Michael Hirt is the owner of the consultancy HIRT&FRIENDS based in Vienna, which advises leading growth companies and startups. He is a lecturer at the PEF Private University for  Management, and the Danube University Krems. Hirt is a former investment banker (HSBC Investment Bank) and project manager at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He holds a Doctorate in Legal Sciences from the University of Vienna, and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD (Fontainebleau), where he specialized in entrepreneurship and leadership.