Aurelius Gastauer has the makings of the next fintech visionary like his father, German billionaire and renowned venture capitalist Michael Gastauer. But though he may be following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of his dad, Aurelius is actually carving a name for himself in the business world. He has made remarkable strides in the industry with his business ventures, and he’s just 22. Given his technological prowess, business acumen, and dedication to his craft, it’s very likely that this boy wonder could reach greater heights and even surpass his father’s illustrious career.
The Unconventional Childhood of a Tech Prodigy
Born to the fintech mogul Michael Gastauer and ex-wife Simone, Aurelius displayed early on his potential to be a prominent figure in the business industry. While growing up in Switzerland, Aurelius already seemed different from his peers as he was more engrossed in techie stuff than the usual gaming lifestyle for boys his age. However, this proved to be advantageous for him since he managed to make a business out of his keen interest in technology at a young age.
When Aurelius was 14, he launched an online hosting service by renting server space from major providers like AWS. His first customers were his pals, who were very into online gaming at the time. Aside from providing them with cloud storage space, Aurelius offered practical services to them, like setting up and managing their servers if they did not know how. This mini-business was not only lucrative, but it also gave Aurelius his first practical learning experience on how to run an IT business and provide customer service. At the same time, it showcased his innate business acumen and technical skills.
Learning Programming and Making Strategic Investments
Beyond cloud hosting, Aurelius taught himself four major programming languages at 15. This new skill enabled him to develop his own software that allowed him to manage his hosting service remotely while in school. He would use a smartphone to carry out and monitor his operations. Such a display of ingenuity further distinguished him as a young tech prodigy among his friends and peers.
While making money from his business, he saved up for his next big step in the industry. In 2015, Aurelius decided to invest his earnings into Bitcoin. The world’s first cryptocurrency was already gaining momentum at the time. It was already valued at $200 per BTC. Seeing the potential and the big opportunities that could come out of this, Aurelius began to build his Bitcoin profile, even asking his family to gift him cryptocurrency on various occasions. Having amassed 180 BTC by December 2017, when the crypto was already valued at $19,000, Aurelius’ net worth skyrocketed to $3.4 million at just 16 years old. This early success in cryptocurrency investment showed his foresight and willingness to take calculated risks.
Venturing into Private Equity
Considering that he has earned so much at such a young age, it’s not surprising how Aurelius quickly transitioned into bigger business opportunities when he reached the legal age. At 19, he moved out of their family home, left Switzerland, and transferred to the United Arab Emirates with a big dream of building his own company. Shortly after arriving in the Middle East, Aurelius established his first private equity investment firm in Dubai. The shift from his technological endeavors to bigger financial investments signaled his official entry into the business world.
Fortunately, Aurelius’ big business venture paid off handsomely. And so when Bitcoin prices peaked around $68,000 in late 2021, his wealth surged to over $12 million. This financial security further allowed him to engage in high-stakes private equity deals. Among his notable investments was the one in a European fintech firm. He reportedly invested $2 million in the firm using his personal money. When a financial institution in Ireland took over the company, its valuation skyrocketed to $1.4 billion, inevitably boosting Aurelius’s shares to a staggering $200 million valuation.
Mirroring His Father’s Success
While Aurelius’s achievements are impressive, comparing them to his father’s provides a deeper understanding of his entrepreneurial journey. Michael Gastauer, a fintech visionary, founded the digital bank Black Banx in 2015, which played a pivotal role in changing the global banking sector forever. Like his son Aurelius, Michael also started relatively small. After ditching his job at the startup incubator Gorilla Park, he established a Zurich-based asset management company, which he sold for $15 million in 2003. He then developed a global payment solution for e-commerce and online industries. When this achieved a valuation of $480 million, Michael sold its assets in 2008.
Fresh from his two successful business ventures, Michael decided to build his private family office, the Gastauer Family Office, which was instrumental in his most ambitious move yet—founding Black Banx. The digital bank, which officially launched in 2015, currently serves 45 million customers in 180 countries and territories across the globe. Based on its first-quarter financial report, the company garnered $639 million in pre-tax profit and $2.1 billion in revenue in the first three months of 2024. Black Banx’s success has boosted Michael’s net worth to $11.5 billion, and so he now stands as one of the richest businessmen in Germany.
In conclusion, Aurelius’s early business ventures highlight a remarkable blend of technical expertise, strategic investments, and entrepreneurial spirit. His journey from cloud hosting to private equity is a testament to his hard work and determination. By comparing his achievements with those of his father, Michael Gastauer, it becomes evident that while Aurelius has inherited a legacy of innovation and success, he is also charting his own unique path to greatness.
