“Those who master the theory make better decisions in practice!”

(interview from 2025)

Thomas Scheufler

“There's a thriving network of founders and start-ups that has the built up around TUD, which I’m still closely connected to today – and with whom I regularly exchange ideas.

Christian von Olshausen studied Industrial Engineering and Management at TU Dresden and founded a start-up in 2010 that has since become a pioneer in the electrolysis and hydrogen industry. As Chief Technology Officer, he is responsible for numerous technological innovations for synthetic fuels and green hydrogen. His experiences as a student in Innovation Management and the startup challenges at TUD were of great value to him, especially when founding the company.

Name:	Christian von Olshausen
Degree program	Industrial Engineering and Management
Faculty	Business Administration and Economics
At the university:	2002 to 2005
Current work:	Chief Technology Officer at Sunfire

Where are you employed today, and what are your responsibilities?

I'm a Co-Founder and CTO at Sunfire, a leading company in hydrogen technologies with its headquarters in Dresden. When we started as a start-up in 2010, green hydrogen wasn't considered a hot topic yet – but we recognized the potential of electrolysis early on. Today, Sunfire is a leading supplier of industrial electrolyzers. For example, our customers include international energy companies and refineries that use our technology to decarbonize their processes. Dresden is of particular importance to us: Here, research, development, technology pioneers and global companies from the hydrogen sector are all located closer together than almost anywhere else.

What still has a lot of value for you today / would you like to have had more of?  

Back then, I didn't really have much interest in theory and mainly learned through practice. Today, I know how valuable it is to have a deep understanding of engineering and financial theory. Because if you master the theory, you can often make much better decisions in practice.

Why did you decide to study at TU Dresden?

After my undergraduate studies at the very technical KIT, I wanted to study somewhere that offered a broader range of disciplines. At the same time, the city of Dresden appealed to me.

What made you choose this degree program?

I have always been fascinated by the fact that technology is not an end in itself, but usually follows an economic incentive. I wanted to better understand these links.

What researchers or lecturers influenced you the most during your studies?

There are a few key people: My father and a neighbor passed on their fascination for technology to me when I was young. Later, I was influenced by a number of innovative engineers from the renewable energy sector. At TUD, it was mainly Prof. Schefczyk who gave me the start-up perspective.

What advice would you give to our current first-years?

Pursue your passion before you chase money – unless your only passion in life is accumulating wealth. For everything else: When choosing what career you want to do, choose something that you enjoy so much that you'll be able to motivate yourself to do it every day. The more passion you feel for your job, the better you will be able to do it. And that's exactly what you need for long-term success.

What do you remember most fondly about your time as a student?

The parties in Neustadt, summer nights at the unrestored Elbe castles, studying with friends at the SLUB, and my work placements.

What was your favorite place on campus?

The SLUB. You could go to the music department in between studying and immerse yourself in an almost infinite pool of recordings – far more than any private collection could offer at the time. It's hard to replicate the enjoyment of that kind of selection today with Apple Music or Spotify.

What tips do you have for hitting the ground running in your industry?

Through a healthy mix of theoretical knowledge and the desire to gain practical experience, combined with the willingness to take on responsibility and regularly scrutinize your own performance in order to improve. That’s probably true of any business sector. Renewable energy technologies are ultimately part of plant and mechanical engineering, so there is not much difference. Of course, it helps if you believe in the importance of sustainable systems and are prepared to work passionately for them.

What connects you to TU Dresden today?

Memories of a wonderful time, getting to know new colleagues who also studied at TUD, personal contacts, as well as my involvement with YETI.

Contact:
Christian von Olshausen
CEO of Sunfire

Email:

Web

LinkedIn