Life as a Community Manager

Community Managers are the bridge between a brand and its people. They listen, engage, moderate conversations, and turn individual voices into a connected community. Much of their work happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt every day.

After three years with our team, our Community Manager Julie Grosson is now moving on to a new chapter. Before she goes, she’s taken a moment to look back and share some of her personal highlights from her time with us.

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What was my role and how long was I part of TechQuartier? 

I joined TechQuartier in January 2023 and spent my first two years as Startup Community Manager, before moving into the role of Ecosystem & Startup Community Manager last year. 

If I had to describe my role in one sentence, I’d say I was a bit of a Swiss army knife. I worked closely with startups, corporates, public institutions, as well as national and European innovation hubs on a wide variety of projects – always with the same goal: growing our community and ecosystem and positioning TechQuartier as the place to meet the right people. 

I was the first point of contact for startups interested in joining TQ. I reviewed pitch decks, explored how we could support them through our programs, events, and network, and onboarded the best fits into our community – which has now grown to more than 750 members (can you believe it?). 

I also designed and built support programs such as our Fundraising Readiness Program, aimed at helping early-stage startups understand how to successfully kick off their fundraising journey. In parallel, I scouted top startup batches for our Digital Finance Accelerator, a 7-week acceleration program for some of the most promising fintechs in Europe. 

My role also included PR and representation tasks: attending conferences, speaking at events, and representing TechQuartier externally. I was also trusted with managing our ecosystem mandate, regularly exchanging with the Hessian Ministry and reporting on our activities. 

From scouting projects for partners to organizing community events like our one-and-only Äppler Time, I truly got to do a bit of everything – and no two days ever looked the same. 

My professional and personal development at TechQuartier 

Over the past three years, I’ve grown tremendously – both professionally and personally. As a Frenchie in Frankfurt, I built an incredibly strong network of inspiring startups and ecosystem partners. I was also given a lot of trust early on, including responsibility for large institutional projects such as the ecosystem mandate of the Hessian Ministry. 

The diversity of projects pushed me far outside my comfort zone: talking to strangers, going on stage, moderating panels and workshops, and continuously learning more about the startup world. 

One thing is certain: working with startups is never boring. I have so much respect for everyone out there building their dream company. 

I learned to trust myself and my abilities, even though I didn’t originally come from Frankfurt. TechQuartier – and the wider ecosystem – welcomed me with open arms, and I will always be grateful for that trust. 

What were my top highlights? 

Hard to choose! 

One major highlight was definitely helping to build the Digital Finance Accelerator and scouting incredible startups for our batches. Convincing international startups to join us and introducing them to Frankfurt and its ecosystem was – I have to admit – pretty cool. 

Another highlight was organizing the first female founder edition of our Fundraising Readiness Program. Working exclusively with women for a few weeks, creating a safe and empowering space, connecting them with female investors, and organizing a networking event to showcase their solutions was an incredibly meaningful experience. 

One last highlight I have to mention is my work to make TechQuartier more visible internationally – especially in France, my home country. I had the chance to attend the amazing VivaTech conference in Paris, welcome several French delegations over the years, gain the trust of French startups who joined our community, and most recently become a member of La Tech Frankfurt, which will officially become La French Tech Frankfurt in 2026. A great step towards building even stronger bridges between the French and German tech ecosystems. 

Which people and startups did I meet? 

So. Many. 😄 
Without a doubt, the best part of the job was the people. I met hundreds of startups over the years – all inspiring, ambitious, and genuinely great humans. 

Just to name a few: 

• PaceUpInvest

• Celestical

• Qemie

• Tapline

• Synapze

• Penomo

• LinguaCustodia

• RegSearchAI

• Lemonway

• Circonomit

• … and so many more 💛 

I also met amazing ecosystem builders from all over Germany and beyond, all working tirelessly to make Europe a great place for innovation. 

Goodbye 

I don’t really like goodbyes, so I’ll keep it simple: Merci pour tout. 

Thank you to my TQ team, thank you to my favorite startups, and thank you to everyone who trusted me over the past three years. I’m incredibly grateful and excited about the projects ahead.