Philipp Sandner

{{Short description|German economist and academic (1980–2024)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox academic | honorific_prefix =  | name = Philipp Sandner | honorific_suffix = | image = Philipp Sandner.jpeg | image_size = | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1980|02|23}} | birth_place = Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2024|01|16|1980|02|23}} | death_place = | death_cause = | citizenship = | other_names = | occupation = | period = | known_for = | title = Prof. Dr. oec. publ. | boards =  | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | awards =  | website = | education = | alma_mater = University of Mannheim, Copenhagen Business School, LMU Munich | thesis_title = The Valuation of Intangible Assets | thesis_url = https://www.springer.com/de/book/9783834917744 | thesis_year = 2009 | school_tradition = | doctoral_advisor = Dietmar Harhoff | academic_advisors = | influences =  | era = | discipline = Blockchain Technology | sub_discipline =  | workplaces =  | doctoral_students =  | notable_students =  | main_interests = | notable_works = | notable_ideas = | influenced =  | signature = | signature_alt = | signature_size = | footnotes = }}

'''Philipp Sandner''' (23 February 1980 – 16 January 2024) was a German economist and professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, where he founded and led the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center (FSBC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.milchundzucker.de/prof-dr-philipp-sandner-blockchain-wird-alles-veraendern-fusion-days-2018/|title=Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner: Blockchain wird alles verändern - Fusion Days 2018|date=4 October 2018|website=milch&zucker|language=de-DE|access-date=4 February 2019}}</ref>

== Life and career == Sandner was born in 1980 in Heidelberg. Following his Abitur, he completed civilian service in 1999 and studied business administration with a specialisation in business informatics (''Wirtschaftsinformatik'') at the University of Mannheim and at the Copenhagen Business School from 2000 to 2005. From 2005 to 2009, he worked as a researcher at the Institute for Innovation Research, Technology Management and Entrepreneurship at LMU Munich under Dietmar Harhoff. He obtained his doctorate (Dr. oec. publ.) in 2009 with his dissertation on ''The Valuation of Intangible Assets'' at LMU Munich. He also completed his Master of Business Research (MBR) at this institution. He attended the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology at the University of California, Berkeley for a research placement in 2008. From 2010 to 2012, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair for Strategy and Organisation under Isabell Welpe at the Technical University of Munich.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

From 2010 to 2015, Sandner was co-founder and partner of the Munich Innovation Group, a consulting firm specialising in innovation strategy and technology transfer. He became professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management in 2015. In February 2017, the Blockchain Center was founded at the Frankfurt School, with Sandner as its director. The Frankfurt School Blockchain Center analysed the implications of blockchain technology for companies and the economy and served as a platform for knowledge exchange among decision-makers, start-ups, and technology and industry experts.<ref name=":1" />

Due to his expertise, Sandner was appointed to the FinTech Council of the Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany) in 2017,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Standardartikel/Themen/Internationales_Finanzmarkt/Finanzmarktpolitik/2018-10-19-Arbeitsgruppe-fuer-Nationale-Risikoanalyse.html|title=Arbeitsgruppe für Nationale Risikoanalyse untersucht Geldwäsche- und Terrorismusrisiken bei Kryptowährungen - Bundesfinanzministerium - Themen|last=Bundesfinanzministerium|website=Bundesministerium der Finanzen|language=de|access-date=4 February 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.frankfurt-school.de/home/research/staff/Philipp-Sandner|title=Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner {{!}} Frankfurt School|website=www.frankfurt-school.de|language=de|access-date=4 February 2019}}</ref> as well as to the working group of the ''EU Blockchain Observatory'' of the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eublockchainforum.eu/news/eu-blockchain-observatory-and-forum-names-members-core-working-groups|title=EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum names members to core Working Groups {{!}} EUBlockchain|website=www.eublockchainforum.eu|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-date=24 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124203846/https://www.eublockchainforum.eu/news/eu-blockchain-observatory-and-forum-names-members-core-working-groups|url-status=dead}}</ref> Furthermore, the working group "National Risk Analysis", established by the Federal Ministry of Finance, consulted Sandner on matters concerning crypto assets such as Bitcoin.<ref name=":0" /> In 2022, he joined the Digital Finance Forum (DFF) initiated by the Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany).<ref>{{cite web|title=Member of the Digital Finance Forums|url=https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Standardartikel/Themen/Internationales_Finanzmarkt/Digital-Finance-Forum/digital-finance-forum-mitglieder.html|access-date=12 June 2022|last=Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany)|language=de}}</ref>

The German business magazine ''Capital'' listed Sandner in the category "Top 40 under 40".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.capital.de/karriere/junge-elite-das-ist-der-nachwuchs-der-finanzbranche|title=Junge Elite: Das ist der Nachwuchs der Finanzbranche|date=21 January 2019|website=Capital.de|language=de-DE|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122164747/https://www.capital.de/karriere/junge-elite-das-ist-der-nachwuchs-der-finanzbranche|archive-date=22 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'', he was also among Germany's most influential economists in 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.frankfurt-school.de/home/newsroom/news/2018/September/Sandner-Top-Oekonom_FAZ|title=Philipp Sandner gehört zu den wichtigsten Ökonomen|website=Frankfurt School of Finance & Management|date=September 2018|language=de|access-date=22 March 2026}}</ref> 2019,<ref>{{cite web|title=Die Tabelle: Deutschlands einflussreichste Ökonomen 2019|website=Faz.net|date=4 October 2019|issn=0174-4909|language=de|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftswissen/f-a-z-oekonomenranking-2019-die-tabellen-16393825.html|access-date=15 April 2020}}</ref> 2020,<ref>{{Cite news |last=F.A.Z. |title=Deutschlands einflussreichste Ökonomen |newspaper=Faz.net |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftswissen/f-a-z-oekonomenranking-2020-die-tabellen-16965630.html |access-date=12 June 2022}}</ref> and 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=F.A.Z. |title=Deutschlands einflussreichste Ökonomen |newspaper=Faz.net |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftswissen/f-a-z-oekonomenranking-2021-die-tabellen-17538768.html |access-date=12 June 2022}}</ref>

Sandner died on 16 January 2024, at the age of 43. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.<ref>{{cite news |title=Frankfurter Ökonom Philipp Sandner ist tot |url=https://www.private-banking-magazin.de/frankfurter-oekonom-philipp-sandner-ist-tot/ |access-date=22 January 2024 |publisher=Private Banking Magazin |date=22 January 2024}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> His successor as Director of the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center was Co-Pierre Georg, who assumed the role in September 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.frankfurt-school.de/de/home/research-and-faculty/faculty/faculty-directory/co-pierre-georg |title=Co-Pierre Georg – Professor of Practice in Digital Finance and Technology |website=Frankfurt School of Finance & Management |access-date=22 March 2026}}</ref>

== Positions ==

Sandner regarded the development of blockchain technologies as a long-term disruptive innovation that would significantly transform the financial sector. In an interview with ARD, he stated that security token offerings would "significantly change the business model of Deutsche Börse in a few years".<ref name=":1" /> Speaking on ''Tagesschau'', he argued that investors increasingly turn to real assets during rising inflation, including gold, real estate, and Bitcoin.<ref name=":1" />

In 2018, Sandner noted that blockchain technologies were still at the beginning of their development and that existing blockchain solutions remained in an experimental environment. He generally argued that critics of Bitcoin or blockchain technology lacked sufficient technical understanding, stating that a person with demonstrably good understanding of the technology who was simultaneously sceptical of Bitcoin was difficult to find.<ref name=":1" />

== Research and teaching == Sandner conducted research particularly in the areas of blockchain technology, Bitcoin, crypto assets, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), distributed ledger technology (DLT), digital programmable euro, stablecoins, and digital securities.<ref name=":1" /> He also worked on corporate entrepreneurship, digital transformation (including by fintech start-ups), strategic innovation, financing of start-ups (through strategic investors, business angels and venture capital) and intellectual property rights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?user=jNacU6wAAAAJ&hl=en|title=Philipp Sandner - Google Scholar Citations|website=scholar.google.com.sg|access-date=4 February 2019}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/search?qs=&authors=sandner,+philipp&pub=&volume=&issue=&page=&origin=home&zone=qSearch|title=Find your institution|website=www.sciencedirect.com|access-date=4 February 2019}}</ref>

Sandner received several scholarships and best paper awards. His research was published in international journals such as the ''Journal of Marketing'', ''Administrative Science Quarterly'', ''Research Policy'', the ''Journal of Marketing Research'' and the ''Journal of Business Venturing''. His teaching covered digitalisation, entrepreneurship, innovation management and intellectual property rights.<ref name=":2" />

== Selected publications == * A. Ter Wal, O. Alexy, J. Block, P. Sandner: "The best of both worlds: the benefits of open-specialized and closed-diverse syndication networks for new ventures' success". In: ''Administrative Science Quarterly''. Vol. 61, No. 3, 2016, pp. 393–432. * P. Böing, E. Müller, P. Sandner: "China's R&D Explosion: analyzing productivity effects across ownership types and over time". In: ''Research Policy''. Vol. 45, No. 1, 2016, pp. 159–176. * A. Tumasjan, T. Sprenger, P. Sandner, I. Welpe: "Election forecasts with Twitter: how 140 characters reflect the political landscape". In: ''Social Science Computer Review''. Vol. 29, No. 4, 2011, pp. 402–418. * P. Sandner, I. Welpe, A. Tumasjan: ''Die Zukunft ist dezentral: wie die Blockchain Unternehmen und den Finanzsektor auf den Kopf stellen wird''. 2020. * P. Sandner, I. Welpe, A. Tumasjan: ''Der Blockchain-Faktor: wie die Blockchain unsere Gesellschaft verändern wird''. 2019. * P. Sandner: ''The Valuation of Intangible Assets: an Exploration of Patent and Trademark Portfolios''. Dissertation, LMU Munich, 2009.

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandner, Philipp}} Category:1980 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Scientists from Frankfurt Category:Writers from Heidelberg Category:German economists Category:Copenhagen Business School alumni Category:University of Mannheim alumni Category:LMU Munich alumni

Philipp Sandner

Connections

Linked from

Links to (35 total)