Meet eCollect CEO Marc Schillinger and discover what inspires him to go from good to great

Venture Leader Fintech Marc Schillinger co-founded eCollect, a company that applies high-end technology to cover the full receivables management process—from the initial invoice to the final payment. Learn more about Marc’s expectations for the Venture Leader Fintech experience and discover why being productive is a state of mind.

The Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 will accelerate their international expansion and build a business network through meetings with top-notch investors and industry leaders. From November 2 to 6, the Swiss National Startup team will represent Switzerland's innovative fintech force at the first-ever virtual edition of the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2020. To introduce you to the members of the Swiss National Startup Team, we asked each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose four questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life.

Name: Marc Schillinger
Job title: CEO of eCollect
Location: Baar
Nationality: German
Graduated from: Arizona State University
Number of employees: 47 FTEs (three locations in Europe) 
First touchpoint with Venturelab: Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 

“eCollect is a fintech startup with an in-house developed, all-in-one, cross-border receivables management platform to process invoicing, dunning, and the pre-legal and legal collection of late payments.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
I am an innovation-driven person with 20+ years of experience in the receivables management industry. Building upon my longtime expertise, I saw the incredible potential of boosting receivables management with best-in-class software solutions. This was the main reason I have moved from corporate to startup. Now, as the CEO and co-founder of eCollect, my team and I are growing and scaling Europe’s leading receivables management platform.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders program, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
I firmly believe in collaboration and the exchange of ideas between entrepreneurs. At eCollect, we are keeping our finger on the pulse of the fintech industry, and discussing challenges and opportunities firsthand will definitely lead to beneficial outcomes. I am looking forward to connecting with like-minded tech leaders and investors and discussing new business opportunities for eCollect in the European and Asian markets. 

Where and when are you most productive? 
My productivity hack is that I believe productivity is not just something you practice at a certain time and place—be it in an office, during working hours, or with organizational tools. I live and breathe what I am doing, and this philosophy makes me productive all the time. 

Whom do you admire? 
I would say Michael Jordan, who has been an incredible inspiration for me ever since I was a kid. He triggered my passion for sports not only because of his talent but also because of his admirable dedication, hard work, and competitiveness. Even nowadays, long after the end of his sports career, he is a successful businessman who does not stop when faced with any hardships or challenges. 

What is your favorite book?
One of my favorite books is Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins because it very well stresses some of the core qualities a company has to master in order to make the leap from good to great—disciplined people, disciplined thoughts, and disciplined actions. This book has positively influenced me as a leader, and I highly recommend that every entrepreneur read it.

How much time do you spend on social media?
I usually do not fancy spending too much time on social media, but LinkedIn is a platform I find extremely useful. It is always a pleasure to see what industry leaders are up to and what trends are being discussed. Other social media channels seem to further induce people’s biases with their algorithms and, therefore, I appreciate LinkedIn being focused on professional and authentic information.

Last but not least, could you show us your workspace?



This year’s Venture Leaders Fintech is organized in collaboration with swissnex China and supported by EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Immomig, PostFinance, TX Group, Walder Wyss, and the Canton of Zurich.

For more information and updates on eCollect and the Venture Leaders Fintech, follow the Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 team with #VleadersFintech on social media or subscribe to our newsletter.