Frank M. Salzgeber

WeAre Summit keynote speaker

As Head of Innovation and Ventures Office, Frank is overseeing the largest Space entrepreneurship network in the world. His team has initiated over 320 industry transfers, supported over 720 start-ups invested over 45 Mio. Euro in Seed since started. We support the exploitation of the ESA patent portfolio, promote the ESA Business Application offer of ESA. Over 500 business have been supported and SME and industry to applied Space solutions for their business.

Prior this post he was the Head of the Commercial Development in the European Astronaut Department of the Directorate of Human Spaceflight Microgravity and Exploration at the European Space Agency.

Prior to joining ESA, Frank held the position of Founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO and CFO) at an IT start-up headquartered in Munich, Germany, between 2000 and 2003, which he merged with CANCOM SA.

Frank also spent seven years at Apple Computer (1993 – 2000) initially as an account manager and then as a sales manager, covering Central Europe. He was positioned in the, Germany, US and Czech Republic.

Being genuinely passionate about the importance of human space flight and the European Space Programme, Frank’s believes that ‘a society that stops exploring stops progressing’.

Frank is a member the several advisory boards in venture capital funds, international cooperation and start-up companies. 

He is also on the board of directors of European Business Network (EBN) and a board member of the EBAN (European Business Angel Network) Space. 

Frank holds a degree in Industrial Engineering, is married, has two sons and lives in the Netherlands and Bavaria. 

The office aims to strengthen the European competitiveness, innovation, entrepreneurship, and plays an important role in enhancing the capabilities and of the European industry, while broadening its business horizons and creating jobs, foster growth and investment. We work with all leading industry fields but also with government and start-ups.

This successful framework has been adopted by CERN, Fraunhofer and Airbus Defence and Space and other Space Agencies as well as Singapore. 

This year his team will continue to support 180 new start-ups yearly through the over 20 ESA Business Incubation Centres in over 60 locations across Europe. This team will bring Space back to earth and start-ups into orbit. The ESA BICs and the ESA BA has created over 5000 new jobs.