Hi, I'm
Milian-Erik Retkowski
Founder of MER Venture Advisory
- Scouting Lead
- Dealflow Partner
- Investor
- Speaker
- Startup Mentor
- Advisory Board Member
- Pitch Jury Judge
Every challenge has a solution. Let’s find yours.
With German directness, honest feedback, motivation and empathy.
Background
My Story
From corporate to the startup & VC ecosystem
I spent over a decade in the German industry, from mid-sized companies to global corporations and world market leaders. I worked in bid and tender management as well as sales leadership, led large teams, and carried project responsibility of more than $3.5B, up to senior management level.
Alongside my corporate career, I’ve supported the startup ecosystem for years as a mentor. At the end of 2025 I left corporate life to go all in on venture capital at Silicon Valley pace. I graduated among the top 2% of the Venture Institute by VC Lab, earned a deals residency and led venture scouting within a deals team of 33 scouts.
Today I’ve switched sides: I mentor founders as a venture capital mentor at Venture Institute and as a startup mentor in accelerators worldwide, including Founder Institute, German Accelerators and SF Startup Labs. I’m a deal flow partner at LvlUp Ventures and other VC firms, and I also work with angel syndicates, family offices and a network of 50+ partner scouts. My goal is to help founders become investor-ready and bring promising startups to the attention of my network.
Contributions
Publications
Articles, guest posts and newsletter features on other platforms
References
Testimonials
What founders say about me
Milian has a rare ability to truly see people and identify what makes them unique, often helping you understand how to position yourself more powerfully as a founder. We had regular mentoring sessions, and I will always be grateful that he once even took a call from me while I was in Berlin, just before my flight to San Francisco, to give me precious advice that helped define the purpose of my journey. Milian is incredibly human, generous, and insightful and I can’t wait to see him again in the Bay Area!
Gergana Dragoeva Quievy
Founder, Querii
USA, San Francisco
Milian is my regular mentor and advisor on sales strategy and managing my Data and AI Governance startup. He is a person with relentless positive attitude with a calm demeanour.
Raaj Deb
Director, Turingrails
UK, London
Milian was very cooperative in supporting us as a mentor and following up very quick as well.
Bernhard van Riessen
Founder, Sparely
Netherlands, Apeldoorn
Milian has given us the inspiration and impact to set a course that no one else foresaw or sensed. That’s empathy, analysis, instinct, and efficiency at its best. Thank you, Milian
Tom Fischer
CEO and Designer, various companies
Germany, Nuremberg
Milian has been an exceptional mentor, and I genuinely believe anyone looking to grow in sales would benefit from learning from him. As an SDR, I was looking for guidance from someone with the experience of a Sales Head. He has been incredibly patient, supportive, and genuinely invested in helping me improve. I can't recommend him highly enough.
Aditya Mehta
Business Growth Strategist, BaryTech
Germany, Berlin
Milian has a genuine passion for helping others grow in their career and businesses, always sharing useful opportunities, industry knowledge, and honest feedback that continue to shape my professional journey. His generosity, large heart, relentless drive for excellence and commitment to seeing others succeed make him a truly impactful mentor.
Angus Aba
Teamlead, Unified Payments
Nigeria, Lagos
Global Engagement
Where I'm active
Workshops, jury work and mentoring
- Mentoring
- Workshop
- Jury Judge
Services
How I can help
My offers
For Startups
Coaching with a focus on fundraising and pitch decks
Office Hours
A focused 1:1 session on any topic concerning your startup journey. With a focus on fundraising and pitch decks.
€75 · 30 minutes
- Any topic concerning your startup
- Fundraising strategy
- Pitch deck feedback
- Investor outreach
Pitch Deck Analysis
A detailed slide-by-slide hands-on review of your deck from a VC perspective.
€200
- Detailed analysis
- Hands-on feedback you can apply directly
- VC perspective plus marketing thinking
- Significantly better chances in fundraising
Incl. 30-minute office hour to discuss
Get in touchFundraising Ready Program & Fundraising Advisor
Long-term support through your entire fundraising journey.
On request
- Ongoing support, weekly or several times a month
- Fundraising strategy, developed together
- Pitch deck strategy with joint editing
- Support through the entire fundraising process
- Optional role as Fundraising Advisor (Advisory Board)
Milian is incredibly human, generous, and insightful. — Gergana, Founder Querii
For Investors
For VC firms and angel syndicates
Scouting Team Consulting & Setup
Building and operating a venture scouting team that delivers real deal flow.
On request
- Consulting on setting up a scouting team
- Operational support in running the team
- Recruiting professional scouts
- Operational involvement & fractional leadership
For Institutions
For universities, accelerators, incubators and similar organizations
VC & Fundraising Workshops / Speaking
Workshops and talks on venture capital and fundraising for founders, students and program participants.
On request
- Venture capital & fundraising fundamentals
- Format: Workshop, speaking, webinar
- Online or on-site
- Duration: 45–120 minutes
Contact
Get in touch
I look forward to hearing from you.
Location
Hamburg, Germany
How do I book a call?
Send me an email or use the form with a short note about your inquiry. I'll get back to you personally to arrange a time.