Markus Villig (born 1993) is an Estonian billionaire entrepreneur and founder and CEO of global shared mobility company
Bolt Technology OÜ.
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Biography
After finishing high school in Tallinn in the spring 2013, Markus began working on the initial development of Bolt. With a €5,000 loan from his family, he was able to create the first prototype of the app while personally recruiting drivers on the streets of Tallinn.
In September 2013 he enrolled at the
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country. to study computer science. However, he left at the end of his first semester to work on the company full time.
Markus has received numerous accolades in recognition of his achievements as an entrepreneur. In 2016 he was featured as the youngest CEO in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Baltics and also received the presidential award for the Best Young Entrepreneur in Estonia. Additionally, in 2018, he was honored as EY's Estonian Entrepreneur of the Year at the World Entrepreneur of the Year Business Forum. Furthermore, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Estonian national newspaper Äripaev in 2022.
In November 2022, Markus was made a Partner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Estonia, which recognises individuals who support the country’s foreign policy interests, for his contribution in supporting Ukraine following its
invasion by Russia.
In March 2025, he was appointed as a board member of
Klarna
Klarna Group plc, commonly referred to as Klarna, is a Swedish fintech company that provides online financial services. The company provides payment processing services for the e-commerce industry, managing store claims and customer payments. Th ...
.
[https://www.klarna.com/international/press/markus-villig-and-niclas-neglen-appointed-to-klarna-group-plc-board-of/]
As of 2019, he is Europe's youngest founder of a billion dollar company (
unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead.
In European literature and art, the unico ...
).
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References
Living people
Estonian business executives
Estonian billionaires
1993 births
Businesspeople in transport
University of Tartu alumni
Estonian company founders
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