Thomas Funke
Thomas Funke is a German academic and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, a remote-first institution offering degree programs in sustainability, entrepreneurship, and technology founded in 2020. He is also the co-founder and co-director of TechQuartier, a Frankfurt-based innovation hub recognized as part of Germany's national FinTech initiative founded in 2016.[1]
Career
In 2020, Thomas Funke co-founded Tomorrow's Education (now Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences), a Berlin-based edtech startup launched with former N26 CTO, Christian Rebernik. The institution offers online degree programs focused on sustainability, entrepreneurship, and technology. Its first program was developed in partnership with WU Vienna.[2][3] In 2024, Tomorrow University was ranked first in Germany and 25th worldwide in the Leadership category by the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI).[4]
Since 2016, Funke has also been co-founder and director of TechQuartier, a Frankfurt-based startup hub and innovation hub designated as one of Germany's official FinTech hubs by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. At TechQuartier, he helped foster collaboration between startups, corporates, and research institutions.[5][verification needed]
Earlier in his career, in 2008, Funke founded the Entrepreneurship Center Network, a collaboration among six universities aimed at supporting student-led startups.[6]
Since 2014, Funke has held academic roles as a lecturer at institutions including Goethe University Frankfurt and WU Vienna. He is also on the advisory board of the Eintracht Frankfurt football club since 2020.[7]
Publications
In 2018, Funke co-authored an article comparing business model development to soccer strategy, he emphasized the importance of adaptability, structured planning, and collaboration. Through this analogy, Funke highlighted that developing business models requires coordination similar to that of a well-organized football team.[8][9]
In 2019, Funke co-led the study “Scale-ups in Europe: An Untapped Potential” with Goethe University and the Yi Shi Foundation. The study found that only 4% of start-ups become scale-ups, attributing this to limited market access, lack of supranational funding, and rigid internal structures. The study called for EU-wide structural reforms and a cultural shift toward embracing entrepreneurial risk and failure.[10]
References
- ↑ "Interview with Dr. Thomas Funke by PM in SET Learner Eilecia Bovard | Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences". www.tomorrow.university. Archived from the original on 25 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-18. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "ROOMHERO - Arbeitswelt 4.0 - Wie sieht die Zukunft der Arbeit aus? Ein interview mit Thomas Funke". www.roomhero.de (in Deutsch). Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "FinTech Innovators Bring Expertise to Revolutionize EdTech and Rethink Learning / N26 former CTO Christian Rebernik & startup innovator Dr. Thomas Funke join forces to build Tomorrow's Education". presseportal.de. 2021-01-19. Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI)" (PDF). The Institute for Policy and Strategy on National Competitiveness (IPSNC). June 2024. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
- ↑ Cybersicherheit, Profilthema (2018-10-26). "Interaktiver Workshop für junge GründerInnen bei CYSEC - mit Dr. Thomas Funke von TechQuartier Frankfurt". Profilthema Cybersicherheit – TU Darmstadt (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2025-06-21.
- ↑ "Interdisziplinäre Plattform fördert Entrepreneurship in der Frühphase". www.tuwien.at (in Deutsch). 2013-05-14. Archived from the original on 25 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-23. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Digitalisierung Profisport: Wie Eintracht Frankfurt der digitalste Bundesligist werden will". etailment.de (in Deutsch). Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "What scoring goals in soccer and designing business models have in common". executiveacademy.at. 8 May 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ press, Profitiraj hr (2018-06-07). "Što je zajedničko zabijanju golova u nogometu i osmišljavanju uspješnih poslovnih modela?". Profitiraj.hr (in hrvatski). Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Frank, Dr Dirk (2019-04-30). "Wie wird aus einem Start-up ein Scale-up?". Aktuelles aus der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (in Deutsch). Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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