I’m an entrepreneur at heart, passionate about building communities, teams, systems, and companies that scale — without the burnout, fluff, or guesswork.

As the Co-Founder of PORTFOLIO PLAY, I run a modern venture studio for high-agency individuals who want to build profitable B2B businesses. We help ambitious professionals become high-leverage operators — turning entrepreneurial drive into durable companies. You bring grit. We bring the infrastructure, execution support, and proven playbooks.

One of our ventures is ATLAS ANALYTICS, a B2B growth agency that builds multi-channel outbound engines for sales teams. We help clients go beyond volume — combining data, automation, and human touch to deliver qualified sales opportunities and repeatable pipeline growth.

Since 2018, I’ve been active in the European startup scene, including leading the Berlin chapter of Startup Grind, the world’s largest entrepreneur community. Over the years, I’ve built a strong network across Europe and Southeast Asia, connecting founders, operators, and investors to build across borders.

Now based in Southeast Asia, I’m focused on helping the next wave of location-independent entrepreneurs build meaningful ventures.

Before launching startups, I worked in venture capital and investment banking across Frankfurt, London, Barcelona, and New York.

Outside of work, I’m a lifelong competitor and adventurer — whether it’s basketball, trail running, or sailing, I’m always chasing flow.

You probably think you don’t work in sales.

But if you’ve ever:
• asked for a raise
• pitched an idea in a meeting
• influenced a decision
ensure support from a colleague or client
…you’ve been selling.

Not in a “buy this” way... in a value, trust, clarity way.

Sales doesn’t start with persuasion.

It starts with understanding the problem and making the next step feel safe.

This week’s Deep Dive breaks down why sales is really a life skill... and why learning to do it well pays off far beyond revenue or quotas.

Worth a read if you want to communicate more clearly, influence without pushing, and build trust faster. 💡

Mareike (Mary) Popp

Entrepreneur & Community Builder | Helping B2B Companies Grow 🚀 #LiveWorkPlayAnywhere

View newsletter: Your Weekly Dose of Sales

A quick thought experiment. Think about the last time you: shared your résumé asked for a raise pitched an idea in a meeting tried to get buy-in from 

Open article: You’re Always Selling (Even If You Don’t Work in Sales) by Mareike (Mary) Popp • 3 min read

You’re Always Selling (Even If You Don’t Work in Sales)

Most B2B buyers don’t ignore you because you’re wrong.

They ignore you because you sound like everyone else.

Facts. Features. Confident claims.
All correct. All forgettable.

Great sales storytelling isn’t about hyping outcomes.
It’s about guiding buyers through a journey they already recognize... the doubts, the trade-offs, the messy middle.

This week’s Deep Dive breaks down:
- why most “sales stories” fail
- what buyer-first storytelling actually looks like
- and how to build trust before the first call

If your outreach feels solid but still gets ignored, this one’s for you. 👇

An entrepreneur and creative person by heart with a passion for new trends and technology that disrupt the way we live, work and play in the world. Mary is the Co-Founder & CEO of ATLAS ANALYTICS where she works with innovative companies & ambitious teams that want to grow to the next level.

Mary loves building strong & long-lasting relationships and brings entrepreneurs, investors and professionals in Southeast Asia and Europe together to learn from each other, collaborate and build cross-border bridges. Since 2018, she has been an active member of the European startup ecosystem where she ran the Berlin Chapter of Startup Grind, the largest startup community actively educating, inspiring, and connecting entrepreneurs worldwide. Nowadays, Mary spends most of her time in Southeast Asia, deep-diving into the different dynamic growth regions. She also recently launched the SGx Phuket chapter to bring together the emerging startup scene of location-independent entrepreneurs.

Before making the jump to the startup space, Mary worked as an Investment Analyst at a venture capital firm in Berlin. Her career began in the banking & finance world, which led her to live in Frankfurt, London, Barcelona, Istanbul and New York, working in various roles in client advisory, private banking & investor relations at companies like Berenberg Bank, PWC, CR Investment Management and DZ Bank.  

Mary holds a Master's degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and a Bachelor in International Management from FOM University of Applied Sciences. In addition to her professional interests, Mary is an avid traveller, loves nature, trail running and recently got into sailing.

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