often ask, “What did you do before? Which consultancy or large company did you work for?” My story was a bit different—I was studying, working for a startup, and met my co-founders. That early confidence, shaped by those conversations with my parents, made me believe that everything is achievable. Sure, there will be problems, but with the right mindset, luck, timing, and understanding of what motivates people, you at least have a good chance at success. Of course, nothing is guaranteed.

Alejandro Cremades: It sounds like while you were studying law—perhaps influenced by your grandfather—you realized that practicing as an attorney wasn’t for you. You needed a blend of law and business. How did that realization come about?

Frederik Fahning: Yes, that’s correct. One of the reasons was that I didn’t find many aspects of law particularly interesting, especially in Germany, where studying law involves covering many topics irrelevant to economics. I also realized that pursuing a career in law meant studying for seven or eight years. If I already knew I didn’t want to become a lawyer, why continue?

Frederik Fahning: After two years, I decided to stop and switch to a program that combined corporate law and economics. It was a tough decision because my friends were continuing down the same path we had started together. But I knew if I didn’t make the switch then, it would only be harder later.

Alejandro Cremades: When you switched and blended law with business, you moved to Cologne. How was it transitioning to that environment and exploring business internships while figuring out your professional path? What was the sequence of events there?

Frederik Fahning: Initially, I focused on my studies, but later, I met a founder who had an idea for a business selling high-quality coffee through mobile espresso bars. He targeted big corporates, consultancies, universities, and events. The business was small—just 10 or 15 people—but it gave me my first real insight into building a business from scratch.

Frederik Fahning: I joined as employee number three and worked as a student employee for one and a half to two years while studying. It was a lot of fun. One moment, I’d be sitting with the founder discussing the company’s vision; the next, I’d step in as a barista because someone called in sick. That diversity of tasks was exciting.

Frederik Fahning: One of my first lessons was understanding the importance of empowering and delegating to others. The founder wanted to handle everything himself, which is understandable but limits scalability. That early experience taught me the necessity of finding people who are smarter and more experienced to help scale a business.

Alejandro Cremades: Moving to Berlin, you transitioned toward VC, starting with M&A advisory and eventually working at Atlantic Labs. During that time, you met your co-founders. What led you to make the leap and say, “Screw it, let’s do it,” and become a founder yourself?

Frederik Fahning: We started with a three-month research phase, trying to identify opportunities. We wanted to address the world of work, which seemed outdated and inefficient. Organizing work and finding jobs still relied on traditional methods, with little digital innovation to simplify the process.

Frederik Fahning: Despite having no expertise in the labor market or labor laws, we identified a clear gap. There weren’t many companies offering fully automated, end-to-end solutions for staffing, whether on the B2B or B2C side. That realization motivated us.

Frederik Fahning: After meeting our third co-founder, Fritz, who had a strong execution background from Rocket Internet, we felt ready. We secured our licenses, did our research, and even had our first students on the platform. Fritz pushed us, saying, “What are we waiting for? Let’s just do it!” That’s how we started—meeting at a second-hand furniture store in Berlin, hoping everything would work out.

Alejandro Cremades: Fascinating. So, what ended up being the business model for Zenjob, and how do you make money?

Frederik Fahning: Zenjob connects businesses with short-term staffing needs—retail, logistics, hospitality—with students or talent seeking flexible work. Using our app, businesses can request workers, and students can find jobs in minutes. Everything is automated—from matching to contract signing and payment.

Frederik Fahning: We charge businesses by the hour, take a portion of that rate, and pay the remaining amount to our workers. Around 93–94% of our operations are fully automated.

Alejandro Cremades: So let’s talk about vision then, because that leads me to this: let’s say you go to sleep tonight, Frederik, and you wake up in a world where the vision of Zenjob is fully realized. What does that world look like?

Frederik Fahning: In that world, we are at least the European leader when it comes to flexible work. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s just for students—it could be for stay-at-home moms or dads, pensioners, school students, or anyone else. Our reach would span all across Europe.

Frederik Fahning: Additionally, we’d be able to facilitate longer-term work as well. But most importantly, we would also be the go-to partner for people at the very early stages of their careers, like students seeking jobs related to their studies. For example, if you’re studying marketing and want to work at a startup for one or two years, Zenjob would help you find those opportunities.

Frederik Fahning: Later, as your career progresses, we could also help you transition into more advanced roles in startups or even longer-term employment—say, five or ten years—if that’s what you’re looking for. And if your life circumstances change, like spending money on an apartment and later deciding to work as a freelancer with full flexibility, Zenjob would still be there as your reliable partner.

Frederik Fahning: That’s why the term “flexible work” is so broad for us. Right now, we’re operating within the temp agency sector, but we believe—and this is also supported by trends over the last 50 years—that we’re moving toward a world where everyone wants to be more self-determined. People want to choose when, for whom, and under what conditions they work.

Frederik Fahning: This doesn’t mean that everyone will suddenly become a freelancer or that traditional full-time, 40-hour workweeks will disappear completely. But we’re already seeing a significant rise in part-time and flexible work, and that’s a growing market we aim to lead on a full scale.

Alejandro Cremades: So let’s talk about the past now, since we’ve been discussing the future. Let’s say I put you into a time machine and take you back to 2014 or 2015, when you were thinking about starting something. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice before launching a business, what would that be and why, given what you know now?

Frederik Fahning: I think the advice I’d give is to always surround yourself with people who are smarter and more experienced than you are. In the beginning, especially if you don’t have a background in starting companies, this can feel intimidating. You might even worry that you’ll become unnecessary or irrelevant.

Frederik Fahning: But that’s the wrong mindset. Bringing in smarter and more experienced people is essential to scaling your business. It’s something I struggled with early on. Challenges will arise regardless, and as your business grows, those challenges will only get bigger—whether it’s gaining market share, hiring more employees, or managing operations. Scaling through the right people is crucial.

Frederik Fahning: Another realization I had is that it’s all about people. Right now, we’re almost 300 people at Zenjob, and it’s incredible to see what that means in terms of organizational complexity, politics, diverse educational backgrounds, and different perspectives. We have over 44 nationalities within the company, which brings so much joy, diversity, and great outcomes.

Frederik Fahning: At the same time, managing such diversity is challenging in a positive way. People have different attitudes and ways of perceiving life. Over time, I’ve realized that an organization is like a football team—it’s all about aligning everyone toward a common goal without individual agendas or internal politics.

Frederik Fahning: That’s why we’ve always maintained founder involvement in interviews. We interview everyone, even down to interns—not because we think we’re smarter, but because culture is everything to us. These interviews are casual conversations, and afterward, we participate in debrief sessions to share our opinions as just one voice among many.

Frederik Fahning: We’ve seen this practice work well at other companies, like Adyen, a huge fintech from the Netherlands. Even with thousands of employees, they still involve founders in hiring decisions. Investing in your people is the most important thing you can do. If someone asks, “Do you really have time for these interviews?” then that question itself is already wrong.

Alejandro Cremades: I love that. Now, for people listening who might want to reach out and say hi, what’s the best way for them to do that?

Frederik Fahning: The easiest way is probably through LinkedIn. Just search for my name and send me a direct message. You can also email me at fr**************@ze****.com, but LinkedIn is likely the easiest option.

Alejandro Cremades: Amazing. Well, Frederik, thank you so much for being on The Dealmaker Show. It’s been an absolute honor to have you with us.

Frederik Fahning: Thank you very much.

*****

If you like the show, make sure that you hit that subscribe button. If you can leave a review as well, that would be fantastic. And if you got any value either from this episode or from the show itself, share it with a friend. Perhaps they will also appreciate it. Also, remember, if you need any help, whether it is with your fundraising efforts or with selling your business, you can reach me at al*******@pa**************.com“>al*******@pa**************.com

 

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