My name is Fabian Bodensteiner. I’m a German electrical engineer by training and started building companies early — around the age of 22.
I began with a bootstrapped hardware consultancy called blacbird technologies, then co-founded a startup in the Industry 4.0 space (ambos.io, now known as setago.io). For the past five years, I’ve been part of the founding team at World (formerly Worldcoin), which I co-founded alongside my friend Alex Blania and Sam Altman.
Why this blog?
Mainly, to preserve knowledge.
As my career evolved — from writing low-level firmware in C to negotiating global partnerships across the US and APAC — I realized how much gets lost if you don’t write things down. This blog is my way of documenting that journey.
Why publish it?
Honestly? Because I don’t see a downside.
After spending years in open source environments like Worldcoin, I’ve come to believe that sharing—even unfinished or imperfect thinking—adds more value than it risks.
This blog won’t be optimized for headlines or hype. It’ll be straightforward and natural — the way I’d explain things to a smart friend over coffee.
What to expect
Posts will fall into three main categories:
- Deep dives on building companies, teams, and culture
- Reflections on deals, mistakes, and hard-won lessons
- Personal observations from the journey
I aim to publish one piece per month. My backlog of topics should last at least a year — probably more.
If even one post helps someone think more clearly, avoid a misstep, or feel less alone in their own journey — then this blog will have done its job.
Thanks for reading,
Fabian