Rudolf Franz

Rudolf Peter Franz (born 1967 in Friedberg, Bavaria) is a German venture investor and entrepreneur. He studied industrial engineering with a focus on mechanical engineering (Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen) at the Munich University of Applied Sciences, earning a diploma, and subsequently studied economics for several semesters at the University of Augsburg. He began his career in venture capital in 1995 as an investment manager at Technologieholding VC GmbH in Munich, becoming a partner in 1997 and leading the firm's Munich investment team. When the business was sold to 3i Group plc in 2000, he joined 3i as deputy managing director responsible for technology investments across the German-speaking market until 2002.

In early 2002 Franz founded FRANZ INDUSTRIEBETEILIGUNGEN AG (headquartered in Augsburg), through which he began investing his own capital into young technology companies and real estate projects. His signature bet came in 2003, when he joined the founding team around Dr. Ingo Ederer at voxeljet — a 3D printing / industrial additive-manufacturing company — and became one of its larger shareholders. He helped grow voxeljet from roughly 10 employees to a global company of 250+ (later ~350), taking it public on the NYSE in 2013.

At voxeljet, Franz served as Chief Financial Officer / Chief Operating Officer from the 2013 IPO through the company's move to Nasdaq (2020) and its voluntary de-registration in 2024, overseeing finance, controlling, risk, compliance, legal, HR, marketing/sales, business development and investor relations. In July 2024 he became voxeljet's Chief Executive Officer.

Over time, the focus of Franz Industriebeteiligungen has shifted toward the company's own real estate portfolio, particularly private residential construction and the "Living on Demand" portfolio, which restores existing properties and creates contemporary living spaces in the Augsburg area. Outside of work, Franz is a keen cyclist and photographer.

• Invests his own capital (a private industrial-holding / angel structure) rather than a third-party fund — Franz Industriebeteiligungen AG was founded in 2002 to back "young technology companies and real estate projects."
• Long-term, hands-on ownership: his voxeljet involvement (from 2003 through IPO and CEO role) shows a preference for deep, operational, multi-decade engagement rather than passive minority checks.
• Strong bias toward deep-tech / industrial and engineering-driven ventures — consistent with his industrial-engineering background and VC career at Technologieholding and 3i.
• Values early identification of potential; his own narrative emphasizes spotting voxeljet's promise at the startup stage.
• Present-day capital allocation increasingly directed to real estate — private residential construction and the managed "Living on Demand" portfolio in the Augsburg region.