Interview with David Hirlav | Scaling to €100M & The Future of AI
- LA Today
- Jan 9
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
David Hirlav is a U.S.-born, German-raised entrepreneur who has bootstrapped multiple international companies to over €100 million in revenue across the logistics, wholesale, and e-commerce sectors. By combining American innovation with European discipline and Asian supply-chain expertise, he focuses on hands-on leadership and sustainable, profitable growth without outside funding.
8 QUESTIONS
WITH DAVID HIRLAV
TECH, AI, SCIENCE ENTREPRENEUR
1. Thank you for your time today, David! Can you tell us about the moment that you decided to become a founder?
After completing my studies of Economics, I received offers from several renowned audit and advisory firms. I quickly realized that working for someone else would never allow me to achieve my goals, whether financial or broader life ambitions.
I believe the purpose of life is to advance humanity, and I always had so many important ideas I want to put into practice. Even starting in management positions, I'd ultimately be at the favor of somebody else for reaching my goals and the direction that I can lead the development of the company.
2. How did growing up between the U.S. and Germany shape your mindset?
At first glance, Germany and the United States may appear quite similar. However, when examined more closely, they could hardly be more different. Germany functions as a safe haven for a stable, mediocre, and good life for non-entrepreneurs, providing healthcare, education, and all other necessities in high quality for the broad mass of people. This is respectable, but the whole system is not conducive to entrepreneurship or company building.
By contrast, the United States mindset, one that has always been ingrained in me, has been a constant presence throughout my life and separated me quickly and distinctly from the majority of people and founders in Germany.
It is the belief that the sky is the limit and that through hard work, daily commitment to one’s vision, and unwavering belief, it is always possible to reach one’s goals. American companies reliably and regularly bring new technologies and inventions to humanity that extend the boundaries of what is possible.
3. You generated over €100M in revenue from 2022–2024; what was the number-one decision that drove that growth?
You must always be creative and continuously find new ways to expand your business. We started in wholesale and eventually realized that our customers abroad were consistently hiring logistics companies to transport the goods they acquired from us. As a result, we established and integrated our own logistics company, offering air, sea, and land freight services.
Later, we recognized the rapid growth of the e-commerce market and entered the retail space. Step by step, we added additional services to our portfolio. In the end, this resulted in a broad organizational structure with multiple companies and divisions, ranging from large account management and retail to marketing, fulfillment, global logistics, warehousing, dangerous goods handling, customs clearance, and multilingual customer support.
4. Now that you’re focused on AI and tech with Tiger Nation, what problem are you trying to solve?
I want to reignite scientific research as a whole. We live in a time in which research is fragmented across far too many different projects. Without focus, humanity cannot continue to evolve.
As a society, we have been stagnating for decades. The last truly major achievement was the invention of the internet almost thirty years ago.
5. How are you personally using AI today, and what excites you most about it?
I primarily use artificial intelligence in my work, whether for setting up customer support systems or providing guidance to employees. AI is extremely helpful, but it is still at a very early stage.
A further issue is that many employees no longer think independently due to the increasing level of automation and convenience. In Germany, for example, there are very few young adults left who have a decent command of grammar. Twenty years ago, this was very different.
6. Where do you see yourself and your companies 10 years from now?
We want to make a real impact on the world, and above all, I want to give something back to the United States. It is the greatest country in the world because it gives talented people the opportunity to prove what they are capable of. It is the only country where it is truly possible to achieve all of one’s goals through hard work.
We aim to contribute to a significant improvement of the American economy and to help people live better lives. If we can play a meaningful role in this, and if people recognize me on the street in ten years, then one of my major goals for the next decade will have been achieved.
7. If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting a business today, what would it be?
There is a widespread misconception that you need a groundbreaking idea to build a successful company. That is not true. You do not need an idea. You need to define a goal, believe in it, and commit to it.
Start while you still can and while there is fire in your eyes, because if you never let that fire roam and you don’t feed it, then one day it fades and you become empty inside.
Also, it must be your passion and you must truly love what you’re doing. Without this passion, you will not get far.
8. Finally, what’s your favorite place to visit in Los Angeles?
Unfortunately, I am not in Los Angeles very often at the moment, as my work currently requires frequent travel throughout the country. When I am in Los Angeles, I very much enjoy Beverly Hills. It has a distinctly European atmosphere combined with an American lifestyle and a community of very business-driven and approachable people.
CONNECT WITH DAVID HIRLAV
WEBSITE
