We’re a small, passionate team based in Leipzig, Germany. Marcus Fehn and Max Seelemann, who both founded the company in 2011, have a 14-year history of creating writing software for OS X.
Back in 2003, Ulysses’ predecessor was the first text processing software on the market aimed specifically at creative writers.
Max started programming when he was still in primary school, and he has never stopped. After graduating (with distinction) in computer science, he decided against a career in academia. Instead, he jumped into the development of Ulysses full-time, together with his partner Marcus. Today he enjoys the many upsides (he’s involved in almost everything) and accepting the few downsides (he’s involved in almost everything) of being in the captain’s chair.
In 2002, while working as a staff designer in a web agency, Marcus wanted to write a novel, but struggled to find a suitable tool. He came up with a design of his own, and convinced Max, who was still in high school, to take over the programming part. That’s how Ulysses came to life, and that’s basically how things have worked until today – the only difference being that there are now more people to make Marcus’ impossible ideas become reality.
After graduating from the computing faculty at the Dresden University of Technology (where he met Max), Friedrich was the first to join the team as a full-time developer. At the age of 6, he inherited his older brother’s C64 and discovered a passion for coding. To date, Friedrich loves to delve into complex programming problems, and to take his time finding not just any solution, but the perfect solution.
Götz is the third “gang member” from the University of Dresden. While majoring in computer science, he took on occasional jobs for Max and Marcus, but also gained comprehensive professional experience as an ice-cream maestro, supermarket cashier and adventure course instructor. Besides being involved in Ulysses’ development, he sometimes provides support… for the Ulysses customer support team: If they’re at a loss, Götz usually still has an ace up his sleeve.
Passionate about books and literature herself, Rebekka was drawn by the company’s vision of the perfect writing tool; she joined the team in 2014. Rebekka has a master’s degree in communications and sociology and can rely on professional experience in PR for a festival, a few scientific institutions, and a major e-commerce platform. She loves yoga and truly enjoys to make sense of things by writing about them – with Ulysses, of course.
When he was little, Florian liked the sound of the word Ingenieur (German for engineer), so he wanted to become one. Now, with a master’s degree in computer science in the bag, he may call himself a software engineer – a childhood dream come true! After having finished university, Florian searched for a small company with a friendly atmosphere where he could program for Apple platforms – and found Ulysses. Coder by heart, he enjoys solving problems and isn’t held back by difficult hurdles.
Chinese users, who are no small portion of Ulysses’ user base, like to be approached in their native language. Fortunately, Jingya can bridge the language gap. Born in Xi’an, China – home of the famous Terracotta Army – she came to Germany a couple of years ago, and is currently enrolled in the American Studies master’s program at the University of Leipzig. Jingya is ambitious and eager to learn new things, ever exploring her own potential. A dream of hers: getting a pug as a pet once she settles down.
For Philip, creation is a basic need, that’s why he became a designer. In his many years of working for web agencies, the demands of a constant stream of new customers refined his skills — now he puts them to work to shape Ulysses’ visual appearance. Philip believes in the power of empathy for problem solving and the harmonious coexistence of humankind. He is a hobby archer and a car enthusiast. He also composes music and plays guitar in a band.
Before Marcus joined the team, he completed a degree in media computer science, traveled the world, and gained some years of professional experience as a developer. Outside the office, he is into TV series, music, and sports, especially soccer and surfing. At Ulysses, he is surfing, too – the web not ocean waves – and he gets paid for it! Marcus is responsible for the website and all attached installations. He hates celery and can’t sing, but is capable of doing a handstand.
Max shares his first name and a passion for programming with one of the Ulysses co-founders. He even chose the Dresden University of Technology for studying computer science, where the elder Max is an alumnus. After both Maxes met at WWDC 2017, Max the younger joined Ulysses’ development team, first as an intern, now part-timer, eager “to learn from the best”. If he is not studying or working, Max likes to cook, photograph or travel – and program some more.
As a student, Alex preferred DJing rather than studying for exams: He spun indie rock and electronic music as resident in Germany’s second oldest student club. By chance – or was it fortune? – he ended up working in customer support. These days he manages Ulysses’ support team. Alex is a jack-of-all-trades, interested in anything and everything from photography to 3D printing to psychology and politics. When time allows, he likes to practice Foosball in the company’s meeting room (He’s already pretty good).
Lisa was born in the German city of Mainz – just like Johannes Gutenberg who introduced movable type printing to Europe. As a little kid, Lisa was intent on becoming the first female German Chancellor. Because Angela Merkel beat her to it, Lisa changed her plans and studied media management. She has worked, among other places, at an innovation consultancy, an online shop for wine and a familiar search engine provider. At Ulysses, she helps users to write not only distraction- but also problem-free.
Antje spent her childhood in a small German village, but always wanted to venture out into the big, wide world. As an adult, she spent six years in Japan. An industrial clerk by trade, Antje has worked, among other things, as a translator for video games and a purchaser of costumes and party products; with Ulysses, she’s a member of the support team. Together with her family and a greedy Golden Retriever, Antje lives in Leipzig – and is still longing for the far away.
Andrea has a passion for learning new things which has helped her achieve three master’s degrees. She has worked as a German teacher (in Egypt and the Netherlands, among others) and copywriter. Now, with Ulysses, she enjoys the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of software and computers, alongside the friendly colleagues in the team. Andrea is interested in a sustainable lifestyle, makes her own yoghurt and soymilk. Pets: One dog, two cats and around 2000 compost worms.
Lucas is a student of media computer science aiming to become a professional developer; he joined the Ulysses team to gather programming experience. He’s also an amateur boxer, so you’d better not mess with him! When he’s not studying, programming or boxing, Lucas enjoys sports and cooking – his French onion soup is legendary. He also loves being creative, for example, by turning his everyday life into little comic strips.
As a child, Davron dreamed of becoming an archeologist – after watching “The Mummy” he had first doubts; after the sequel, he decided he’d better keep his options open. Originally from the Uzbek capital Tashkent, Davron earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from one of Russia’s oldest (and snobbiest) universities. Right now, he’s pursuing his MBA in Leipzig. At Ulysses, Davron helps Russian writers discover the app. There’s just too many of them who don’t know what they’re missing.
After having spent a couple of years abroad in Australia, Indonesia and the UK working as a product manager in different startups, Franz returned to Leipzig, his hometown. Ulysses attracted him with its unique setup: self-funded, small headcount, established product. As an added bonus of his return, Franz can once again enjoy his grandma’s cooking. He has a degree in business and economics, is a long-distance runner and film buff.