Marko Verdev

Background

About Marko Verdev

I’m not here to fit in. I’m here to break the mold—with honesty, with heart, and with a little chaos. I lead MIKRO+POLO, Slovenia’s most progressive lab equipment company. I founded LAB INTERIOR GmbH, creating furniture for scientists across Europe. But my real mission? Redesigning leadership—from the inside out. I’ve burned out. I’ve battled drug addiction, anxiety, and the shame of being different. I’ve stood in boardrooms pretending everything was fine, when nothing was. Then I stopped pretending. I came out—as gay, as HIV positive, as a man who’s fallen and risen too many times to count. I took the stage at TEDxLjubljana in 2024 and told the truth: “Accept everything you are – and become free.” Since then, I’ve: – Written “Govorim”, a raw book about identity, fear, freedom. – Launched MEN-THOR, a mentorship program for founders with fire in their chest. – Created MEN-TAL, Slovenia’s first business conference on mental health, because even CEOs cry in silence. In my companies, we’ve abolished time clocks. Introduced unlimited paid leave. Allowed kids, pets, laughter—and vulnerability—into the office. Why? Because work should never come at the cost of your soul. I don’t lead with KPIs. I lead with questions: Are you happy? Are you safe here? Are you becoming more yourself—or less? I believe in flawed leadership. In unfiltered conversations. In building systems where people stop surviving and start living. I’m not for everyone. But if you’re building a world where people matter more than masks— We should talk. Because this isn’t just my story. It’s the one so many are still afraid to tell. Let’s connect. And let’s make leadership human again.