Tomorrow University

Overview

Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences is a private, state-recognised and fully online university of applied sciences headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. It was founded by Christian Rebernik, formerly chief technology officer of N26, and Dr. Thomas Funke, and offers challenge-based bachelor, master and MBA programmes in business, technology and sustainability. Its website is https://www.tomorrow.university .

Why this entity matters

Tomorrow University is a rare case of a venture-backed startup that obtained state recognition as a German university, which allows it to award degrees. For DACH founders and investors it is a test of whether an online, startup-built institution can combine accredited degrees with a technology-company operating model. It also shows how a well-known fintech founder, Christian Rebernik, moved from banking technology into education.

Institutional background

Wikipedia and the university's announcement describe a venture launched under the name Tomorrow's Education in late 2020 by Christian Rebernik and Dr. Thomas Funke, with operations beginning in 2021. On 19 September 2022 the university announced state recognition by the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts, after a Science Council evaluation in June 2022 and accreditation of three bachelor programmes through FIBAA; the university calls itself the first EdTech startup in Germany to achieve this, which is its own description. Its accreditation page lists FIBAA, ACQUIN and ZFU. Programmes include business and technology bachelors, a Master of Science in Sustainability, Innovation and Technology launched with Fraunhofer AHEAD and TU Darmstadt in 2024, MBAs and partner programmes with Le Wagon and OMR Education. In April 2026 the university announced eight new bachelor programmes. Funding is reported as a USD 10 million Series A in the 2023 Startuprad.io interview and as EUR 9.3 million Series A and EUR 13.8 million total in Wikipedia; investors are not named and the figures are approximate. Wikipedia reports more than 1,000 students; Startuprad.io has not independently verified enrolment or financial figures.

Role in the ecosystem

Tomorrow University sits at the intersection of the DACH EdTech, impact-entrepreneurship and sustainability-education segments. Its Frankfurt base links it to the TechQuartier startup hub co-founded by Funke, and its partners include a coding bootcamp, a media-education brand and research institutes. The 2023 interview describes a mission to speed up the transition to a sustainable society and a plan to reach a very large number of learners by 2030, though the transcript gives inconsistent figures for that goal.

Selected relationships and affiliations

Public sources describe the following relationships. Christian Rebernik is a co-founder and has his own entity page in the Startuprad.io ledger, which records his earlier role as chief technology officer of N26; N26 also has an entity page. Dr. Thomas Funke is the second co-founder. FIBAA and ACQUIN accredit programmes. Le Wagon, OMR Education, Fraunhofer AHEAD and TU Darmstadt are named programme partners. Industry partnerships listed on other pages are largely self-reported and vary in scope. The scope of each relationship has not been independently detailed for this record.

Startuprad.io relevance

Startuprad.io lists two posts under the Tomorrow University tag. The first is the October 2023 interview with Christian Rebernik, titled around moving from N26 CTO to founding a non-profit online university, which covers the mission, state recognition, programmes, learning model and Series A. In that interview Rebernik describes the institution as mission-driven and non-profit in orientation; the legal and tax status was not independently verified. The second is a December 2021 analysis of N26 and neobrokers that lists the interview in a related-episodes block and carries the tag, so it is a weak mention. The coverage is below the preferred depth of three articles.

Public source context

This record draws on the university's website, its 19 September 2022 state-recognition announcement at https://www.tomorrow.university/blog/tomorrow-university-of-applied-sciences-is-now-a-state-recognized-university , its accreditation and about pages, its April 2026 programme announcement, Wikipedia's article on Tomorrow University and Startuprad.io's own archive. Self-descriptions such as being the first EdTech startup to gain recognition, and the funding and enrolment figures, are as stated by those sources and have not been independently verified.

Startuprad.io coverage

From CTO of N26 to Founding a Non-Profit Online University
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: Interview
https://www.startuprad.io/post/from-cto-of-n26-to-founding-a-non-profit-online-university

Why N26 Wants to Be a NeoBroker And Why Neobrokers Are HOT And Maybe In Danger
Published: 15 March 2026
Last updated: 20 September 2026
Coverage type: Analysis
https://www.startuprad.io/post/why-n26-wants-to-be-a-neobroker-and-why-neobrokers-are-hot-and-maybe-in-danger

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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/tomorrow-university .