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Statistics and NewsUniversities Behind Germany’s Billionaires & Start-Up Founders

Universities Behind Germany’s Billionaires & Start-Up Founders

Take a look at the German universities that produced the most billionaires and billion-dollar start-up founders!

There were 132 billionaires in Germany (excluding extended families) in 2024, making it the European country with the highest share of ultra-rich people and the fourth country globally.

This made us wonder—what educational background do the German elites have? Which universities did they attend?

To find out, ÃØÃÜÈë¿Ú-in-Germany.org analyzed the educational background of each billionaire on the . We discovered some universities were more popular among them.

We also looked into where the founders of leading unicorn startups studied to identify the top universities for this category.

Insights

  • According to our research and available data, 40 German billionaires completed their studies in a higher education institution in Germany.
  • The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is the most popular for both billionaires and successful startups in Germany. Five current billionaires and 14 unicorn start-up founders attended TUM.
  • Engineering and business administration (business studies) were two of the most popular study fields among billionaires in Germany who completed tertiary studies.
  • Many other billionaires from Germany did not complete higher education and took advantage of the country’s strong focus on practical education.
  • Germany’s three wealthiest individuals—Dieter Schwarz ($35.9 B), Klaus-Michael Kuehne ($34.5 B), and Reinhold Wuerth ($32.6 B)—began their careers in their family businesses after completing apprenticeships.

Here are the top universities attended by German billionaires:Ìý

German Universities That Produced The Most Billionaires

Technical University of Munich (TUM)

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is the highest-ranking university in Germany, and it also has the highest number of billionaire graduates.

Five billionaires from Germany studied at TUM.

Georg Nemetschek, founder of Nemetschek Group, studied civil engineering at this university. His company is one of the largest software companies in Germany and his net worth is $4.9 billion.

With a net worth of $2.6 billion, Hans Langer is another ultra-rich TUM alumni. He graduated in Physics and went on to establish EOS Group, one of the most successful 3-D printing companies worldwide.

The three young founders of Celonis, one of the world’s best process mining software, also went to TUM. Bastian Nominache ($1.2 B), Alexander Rinke ($1.1 B), and Martin Klenk ($1.2 B) met at the university and their company resulted as part of a study project.

University of Freiburg

The next popular study spot for Germany’s billionaires is the University of Freiburg. Three current billionaires studied there.

The German surgeon and entrepreneur Lutz Mario Helmig studied medicine at this university. His net worth is currently valued at $3.0 billion.

Another famous medicine student from the university is Andreas Strüngmann, a physician and businessman with a net worth of $11.4 billion. Together with his twin brother Thomas, they co-founded the generic drug company Hexal and were early investors in the pharmaceutical giant BioNTech.

Dr. Nicola Leibinger-Kammueller ($1.8 B) is president and chairwoman of the managing board of Trumpf, a market leader in machine tools and laser technology. She studied German and English at the University of Freiburg and later earned her doctorate abroad.

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

Three other billionaires in Germany chose Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) for their studies.

Hubert Burda, owner and publisher of Hubert Burda Media, studied art history at the university. He inherited and ran his family’s media company, from which he has a net worth of $3.5 B.

Another publishing magnate who studied at LMU is Stefan von Holtzbrinck. After studying law and literature, he received his doctorate in media law from the university. As CEO of Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, his net worth is valued at $4.9 billion.

Speaking of lawyers, Julia Thiele-Schuerhoff, a member of the supervisory board and daughter of the former chairman of Knorr-Bremse AG, also studied law at LMU. Her fortune is worth $2.9 billion.

University of Passau

Next on the list is the University of Passau, having been the university of choice for three German billionaires.

Anna Katharina is the daughter of the former CEO of Viessman Group, Martin Viessmann. She completed her bachelor’s degree in International Cultural and Business Studies at the University of Passau. Today, her net worth is an impressive $3.6 billion.

Friederike Braun-Lüdicke ($1.6 B) studied the same field—she holds a Diplom (M.A. equivalent) in International Cultural and Business Studies. She now leads culture and diversity initiatives at her family’s company—B.Braun.

Alfred Oetker of Geschwister Oetker has an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion. He studied economics at Passau before stepping into his role as co-CEO together with his two siblings.

University of Karlsruhe (KIT)

Three German tycoons: Hasso Plattner, Stefan Quandt, and Dietmar Hopp studied at the University of Karlsruhe (KIT). Given the university’s strong focus on technical and engineering programs, it’s only natural that these billionaires are from these industries.

Hasso Plattner ($14.2 B) and Dietmar Hopp ($5.0 B) are two of the founders of multinational software giant SAP SE, which as of 2025 has a market cap of $323.72 billion. Both studied Communications Engineering at KIT.

Stefan Quandt is the richest in our list of billionaires with a higher education degree from a German university. He studied economics and engineering at the University of Karlsruhe. As the biggest shareholder in his family’s company, BMW, his wealth valuation stands at $20.9 billion.

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

Three other current billionaires walked the halls of another university, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU).

Hans Georg Näder studied business administration at FAU before taking on the management and growth of Otto Bock—his family business specializing in orthopedic technology. His current net worth worth is $2.6 billion.Ìý

Prof. Dr. Martin Viessman ($2.5 B), former CEO and chairman of the executive board of Viessmann Group also studied business administration at the university.

Eva Braun-Lüdicke ($1.6 B) is a shareholder in her family’s company, where she works as a Digital Campaign Manager. She has a master’s degree in American studies from FAU.

RWTH Aachen University

RWTH Aachen University is among the best technical universities in Germany. Two billionaires—Otto Happel and Peter Leibinger—studied there.

Otto Happel is the former owner and CEO of GEA Group, a family business that he transformed into a large-scale systems supplier of food, beverages, and pharmaceutical sectors. He earned a doctorate in engineering from RWTH Aachen, and has a net worth of $3.0 billion.

Peter Leibinger studied mechanical engineering at the university. He inherited shares in Trumpf from his father, which make up his $1.8 billion net worth.

University of Saarland

The University of Saarland has also been home to two of Germany’s wealthiest individuals.

Hans-Werner Hector, one of the co-founders of SAP, studied mathematics at this university. His fortune is valued at $2.3 billion.

Another notable alumnus is Thomas Bruch, who studied business administration at the University of Saarland. He is the owner of Globus, a very successful retail company that made him $1.5 billion.

The Full Table: List of Billionaires and Their German Alma Maters

The table lists billionaires and their Forbes Worldwide Ranking, Net Worth, Industry, Company, Age, and University (in this order).

Billionaire Forbes Worldwide Ranking Net Worth Industry Company Age University
Stefan Quandt 95 $20.9 B Automotive Bayerische Motoren Werke – BMW 58 University of Karlsruhe
Hasso Plattner 159 $14.2 B Software, Technology SAP SE 80 University of Karlsruhe
Thomas Strüngmann 213 $11.4 B Pharmaceuticals BioNTech 74 University of Augsburg
Andreas Strüngmann 213 $11.4 B Pharmaceuticals BioNTech 74 University of Freiburg
Ludwig Merckle 236 $10.8 B Pharmaceuticals Merckle Service GmbH 60 University of Mannheim
Michael Otto 474 $7.6 B Retail, Real Estate Otto Group 81 University of Hamburg
Maximilian Viessmann 483 $6.5 B Heating, Cooling Equipment Viessmann Group 35 Technical University of Darmstadt
Wolfgang Marguerre 536 $6.0 B Pharmaceuticals Octapharma 83 Heidelberg University
Horst Julius Pudwill 558 $5.6 B Manufacturing Techtronic Industries 80 Flensburg University of Applied Sciences
Dietmar Hopp 664 $5.0 B Software SAP SE 84 University of Karlsruhe
Stefan von Holtzbrinck 686 $4.9 B Publishing Holtzbrinck Publishing Group 61 Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Georg Nemetschek 697 $4.9 B Software Nemetschek Group 91 Technical University of Munich (TUM)
UÄŸur Åžahin 695 $4.9 B Biotechnology BioNTech 59 University of Cologne
Klaus-Peter Schulenberg 826 $4.2 B Ticketing Service CTS Eventim 73 University of Bremen
Anna Katharina Viessmann 945 $3.6 B Heating and Cooling Equipment Viessmann Group N/A University of Passau
Hubert Burda 972 $3.5 B Publishing Hubert Burda Media 84 Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)
Otto Happel 1152 $3.0 B Engineering GEA Group 76 RWTH Aachen University
Lutz Mario Helmig 1164 $3.0 B Hospitals Helios Hospital Group 78 University of Freiburg and University of Düsseldorf
Julia Thiele-Schürhoff 1166 $2.9 B Brakes, Investments Knorr-Bremse AG 53 Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Hans Georg Näder 1284 $2.6 B Prosthetics Ottobock SE 63 University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Hans Langer 1328 $2.6 B 3D Printing EOS GmbH 72 Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Martin Viessmann 1349 $2.5 B Heating and Cooling Equipment Viessmann Group 71 University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Hans-Werner Hector 1440 $2.3 B Software SAP 85 University of Saarland
Yvonne Bauer 1528 $2.2 B Magazines, Media Bauer Media Group 47 University of Bamberg
Alfred Oetker 1561 $2.1 B Consumer Goods Geschwister Oetker 58 University of Passau
Karin Sartorius-Herbst 1581 $2.1 B Biopharmaceuticals Sartorius AG 70 University of Göttingen
Carsten Koerl 1816 $1.8 B Sports Data Sportradar 60 University of Applied Sciences in Konstanz
Peter Leibinger 1873 $1.8 B Machine Tools TRUMPF 58 RWTH Aachen University
Dr. Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller 1873 $1.8 B Manufacturing TRUMPF 65 University of Freiburg
Regine Leibinger 1873 $1.8 B Machine Tools TRUMPF 62 Technical University of Berlin
Ulrike Meister 1902 $1.7 B Appliances Rational AG 57 University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
Dr. Bernhard Braun-Lüdicke 2010 $1.6 B Medical Technology B. Braun 48 University of Kassel
Friederike Braun-Lüdicke 2010 $1.6 B Medical Technology B. Braun 41 University of Passau
Eva Maria Braun-Lüdicke 2010 $1.6 B Medical Technology B. Braun 38 FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
Thomas Bruch 2128 $1.5 B Retail Globus 74 University of Saarland
Karin Schick 2186 $1.4 B Information Technology Bechtle AG 54 University of Tübingen
Bastian Nominacher 2463 $1.2 B Enterprise Software Celonis 40 Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Martin Klenk 2493 $1.2 B Enterprise Software Celonis 37 Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Mathias Döpfner 2570 $1.1 B Media Axel Springer 61 University of Frankfurt
Alexander Rinke 2600 $1.1 B Enterprise Software Celonis 35 Technical University of Munich (TUM)

What About Billion-Dollar Start-up Founders?

Becoming a billionaire and maintaining that success takes a lot of grit and hard work, but many on our list are actually heirs to family businesses. To mix things up, we also checked out the founders of . A unicorn is a privately owned company worth over $1 billion.

We found that most of these founders have higher education degrees. When we looked at founders who studied at German universities, it turns out some schools are more successful than others.

The most popular universities for unicorn founders in Germany are:

German Universities Producing Billion Dollar Start Up Founders

  • Technical University of Munich (TUM) – 14 founders
  • Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU) – 14 founders
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – 6 founders
  • WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management – 6 founders
  • Heidelberg University – 3 founders
  • FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg – 3 founders
  • Technical Univesity of Berlin (TU Berlin) – 2 founders
  • Technical University of Dresden (TU Dresden) – 2 founders
  • Technical University of Chemnitz (TU Chemnitz) TU Chemnitz – 2 founders

The Full Table: Billion-Dollar Startups and Their Founders’ Academic Backgrounds

Company Post Money Value Total Equity Funding Founders & Education
Celonis $13B $2B Alexander Rinke (TUM), Bastian Nominacher (TUM), Martin Klenk (TUM)
Personio $8B $724M Hanno Renner (CDTM – TUM & LMU), Arseniy Vershinin (CDTM – TUM & LMU), Ignaz Forstmeier (CDTM – TUM & LMU), Roman Schumacher (CDTM – TUM & LMU), Jonas Rieke (CDTM – TUM & LMU)
Mambu $6B $448M Frederik Pfisterer (KIT), Eugene Danilkis (Not in Germany)
Helsing $5B $830M Gundbert Scherf (Free University of Berlin), Niklas Köhler (LMU), Torsten Reil (Not in Germany)
Trade Republic $5B $1B Christian Hecker (LMU), Thomas Pischke (LMU), Marco Cancellieri (LMU)
wefox $5B $1B Julian Teicke (Not in Germany), Fabian Wesemann (University of Passau), Dario Fazlic (No Info)
World $3B $244M Saturnin Pugnet (Not in Germany), Alex Blania (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg)
FlixBus $3B $1B Daniel Krauss (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg), Jochen Engert (University of Stuttgart & WHU), André Schwämmlein (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg)
Enpal $2B $523M Mario Kohle (WHU), Viktor Wingert (WHU), Jochen Ziervogel (WHU)
Forto $2B $593M Michael Wax (TUM), Erik Muttersbach (TUM), Fabian Heilemann (Heidelberg University), Ferry Heilemann (WHU)
DeepL $2B $400M Jaroslaw Kutylowski (University of Paderborn)
TIER Mobility $2B $587M Lawrence Leuschner (No Info), Matthias Laug (No Info), Julian Blessin (LMU)
commercetools $2B $308M Dirk Hoerig (TUM), Denis Werner (LMU)
Volocopter $2B $544M Alexander Zosel (KIT), Stephan Wolf (KIT)
Razor Group $2B $355M Tushar Ahluwalia (EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht), Shrestha Chowdhury (Did not study in Germany), Oliver Dlugosch (University of Düsseldorf & University of Freiburg), Christoph Felix Gamon (Did not study in Germany)
Solaris $2B $553M Andreas Bittner (No Info), Marko Wenthin (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management)
SellerX $1B $830M Malte Horeyseck (FOM University of Applied Sciences), Philipp Triebel (Not in Germany)
Scalable Capital $1B $379M Erik Podzuweit (Kiel University), Florian Prucker (TUM), Adam French (Not in Germany), Stefan Mittnik (TU Berlin)
EGYM $1B $580M Philipp Roesch-Schlander (TUM & LMU), Florian Sauter (TUM & LMU)
Staffbase $1B $306M Lutz Gerlach (TU Chemnitz), Martin Böhringer (TU Chemnitz), Frank Wolf (TU Dresden)
1°­´Ç³¾³¾²¹5° $1B $647M Philipp Schröder (University of Hamburg), Micha Grüber (University of Hamburg), Jannik Schall (TU Dresden), Philip Liesenfeld (University of Münster)
Grover $1B $283M Michael Cassau (Heidelberg University)
Taxfix $1B $330M Mathis Büchi (Not in Germany), Lino Teuteberg (University of Applied Sciences Potsdam)
OneFootball $1B $381M Lucas von Cranach (Heidelberg University & TU Berlin)
Raisin $1B $271M Tamas Georgadze (University of Giessen), Frank Freund (University of Mannheim & University of Erlangen-Nürnberg), Michael Stephan (LMU & WHU)
Chrono24 $1B $206M Dirk Schwartz (KIT), Michael Krkoska (KIT), Tim Stracke (KIT)
ABOUT YOU $1B $300M Hannes Wiese (WFI – Ingolstadt School of Management & HHL Leipzig), Sebastian Betz (No Info), Tarek Muller (No Info)
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