Entrepreneurial spirit

I have started several things of my own: a community, an information portal and a database company. The database company was venture-funded, and I later sold my shares in it. This page says what I did myself in each of them, newest first.

A community for innovation in finance, since January 2025

In 2022 I started a series of events on blockchain and decentralized finance together with three colleagues from Frankfurt. Hundreds of people came regularly. Professionals from banking, blockchain and regulation were trying to find each other, and occasional meetups were too little for that.

To give these people a permanent place to meet, I co-founded Finance Loop and launched it in January 2025. The community connects traditional finance, blockchains and regulatory stakeholders. Its topics are decentralized finance, custody, tokenization, market data, oracles, exchanges and stablecoins. The community has more than 4,000 members today. Over 20 events have taken place since its inception. The Claude Hacker House workshops, where I have taught since June 2026, are announced on the Finance Loop site.

An information portal on construction projects, 2017 to 2024

I created the portal SKYLINE ATLAS in 2017 to cover Frankfurt’s skyline and its construction projects. I planned and launched it and wrote numerous articles for it, on real estate, data centers and the housing market. I interviewed decision-makers from the real estate industry and from politics. I also did the press work and set up the social media channels.

Since summer 2021 another person has taken care of the expansion of the portal. I stayed editor in chief until January 2024. By 2024 the portal reached more than one million readers a year.

A global real estate database, 2004 to 2010

I founded the company Emporis in 2004 as an information provider on major construction projects. In the first years I was responsible for product management, and I programmed the websites and the databases myself. I wrote the business plan and the financial plans, and I pitched to investors and partners. KfW and the venture capital investor Neuhaus Partners then invested several million euros.

As managing director I handled technical and contractual matters. As IT manager and innovation officer I coordinated the building of the web products. My roles over the six years were developer, managing director and chief technology officer. I also conceived an award for skyscrapers and ran it in cities around the world, where I handed trophies to people who had been involved in the construction of tall buildings.

In 2010 I sold my shares in the company. The company later became part of a Nasdaq-listed group.

A media agency, 1997

I founded Starconcept in 1997 and ran it as head of the agency. It built websites, print projects and applications on CD-ROM for a wide range of customers, and some of the projects had nothing to do with the internet. The agency designed and ran exhibitions, produced books and print publications, and did media services for companies. Annual reports and multimedia presentations were part of the work.

What came with the projects

Founding also meant business plans, investor pitches and contracts.