Frank Thelen

Frank Thelen (born 10 October 1975) is a German businessman, investor and author based in Bonn.[1] He is best known as a former investor in the TV series Die Höhle der Löwen, the German version of Shark Tank.

Frank Thelen
Thelen in 2020
Born (1975-10-10) 10 October 1975
Bonn, West Germany
Occupation(s)Investor, businessman, author
TelevisionDie Höhle der Löwen
Websitefrank.io

Career

Thelen was a co-founder of companies such as ip.labs and doo. As of 2014, he is the CEO of venture capital firm e42,[2][3] now Freigeist Capital,[4] which has invested in startups such as Wunderlist,[5][6] MyTaxi,[7] KaufDa, pitch,[8] Lilium, Hardt Hyperloop and Endurosat.

Thelen consults the Microsoft Ventures accelerator in Berlin,[9][10] and he also supports startups in German politics.[11] Together with the German State Minister for Digitization, Dorothee Bär, he is a leading member of the German Innovation Council.[12]

In 2012, Thelen spoke at the Founders Conference in New York and was given the "Innovate by Society" Award by Microsoft handed out by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that same year for his startup "doo".[13][14]

Thelen is an advocate of some form of universal basic income (UBI).[15] He supports startups in German politics.[16] Europe is in danger of falling behind in economic competition with the U.S. and China, he said, and to change that, Europe needs to show more commitment and unity.[17]

In 2014, he joined the German version of the TV show Dragons' Den (Shark Tank), called Die Höhle der Löwen, as investor.[18] He is also a regular guest in German talk show Hart aber fair.[19]

In 2018, his autobiography Startup-DNA – Hinfallen, aufstehen, die Welt verändern was published[20] and has been a bestseller for several weeks.[21] He is convinced that "The next decade will be the biggest challenge in humankind's history".[22]

Awards

In 2012, Thelen received the "Innovate 4 Society Award" from Microsoft for the startup "doo". The award was handed over by Angela Merkel.[23]

Publications
  • Die Autobiografie: Startup-DNA – Hinfallen, aufstehen, die Welt verändern. Murmann Publishers. 2018. ISBN 3-86774-611-7.
  • Europa kann es besser: Wie unser Kontinent zu neuer Stärke findet. Ein Weckruf der Wirtschaft. Autorenbeitrag. Publisher: Thomas Sigmund & Sven Afhüppe. Herder, Freiburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-451-39360-0.
  • 10xDNA: Das Mindset der Zukunft. Frank Thelen Media, ISBN 978-3982176406.

Homepage

Twitter Account

References
  1. Kleideiter, Wolfgang. "Gäste beim Charity-Abend in Spendenlaune - Titus Dittmann begeistert". Westfälische Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  2. "German startup Doo rebuffed acquisition interest from Dropbox". Tech.eu. 3 April 2014.
  3. "Freigeist". Gründerszene. 11 January 2022.
  4. "e42: Frank Thelens Beteiligungsfirma wird zu Freigeist Capital". 21 August 2017.
  5. Thelen, Frank (3 June 2015). "Wunderlist". frank.io. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  6. "15 steps to launch your own startup in Europe - Part 5". 19 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013.
  7. Weis, Christian (3 September 2014). "Bonner Investor lag mit myTaxi goldrichtig". business-on.de.
  8. "Frank Thelen". CB Insights.
  9. "Microsoft Ventures partners with HTGF and Seedcamp – and eyes first deals in Berlin". VentureVillage. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  10. "Wie Microsoft aus Gründern erfolgreiche Unternehmer macht". Morgenpost. October 2013.
  11. "Live From Berlin — German Chancellor Angela Merkel Shines Spotlight On Tech Startups". TechCrunch. 7 March 2013.
  12. "Innovation Council konstituiert sich im Bundeskanzleramt". Startseite (in German). 17 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  13. "CEO Frank Thelen benennt e42 in Freigeist um". kress.
  14. Bonn, General-Anzeiger (5 March 2013). "Bonner Software-Firma erhält Innovationspreis: Merkel zeichnet "doo" aus". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  15. Thelen, Frank. "Löwen-Investor Thelen: Das wahre Problem beim Grundeinkommen ist nicht das Geld". FOCUS Online (in German). Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  16. "Innovation Council konstituiert sich im Bundeskanzleramt". Startseite. 17 May 2018.
  17. "Investor and Entrepreneur Frank Thelen: It needs courage and constistency to build up European global players". handelsblatt.com (in German). Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  18. "Drop Ins im Skatepark: Höhle-der-Löwen Frank Thelen Interview "Ich komme halt echt von unten"". Boardstation.de - Skateboard News, Videos und mehr. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  19. "Frank Thelen". www1.wdr.de (in German). 7 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  20. "Frank Thelen Startup-DNA". Murmann Publishers GmbH | Shop. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  21. "buchreport". buchreport (in German). Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  22. "On a mission: The man who would save Germany's future tech". handelsblatt.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  23. Bonn, General-Anzeiger (5 March 2013). "Bonner Software-Firma erhält Innovationspreis: Merkel zeichnet "doo" aus". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). Retrieved 29 January 2021.
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