Franz Gasselsberger

Franz Gasselsberger was born on 12 April 1959 in Ampflwang im Hausruckwald, Upper Austria. He completed secondary school at the Bundesrealgymnasium Vöcklabruck in 1978, then studied law at the Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg (1978–1982), earning a doctorate in law. He later completed an International Executive MBA (LIMAK Austrian Business School / International Management Academy) in 1998.

Gasselsberger joined Oberbank AG in 1983, beginning at the Wels-Neustadt branch and moving to Braunau, then becoming branch manager in Altheim in 1985. In 1990 he transferred to Salzburg, becoming deputy head of the Salzburg business division in 1991. He was appointed to the Management Board in April 1998, became board spokesperson on 1 May 2002, and was named Chairman of the Management Board with the title Generaldirektor in May 2005. He has led the bank for roughly two decades and spent his entire ~45-year career at Oberbank.

Beyond the bank, Gasselsberger holds numerous supervisory-board and industry roles: supervisory board member of voestalpine AG, Lenzing AG, BTV (Bank für Tirol und Vorarlberg) and BKS Bank AG, chairman of the supervisory board of Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG, and vice-chairman of Buy-Out Central Europe II Beteiligungs-Invest AG. He served as vice president of the Association of Austrian Banks and Bankers, sat on the boards of the Federation of Austrian Industry and the Industrial Association of Upper Austria, and was president of the LIMAK Austrian Business School for twelve years until 2022 (later honorary president).

His honors include appointment as Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Upper Austria (2007), the professional title Kommerzialrat (2009), the German Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande (2016), and Austria's Großes Silbernes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik (2019). In February 2026 Oberbank announced that Gasselsberger, by mutual agreement, will conclude his tenure at year-end 2026 (ahead of his contract's May 2027 term); Martin Seiter is designated as his successor.

• Not a seed/angel investor. Gasselsberger's "investment" activity is institutional, exercised through Oberbank's corporate-financing and equity platforms rather than personal angel checks.
• Oberbank Opportunity Fonds provides equity and mezzanine capital as a *"temporary partner"* — explicitly positioned for established companies, not early-stage ventures.
• Use cases the fund targets: M&A, ownership change/succession, management buy-outs (MBO), and growth/expansion financing — strengthening the balance sheet to improve rating and credit capacity.
• Typical ticket: ~€5m equity and up to ~€10m mezzanine per transaction, with larger volumes done alongside co-investors.
• Structures emphasize flexibility: individually structured exit options *without* requiring a trade sale or IPO, and interest/repayment terms adapted to company liquidity.
• The affiliated INVEST AG (private equity) covers equity participations and succession solutions in Oberbank's Central European markets.