Frank Thelen

Frank Thelen (born October 10, 1975) is a German businessman, investor and author based in Bonn, Germany.

Frank Thelen
Thelen in 2020
Born (1975-10-10) October 10, 1975
Bonn, Germany
NationalityGerman
OccupationInvestor, businessman, author
TelevisionHöhle der Löwen
Websitefrank.io

He was a co-founder of companies such as ip.labs and doo. As of 2014, he is the CEO of venture capital firm e42,[1][2] now Freigeist Capital[3], which has invested in startups such as Wunderlist[4], MyTaxi[5], KaufDa, pitch,[6], Lilium GmbH and Hardt Hyperloop.

Thelen consults the Microsoft Ventures accelerator in Berlin,[7][8] and he also supports startups in German politics[9]. Together with the German State Minister for Digitization, Dorothee Bär, he is a leading member of the German Innovation Council.[10]

Career

In 2012, Thelen spoke at the f.ounders Conference in New York and was given the “Innovate by Society” Award by Microsoft handed out by German Chancellar Angela Merkel that same year for his startup doo[11]

Thelen supports startups in German politics.[12]

In 2014 he joined the German version of the TV show "Dragons' Den" (Shark tank), called "Die Höhle der Löwen" as investor. "Die Höhle der Löwen" is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them.[11]

He is also a regular guest in German talk shows like 'Hart aber fair'.[13]

In 2018 his autobiography "Frank Thelen - Die Autobiografie: Startup-DNA - Hinfallen, aufstehen, die Welt verändern" was published[14] and has been a bestseller for several weeks[15]. He is convinced that "The next decade will be the biggest challenge in humankind’s history."[16] Also he is fighting for a strong European economy.[17]

References
  1. "German startup Doo rebuffed acquisition interest from Dropbox". Tech.eu. April 3, 2014.
  2. "Freigeist". Gründerszene.
  3. "e42: Frank Thelens Beteiligungsfirma wird zu Freigeist Capital". August 21, 2017.
  4. "15 steps to launch your own startup in Europe - Part 5". December 19, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013.
  5. Weis, Christian. "Bonner Investor lag mit myTaxi goldrichtig". www.business-on.de.
  6. "Frank Thelen". CB Insights.
  7. "Microsoft Ventures partners with HTGF and Seedcamp – and eyes first deals in Berlin". VentureVillage. Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
  8. "Wie Microsoft aus Gründern erfolgreiche Unternehmer macht". Morgenpost.
  9. "Live From Berlin — German Chancellor Angela Merkel Shines Spotlight On Tech Startups". TechCrunch.
  10. "Innovation Council konstituiert sich im Bundeskanzleramt". Startseite (in German). Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  11. "CEO Frank Thelen benennt e42 in Freigeist um". kress.
  12. "Innovation Council konstituiert sich im Bundeskanzleramt". Startseite.
  13. "Frank Thelen". www1.wdr.de (in German). 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  14. "Frank Thelen Startup-DNA". Murmann Publishers GmbH | Shop. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  15. "buchreport". buchreport (in German). Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  16. "On a mission: The man who would save Germany's future tech". www.handelsblatt.com. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  17. "Investor and Entrepreneur Frank Thelen: It needs courage and constistency to build up European global players". www.handelsblatt.com (in German). Retrieved 2019-04-28.
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