The TechQuartier Team

We are innovation enthusiasts. International, experienced, and passionate about exploring the New and shaping the frontiers of a humanized digital society.

With our acceleration and open innovation programs, education and consultation, and events and community activities, we are fully committed to develop TechQuartier into a creative, buzzing ecosystem.

Dr. Sebastian Schäfer
Managing Director

Sebastian is a Cambridge-born behavioral economist and innovation enthusiast. As entrepreneur and lecturer, he has been engaged in building a dynamic startup scene in the Metropolitan region for many years. Prior to founding TechQuartier, Sebastian was head of Goethe University’s business incubator and research fellow at the management and microeconomics department. He lectures at Goethe Business School and is associated with the Center for Leadership and Behavior in Organizations and the Frankfurt Laboratory of Experimental Economics at Goethe University.

Dr. Thomas Funke
Co-Director

Dr. Thomas Funke has been involved in the global start-up ecosystem for 15 years now. In addition to setting up a research studio at the WU Vienna, which deals with tools and methods of the startup world, he founded different startups and still lectures at universities. He is especially motivated by seeing how starting a business can release new forces in young people that lead to a strengthened self-efficacy. Thomas Funke is particularly fascinated by training and educating young entrepreneurs. Furthermore, he loves measuring and decoding the different entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Melanie Borst

Program Manager

Hugo Paquin

Marketing Manager

Laura Höpfner

Office Manager

Dominik H. Zborek

Research Coordinator & Community Manager

Jana Hense

Working Student

Makayla DaSilva

Community Management Intern

Alina Kilian

Working Student