Bootstrapping a global deep-tech company — without VC money
Why the pitch decks never worked, and what we did instead.
The book
The Honorable Entrepreneur
Become successful without selling your soul. A playbook for building a company on your own terms — part memoir, part manifesto.
A real founder story
Part memoir, part manifesto — the unpolished story of building something extraordinary from an idea between two scientists, without investors and without an exit.
Along the way, I share what I learned about leadership, resilience and principled growth — shaped as much by hard moments, like cancer in my family, as by the things that keep me grounded: Star Wars quotes, a quiet love of Star Trek, Metallica’s „Enter Sandman“, and long walks along Munich’s Isar.
Available in two editions: The Honorable Entrepreneur in English, and Ein ehrbarer Entrepreneur in German (Herder, hardcover, 24 euros).
Why this book
Four decisions that shaped the book, before the book existed.
Turning down an acquisition offer worth hundreds of millions
The number was large enough to change a life. That was the problem.
Surviving the „Swiss disaster“
What a near-death moment for the company actually taught us.
The code of honour
Seven rules for growing fast without losing your principles.
About the author
2008
Co-founded NanoTemper Technologies — still 100% founder-owned
25+
Peer-reviewed publications, including Nature Communications and PNAS
13
U.S. patents
Top 40
Capital „Top 40 under 40“, plus the German Innovation Prize and German Founders Award
Also: Senator h.c. of the Bundeswirtschaftssenat, mentor to deep-tech founders, and — if the book is to be believed — still working on my Star Wars trivia.
Early praise
Read by founders, investors and researchers before launch.
When biotech founder Philipp Baaske walked away from a massive acquisition offer, it wasn’t out of fear — it was out of principle. The Honorable Entrepreneur is his call to a new kind of business leader: one who scales boldly, leads ethically, and puts people before spreadsheets.
Ali Aslan GümüşayProfessor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, LMU München
I’ve founded Labiotech and now bootstrap Flot.bio — so books about ‘honourable entrepreneurship’ usually trigger my skeptic radar. Philipp’s story killed that in two pages. The playbook for building a world-class biotech business without mortgaging your values — or your cap table. Read it before you sign your first term sheet.
Philip HemmeFounder, Labiotech & Flot.bio
Reading The Honorable Entrepreneur felt like having Philipp at my side again — only this time with every hard-won lesson in one place. If you’re building something that matters, keep this book within arm’s reach.
Kathrin BrenkerFounder & CEO, Opto Biolabs
Reading „Honorable Entrepreneur“ felt incredibly genuine. Philipp tells his impressive but intricate success story in a refreshing, authentic style — candid about the tough lessons of building NanoTemper from a university spin-off into a global hidden champion. A true inspiration for any innovator in biotech and beyond.
Christian GnamManaging Director, IZB
I have a new favorite book — one I’d love to keep under my pillow. The Honorable Entrepreneur is a book made for sharing: an exciting blend of biography, workbook and manifesto that invites active participation. Philipp authentically retraces his journey — the highs and the lows, the lessons learned. A clear reading recommendation for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, or already living it and ready to take it to the next level.
Beatrix FörsterFounder & CEO, Doderm
Clarity about who we are must not be the end. It can be the beginning of a responsibility. Once you find your voice, you start hearing others.
— Philipp Baaske