Frank Thelen (GER)

During his study at the Fraunhofer University, Frank started his first company Softer Solutions. This enterprise created an innovative Multi-Media framework that enabled companies like AGFA and 1&1 to distribute interactive information via CD-ROM.

As the Internet became mainstream, Frank developed a Linux based communicationserver and received his first 7-digit venture capital funding.

After launching bilder.de and hallo.de as one of the first big community sites in Europe, he developed the APL MVC Framework for PHP long before Ruby on Rails. His continuous passion for the latest Software-Technologies is documented in a case study of Microsoft for the .net platform and in several innovative open-source projects.

In 2003 Frank founded ip.labs and led it as the CEO from a startup to an established worldwide market leader in digital photo service software with 300M+ consumers using his IPS platform.

As managing partner of e42 Frank enjoys working with dedicated, visionary founders to create innovative products and business models. e42 provides money and brain to companies like 6Wunderkinder, kaufDA, myTaxi and doo.