Maximilian Lehmann
Founder of fainin GmbH. Practitioner in AI agent systems, marketplaces and grant funding.
- AI agents
- Marketplaces
- Grant funding
LanguagesGerman, English
Time zoneEurope/Berlin
Ratefrom $100/hr
Expert profile
Claude Code expert for AI agent systems, marketplaces and founding.
For expert interviews, advisory calls and consulting projects. I speak from what I run myself: at fainin, four people and ten AI agents work together.
Current offers
Where I help, and what it costs.
Three typical engagements, all from $100 per hour and up to $2.0k per week.
HR workshop: AI in everyday work for employees
Hands-on training where teams learn to use AI safely and usefully at work, with real tasks from the team.
from $100/ hrup to $2.0k / week
RequestConsulting on setting up an agentic system
From the first process to a running pilot: set-up, rules and approvals for an AI agent system your team runs itself.
from $100/ hrup to $2.0k / week
RequestGrant funding and seed funding
Views on grants and early-stage funding from first-hand experience with BMBF, DBU, competitions and crowdfunding.
from $100/ hrup to $2.0k / week
RequestHow an advisory call works
From your question to a usable answer.
You share topic and context.
Topice.g. AI agents in operations
FormatAdvisory call
Timeframeby agreement
30 to 60 minutes by video.
Length30 to 60 minutes
FlowYour questions, my experience
RulesConfidential
A short summary on request.
Key points in a few sentences
Open questions named
Next steps, if wanted
01
Four focus areas, each with evidence
What you can ask me, and how I know.
AI agent systems with Claude Code
Evidence: At fainin, four people and ten AI agents work with a shared, versioned knowledge base. Own products: Krempel, Mega.Talk. Claude Code since launch, 5+ years building AI systems.
Typical questions:
- How do you set up a team of AI agents?
- Where must a human approve, where can the system act on its own?
- How do you document rules and workflows so others can use them?
Marketplaces and the sharing economy
Evidence: Founder of fainin since 2019 (marketplace and 2-SHARE communities for companies and universities), mietly.io. German Sustainability Award 2026 (category Products) for 2-SHARE.
Typical questions:
- How do you win the supply side of a marketplace first?
- How do you build trust between strangers (identity, insurance, payment)?
- How does a B2B community model work for corporates and universities?
Founding and testing theses
Evidence: Workshop “Test your thesis. Automated.” in international co-working spaces, the TYMBO example, several startup competitions won.
Typical questions:
- How do you write a thesis with a number and a deadline?
- How do you test demand in a week without building?
- How do you know a pivot is needed?
Gen Z, AI and the labour market
Evidence: Panellist and speaker in the Nature Room at InTent at Davos 2026, talk at VDI, appearance at Megathon 2026. Especially suited to research contributions.
Typical questions:
- How do young professionals use AI at work?
- What do they expect from employers who roll out AI?
- Which skills gain value, which lose it?
02
Formats and billing
Advisory call, 30 to 60 minutes
For views on a market, technology or strategy, for example for research firms, investors and companies. Billed hourly.
Consulting project, several days to weeks
Building an AI system or a pilot, reviewing an existing approach, enabling a team. Billed hourly within an agreed scope.
Research contribution
Expert interview, survey or panel, especially on the Gen Z view of AI and work. Billed by effort.
All engagements start at $100 per hour, up to $2.0k per week. Billing can run directly or through an intermediary network, by agreement.
03
Career
Most entries can be checked against public sources.
- 2019Started faininWith the bachelor thesis (B.Sc. International Management, International School of Management).
- 2020Began master's studiesInformation systems (Wirtschaftsinformatik) at the University of Hamburg.
- 2021Winner of Make-It-Lean Contest and Startup CompetitionWith fainin, organised by HWR Berlin and ISM.
- 2021–22DBU Green Start-up ProgrammeFunding and accreditation for fainin.
- 2024–25BMBF funding “Social Innovations”Project “2-share – sharing platforms for organisations”.
- 2025Master's studies in information systems (University of Hamburg) ended in favour of fainin
- 2025–26German Sustainability Award 2026, category ProductsAwarded: 2-SHARE by fainin. Ceremony in Hamburg on 5 December 2025.
- January 2026InTent at DavosParticipant, panellist and speaker in the Nature Room, beVisioneers – THE MERCEDES-BENZ FELLOWSHIP.
- June 2026Winner, UNPRME Students Innovation Studio, final in Cairo
- 2026Small team with AI agentsFour people and ten AI agents. Customers include BASF Coatings, Tchibo, Sopra Steria and several universities.
- 2025–26StagesTechchill Riga 2025, The Founder Summit 2026, Megathon 2026, The Green Deal Show 2026, VDI, Impact Hub Hamburg.
- PressGalileo (ProSieben), NDR, Forbes Austria, Hamburger Abendblatt, Business Insider
04
Compliance and conflicts of interest
Clear rules for every conversation.
No confidential information
I do not share confidential information from client projects or fainin's customers and I respect agreed confidentiality.
No inside information
I do not pass on non-public information about listed companies and I decline questions where I might hold such information.
I name conflicts of interest upfront
I am founder and managing director of fainin GmbH, which runs a marketplace and works for companies and universities. Where a topic touches this, I say so at the start.
Experience and opinion are kept apart
I mark what rests on first-hand experience and what is my own view.
05
Frequently asked questions
How does an advisory call work?
You send your questions and context beforehand. We speak for 30 to 60 minutes by video. On request I send a short summary afterwards.
Which languages are possible?
German and English.
How soon can we speak?
We schedule at short notice by agreement. Name your preferred timeframe in the request.
How is billing handled?
Hourly, from $100, up to $2.0k per week. Billing can run directly or through an intermediary network.
Next step
Which question should I answer?
Tell me the topic, timeframe and format. I reply personally.