Q: Hey Stefan. You started at CRX Markets as a Working Student back in 2017 already and have since seen a lot. How is CRX Markets different today compared to when you first started?
A: That’s right I have been a part of CRX Markets for quite a while and started as a student. A lot has changed since then. When I first started here there were only 25 employees and we’re about 80 people today! If I had to tell you what’s changed, I’d have to say probably the organizational processes within the company were a bit unstructured back in the days. But that’s of course for the better now. Other than that, the company culture is still very much the same and has always been very familiar.

Q: How did you find us back when you were still a student? And which department did you start in?
A: My path led me through the university. The tutor of my bachelor thesis got me into contact with CRX Markets and proposed me as a Working Student. After a call with the founder Moritz von der Linden, I got the job and then started in the Finance and Sales department. Previously, I had worked at one of the largest audit firms in financial advisory. The change from one of the Big4 companies to a young fintech was quite a step for me. But it was definitely the right decision.

Q: You also wrote your master’s thesis with us then, right?
A: That’s right. I was very interested in supply chain finance also from a scientific point of view, so I was already at the perfect place to write my thesis about that subject. In it, I quantitatively investigated how the various working capital and profitability KPIs perform for companies that use supply chain finance and those that do not. After completing my master thesis, I already knew I wanted to join CRX Markets full time.

Q: How did the switch to the Capital Markets team come about?
A: I already dealt with our financing partners in my previous role as an Operations Manager securing funding for client programs on the platform on a day-to-day basis. I always enjoyed that a lot. Since our Capital Markets department was expanding back then, I took the opportunity to step out of Operations and into financing partner support and acquisition. The team spirit is also great in the Capital Markets team. We encourage and challenge each other and are always smarting each other up.

Q: What are your daily responsibilities as a Capital Markets Manager at CRX Markets?
A: As a Capital Markets Manager at CRX Markets I am first and foremost responsible for our financing partners. That means we are continuously trying to win over new funding partners for our platform. But its of course not only about onboarding of new banks or investors, but also about maintaining our relationship with existing partners. For that reason, we’re often e.g. in Frankfurt or London holding meetings with our funding partners in presence. Our platform is very attractive to our financing partners due to our large-cap clients and their corresponding financing volume. Other than that, though we’re also always trying to further improve our existing products or develop new products when customers approach us with new feedback. The work as a Capital Markets Manager is really exciting and diverse with various types of topics!

Q: Which milestones have you experienced yet working at CRX Markets?
A: Oh, there have been a lot. I personally always connect milestones with the achievement of financing objectives. Just recently in the beginning of 2022, we broke the monthly EUR 1.5 billion mark in financing volume. It’s nice to see a company grow and to see growth forecasts become reality.

Q: What would you say how your job within the Capital Markets team is different from a banking job?
A: These are actually kind of two different worlds, not in terms of the subject itself, but in terms of the way both work. I like being able to work flexibly on practical problems we encounter daily and to also solve those problems. Like that we can easily reach goals and see our influence on the success of the company right away. That can be very different with big financial institutions, where work is more hierarchical if the decision-making levels are long.

Q: That sounds very cool! Concluding what would you say you like most about your job at CRX Markets?
A: I like working at CRX Markets due to our company culture and because we just have a great team spirit within our team. We can work flexibly and reach our goals fast. That is just fun!