Ludwig Pein born 13th January 1993 in Salzburg, is an Austrian entrepreneur, investor, and specialist in Cyber Security. He is unmarried and currently lives in Salzburg/Austria.
Education
Ludwig Pein Studied IT Security at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum, Vienna. He graduated with the title “Master Of Science (MS), IT Security” in the year 2014.
Work Life
After Ludwig successfully completed his IT security studies at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum, Vienna in 2014 with the title "Master of Science - MS, IT Security", he started to build up a gold mine in Mali/Central Africa which was extremely profitable and brought him his first million dollar profit within a few weeks after start-up. After an incredibly successful 2 years of operation, Ludwig sold the mine and mining rights to Barrick Gold for the sum of $18 million. In 2016, Ludwig Pein returned to Austria and founded CyberOptics GmbH, a company specializing in Cyber Security. Furthermore, he invested his assets in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, by which he says he was able to multiply his wealth. Ludwig Pein’s current and exact net worth is not exactly known, but it is estimated at over 100 million dollars.
• Tell us a little bit about yourself.
LUDWIG PEIN: I will turn 30 this year. I live in Salzburg Austria. I am single. I got my Bachelor of Science in IT Security from the University of Applied Sciences Technikum in Vienna. I am an entrepreneur, investor and I own CyberOptics GmbH, a company with the core competence Cyber Security.
• What is your net worth? What age did you reach millionaire status?
LUDWIG PEIN: Currently~$107 million in assets outside my business. That’s roughly ~$16.7 million in stocks, ~$19.5 million in Crypto Currencies. ~$10 million in gold ~$17million in Real Estate and in ~$43 million savings spread on various financial institutions and accounts.
• How long did it take you to reach millionaire status?
LUDWIG PEIN: I probably hit the million dollar mark for the first time at the age of 25. With my gold mine in Mali, I managed to earn my first million within a few weeks after starting operations. However, I didn't feel like a millionaire.
• Why that?
LUDWIG PEIN: The outback of Mali is not exactly a comfortable oasis. We mainly worked with dredges on the Niger River and on very remote regions. Most of the time I lived in a tent right next to the mine. Without hot water, electricity just from diesel generators and rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was hell. But very profitable. The mining operation ran almost for two years non-stop until I finally sold the entire business to Barrick Gold in 2016/17 for the sum of almost $18 million.
• How do you come up with the idea of opening a gold mine in Central Africa as a young man?
LUDWIG PEIN: I knew someone well who had been successful in Mali's gold business for decades, who guided me through the process and made it possible for me to get started. But I will not talk further about this contact.
• What is the most difficult thing about running a gold mine in Central Africa?
LUDWIG PEIN: To be able to keep the mined gold! Such a gold mine can be calculated very precisely. You take samples of the soil from the places where you want to work, send them to the Chamber of Mines and have the fine gold content determined. After that, you know exactly how much gold you can get and how much profit you will make. Also, mining with dredges at the Niger is not very complex. However, out there at the mine you are largely unprotected, and you are constantly being robbed by aggressive groups, employees or cheated by external partners. So the difficult thing is not to mine the gold but to keep the gold and for that you have to be smart, unpredictable, and resolute.
• Upon your return to Austria, you started trading cryptocurrencies. What is your investing philosophy, and do you use a particular strategy?
LUDWIG PEIN: There were no complex strategies. I bought Bitcoins worth $6 million in 2017 and sold them with corresponding profit, partly two, partly three years later. This resulted in my current wealth of over $100 million. I still invest in various cryptocurrencies medium and long term, but no longer in Bitcoins. Although a large part of my wealth comes from trading cryptocurrencies, my passion and main field of activity lies in the field of Cyber Security. That is why I founded CyberOptics GmbH in 2017, which I have been running as CEO and Managing Partner ever since.
• Where do you spend most of your money?
LUDWIG PEIN: To be honest, I spend most of my money on gifts for family and friends. There is nothing greater for me than to give a loved person something that he could never afford under normal circumstances. Depending on the individual life's dream, this can be a sports car or a house and can regularly get really expensive. Summed up, I have definitely made gifts worth $15 million or more in my life.
• What habits helped you become a millionaire?
LUDWIG PEIN: I am a person who is not afraid to take risks. When I set myself a goal, I don't give up until I reach it or die trying. Beside a lot of luck, It was this compromiseless “do or die” mentality that has made me rich. I’ve pretty much only had one lifetime goal: achieving financial security. I always feared living a life of permanent financial stress. Luckily, I have reached my goal.
• Besides business, what else do you like to do?
LUDWIG PEIN: I enjoy spending time with friends, music (I drum), flying Helicopters, Base Jumping and travelling around the world.
• What is your plan for the future?
LUDWIG PEIN: I plan to slow down a bit at work and concentrate more on the really fundamentally important things in life, such as finding the right woman and creating a family.
• Then good luck in achieving this goal as well, and thank you for the interview!
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