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 never stopped. After graduating (with distinction) in computer science, he decided against a career in academia. Instead, he took the development of Ulysses full-time, together with his partner Marcus. Today he is enjoying the many upsides (he’s involved in almost everything) and accepting the little downsides (he’s involved in almost everything) of pulling the strings of a company.
In 2002, when 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 work until today – with the only difference that there are 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. As a little boy, he wanted to be a tool-and-die maker. Luckily enough, he inherited his older brother’s C64 at the age of 6 and discovered a passion for coding. To date, Friedrich loves to delve into complex programming problems, and take his time to find not just any solution, but the perfect solution.
Götz is the third gang member from the University of Dresden. During his studies of computer science, he took over occasional jobs for Max and Marcus, but also gained comprehensive professional experience as ice-cream maestro, supermarket cashier and adventure course instructor. Besides being involved in Ulysses’ development, he sometimes provides support... for Ulysses’ customer support team: If they’re at a loss, Götz usually still has an ace up his sleeve.
As Ulysses’ communication allrounder, Rebekka can rely on professional experience in PR for 1 festival for radio plays, 1 major e-commerce platform, 1 university and 2 research institutes, as well as a Master’s degree in Communications and Sociology. Rebekka loves literature and yoga, and truly enjoys to make sense of things by writing about them. She maintains a close albeit unilateral relationship with the office’s coffee machine.
If based on age, Lea would be the baby of the team. As a struggling student of humanities – Lea is aspiring a double degree in English and Communications –, she was in need of money when she joined the team. Helping Ulysses users from all over the world not only fills Lea’s purse, but also brushes up her karma: “Anything you do will get back to you by some means or others”, she says. Lea plays the drums, and is a lover of languages, books and plants.
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 has come true! After having finished university, Florian searched for a small company with a friendly atmosphere where he could work for Apple platforms – and found Ulysses. Coder by heart, he enjoys solving problems; emerging hurdles don’t hold him off.
Chinese users, not a minor portion in 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 three 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 years of working for web agencies, the demands of ever-changing customers refined his skills — now he makes use of them for shaping Ulysses’ visual appearance. Philip believes in the power of empathy for problem solving and the harmonious coexistence of men. He is an occasional bowman and, at all times, a car lover. And he composes music and plays guitar in a band.
Before Marcus joined the team, he completed a degree in media informatics, 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. With Ulysses, he is surfing, too, but the web – and getting 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 Max senior is an alumnus. After both Maxes met at WWDC 2017, the younger joined Ulysses’ development team, first as an intern, now in part-time, eager “to learn from the best”. If he is not studying or working, Max likes to cook, bake or travel – and to program some more.
As a student, Alex preferred to DJ over learning for exams: indie rock and electronic music, as resident in Germany’s second oldest student club. By chance – or was it fortune? – he started working in customer support; today 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 table soccer in the company’s meeting room (and is 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. As Angela Merkel beat her to it, Lisa changed plans and began her studies in media management which she’ll soon have finished. In the Ulysses support team, she helps users to write not only distraction- but also problem-free.
Antje spent her childhood in a small German village and always wanted to go out into the big, wide world. As an adult, she spent six years in Japan. An industrial clerk by trade, Antje worked, among other things, as a translator for video games and a purchaser of carnival products; with Ulysses, she’s a member of the support team. Together with her family and a greedy Golden Retriever, Antje is living in Leipzig – and still longing for the far away.