Marcello Genovese started his entrepreneurial trip at just 8 years old. He created his first website for his father’s artist agency. This early start helped him become one of Germany’s youngest entrepreneurs, and he launched a web-hosting agency before turning 16.
His path to founding a tech platform included a varied career in entertainment. He worked as a wedding singer, photographer, and performed as DJ MarciG at prestigious German venues. His father’s background as a professional singer and artist sparked his passion for both entertainment and business early in life.
Marcello Genovese’s blend of creative and technical skills led him to create Vinivia, a livestreaming platform that stands out in the multibillion-dollar industry. The platform offers creators 80% of their generated revenue, while typical platforms only give 50% to 60%. Vinivia’s accessible design makes livestreaming available to everyone, whatever their technical expertise or following size.
From Entertainer to Entrepreneur
Music flows through Marcello Genovese’s veins. His father, a professional singer and artist, became his first mentor and business role model. “My father was always my mentor,” Genovese explains. “Since I was a little kid, I was always going with him to events where he was singing. Instead of going hiking or skiing or whatever, we were going to events, making music, and doing business.”
These early experiences molded Genovese’s path. Most teenagers spent time on typical activities, but he performed as a singer and DJ MarciG at Germany’s most prestigious venues. “I’m an entertainer, I love to entertain people,” he says. “That’s what I’ve done when I was a singer, that’s what I’ve done when I was a DJ, I was entertaining people.”
His passion for technology grew alongside his stage career. After he built his father’s artist agency website, his reputation as a developer grew. “I built my first website, and then I was doing websites for friends,” he recalls. “I was working, and I found that there was working was my passion.”
Genovese balanced his entertainment shows with his school’s IT and audiovisual groups. Traditional education didn’t spark his interest. “I was doing so many things instead of going to school,” he admits. “I tried to avoid going to the exams and to the lessons.”
He made a bold choice to leave high school at 15. “I have this introverted, nerdy side, where if I go into something, I want to learn all about it,” he explains. “But if I don’t want to learn all about it, like with school, I could never do that. So I broke up with school when I was 15. I made the decision, ‘OK, I want to do my own business.'”
Genovese stands out because he combines technical knowledge with performance talent. “I realized that I’m a business nerd and I can build this bridge because a lot of nerds can’t state their vision, or talk well about their idea, but I can,” he explains. This blend of introverted problem-solver and charismatic entertainer became the foundation of his entrepreneurial success.
The First Steps into Tech
A young website builder soon found that his technical skills could be more than just a hobby. His simple project for his father’s agency grew into a real business chance. Marcello Genovese spent countless hours mastering web design without any formal training, fascinated by its possibilities.
“I built my first website, and then I was doing websites for friends,” he recalls. This side job revealed something deep about who he was – he truly loved productive work. “I was working, and I found working was my passion.”
His teenage years brought Genovese to a turning point. The tech business seemed more appealing than traditional education. Website projects and entertainment gigs filled his schedule, leaving little room for schoolwork.
“I have this introverted, nerdy side, where if I go into something, I want to learn all about it, and I can if I want to,” he explains. “But if I don’t want to learn all about it, like with school, I could never do that.”
Genovese made a choice that shaped his future at just 15 years old. “I broke up with school when I was 15,” he states matter-of-factly. “I made the decision, ‘OK, I want to do my own business.'”
This bold step made him one of Germany’s youngest entrepreneurs. He built a web design business from scratch while his classmates worried about homework and exams. “I was doing so many things instead of going to school,” he admits. “I tried to avoid going to the exams and to the lessons.”
His hands-on experience helped him develop technical skills better than formal education could. Each client project gave him a chance to learn new skills and understand web technologies better. This practical approach to learning later helped him create his own tech platforms.
Building Vinivia: A Platform for Creators
Genovese and Stefan Graf brought their vision of a fairer creator economy to life by founding Vinivia in 2020. Their Switzerland-based livestreaming platform grew from their expertise in interactive broadcasting technology. Their previous ventures had already caught Meta’s and YouTube’s attention.
“I love livestreaming; it’s a multibillion-dollar market, and we want to do something for the world, for the creators in a different way,” Genovese explains. “Our app is designed for creators, by creators – allowing them to monetize their passions.”
Vinivia’s creator-first philosophy sets it apart from other platforms. Most platforms give creators only 50-60% of generated revenue, while Vinivia offers a groundbreaking 80/20 split that favors creators. On top of that, it lets creators keep full ownership of their content.
“We don’t claim property rights of the content, which all other platforms are doing,” Genovese points out. “Creators fully own their content, allowing them to monetize their passions.”
There’s another reason why Vinivia stands out – its accessibility. Creators can start earning without meeting any minimum follower requirements.
“You don’t need to have 10,000 followers to become a livestreamer or 50,000 followers to monetize your content,” emphasizes Genovese. “You can start today with one follower or even zero followers to monetize your content and become a livestreamer at Vinivia.”
The platform features advanced technology like AI-powered content suggestions, interactive tools for polls and Q&As, and AR experiences. These features help deliver under two-second latency and smooth monetization options through subscriptions, paid reactions, and live shopping.
Genovese’s entertainment background has been a great asset in Vinivia’s development. “In the end, it’s all entertainment,” he reflects. “For me, Vinivia is the perfect place because you can be a singer, and you can be a DJ, and you can be a photographer, and you can entertain people through livestreaming.”
This combination of technical breakthroughs and creator support makes Vinivia a potential game-changer in the livestreaming world.
Conclusion
Marcello Genovese’s experience from building websites as a child to becoming a successful tech founder shows how taking the road less traveled can lead to remarkable breakthroughs. His story proves that following your passion works better than sticking to conventional paths. Leaving school at 15 seemed like a gamble, but this bold move let him chase his entrepreneurial dreams.
His rare combination of technical expertise and stage presence gives him a clear edge in the tech world. Most founders shine either at building products or showcasing them. Genovese excels at both. This unique mix helps him create sophisticated platforms and explain their benefits to investors and users with equal ease.
Vinivia showcases everything he learned along the way. The platform puts creators first by giving them higher revenue shares and full content ownership rights. It also opens up livestreaming to everyone by removing follower requirements, helping both newcomers and veterans.
The future looks bright for Genovese’s effect on the creator economy. His path shows how personal interests can turn into groundbreaking business solutions. His story teaches us that real success comes from blazing new trails that match our talents and dreams, not from walking the beaten path.
FAQs
Q1. How did Marcello Genovese start his career in technology? Marcello Genovese began his tech journey at the age of 8 when he created his first website for his father’s artist agency. This early start led him to become one of Germany’s youngest entrepreneurs, launching a web-hosting agency before turning 16.
Q2. What is Vinivia and how does it differ from other livestreaming platforms? Vinivia is a livestreaming platform co-founded by Marcello Genovese that allows creators to keep 80% of their generated revenue, compared to the typical 50-60% offered by other platforms. It also lets creators retain full ownership of their content and doesn’t require a minimum follower count to start monetizing.
Q3. How did Genovese’s background in entertainment influence his tech career? Genovese’s experience as a wedding singer, photographer, and DJ helped him bridge the gap between technology and entertainment. This unique combination of skills allowed him to create a user-friendly livestreaming platform that caters to various types of creators.
Q4. Why did Marcello Genovese drop out of school at 15? Genovese decided to leave school at 15 to focus on his passion for business and technology. He found that traditional education didn’t align with his interests and entrepreneurial goals, so he chose to pursue his own business ventures instead.
Q5. What features make Vinivia stand out in the livestreaming market? Vinivia incorporates cutting-edge features such as AI-powered content suggestions, interactive tools like polls and Q&As, and augmented reality experiences. It also boasts low latency and offers various monetization options including subscriptions, paid reactions, and live shopping.
