A native of Vienna, Austria, Marius Fortelni attended the American International School and spent his childhood immersed in cosmopolitan Europe. As the child of a well known actor in Germany and a successful real estate executive, Marius Fortelni was exposed to a range of business strategies, culture, and art that he drew upon when he left Vienna to start his own cement and construction company in West Africa as a young man.

After operating a successful company for several years, Marius Fortelni relocated to Saudi Arabia, where he became a subcontractor for the Royal Saudi Commission while guiding a large real estate and construction firm. Operating primarily in the cities of Jubail and Dammam, his company employed more than 130 workers while building over 150 houses for prominent local figures.

After returning to Europe for a time, Marius Fortelni moved to New York City during the 1980s, eventually founding his own real estate development company, Forte Properties, in 2000. Since then, he has been deeply involved with the area’s real estate and homebuilding industries, specializing in designing and building luxury single-family homes in prestigious areas such as the Hamptons. Over the years he has built homes for numerous celebrities and public figures, including Google CEO Eric Schmidt, singer Mariah Carey, and actor Kevin Sorbo.