Co-founder of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences – expert in entrepreneurship, innovation and learning models

Prof. Dr. Thomas Funke is co-founder of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences and an expert in entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainable learning models and leadership in transformation processes.

He combines over 20 years of experience in academia, start-up ecosystems and corporate practice. His career began at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna), where he researched and taught in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. Early on, he asked himself a key question:

How can ideas be turned into viable business models with a real impact?

After several years in academia, Dr. Funke made a conscious decision to move into business practice. He founded and built up several companies, including TechQuartier in Frankfurt, a central hub in Germany for innovation between start-ups, corporations and academia. There, he demonstrated how innovation culture can be shaped in practice beyond theory.

Thomas Funke Lecture topics

  • The learning organisation: Why learning is becoming a strategic survival issue.
  • Entrepreneurship as an attitude: Why all employees need entrepreneurial thinking today.
  • Leading in uncertainty: Leadership between AI, complexity and change.
  • Future skills: What organisations need to build now.

Other key topics:

  • Entrepreneurship and innovation in established organisations
  • Learning organisations and the future of learning
  • Leadership in the age of AI and transformation
  • Corporate culture and change management
  • Future skills and organisational learning ability
  • Technology, responsibility and business ethics in the age of AI

As co-founder of Tomorrow University, Thomas Funke is responsible for developing innovative educational formats and new learning models for 21st century skills. His focus is on learning organisations, new leadership approaches, entrepreneurial thinking and the question of how companies can ensure their employees remain capable of acting in the age of AI. In his lectures, he combines scientific foundations with a clear practical orientation.

Target groups for his lectures:

  • Executive boards, management boards and top management
  • HR, learning & development, corporate learning
  • Innovation and transformation teams
  • SMEs, corporations, associations and banks
  • Universities and educational institutions

In his keynotes, Thomas Funke shows how companies can build a sustainable culture of innovation, how leadership needs to be rethought, and what role learning, mindset and entrepreneurial action play in successful transformation.