Softwareentwickler

Building the digital infrastructure for Europe's leading AI student initiative

TUM.ai is Europe's leading AI student initiative, founded in 2020 at the Technical University of Munich. What started as a student group has grown into a thriving community of over 100 members from diverse backgrounds: computer scientists, business students, designers, all united by a shared belief that AI can create positive impact when built responsibly.

The initiative runs three main pillars: the AI E-Lab (a 14-week equity-free startup incubator that's helped alumni raise €5M+ and join Y Combinator), the Makeathon (a 3-day hackathon drawing 1,200+ participants to solve real business challenges), and various research and industry projects. It's not just about building AI; it's about building a community that shapes how AI gets built.

I joined the Development Team in November 2025. We're a small technical team responsible for the digital infrastructure: the public website that introduces TUM.ai to the world, internal platforms for member management and event coordination, and whatever else the initiative needs to run smoothly. It's hands-on work with real stakes: when application season hits or a hackathon goes live, the systems we build need to perform.

What I'm working on

Right now, I'm getting up to speed across several projects. The public website needs a rebuild to better serve applicants, sponsors, and our alumni network. The internal member management system is replacing scattered spreadsheets with proper infrastructure. And there's always the next thing, whether it's tooling for the AI E-Lab cohorts or dashboards for program leads.

What I appreciate about this role is the breadth. One day it's frontend work on the website, the next it's database architecture for member data. The team is small enough that everyone touches everything, but structured enough that we do things properly: code reviews, testing, documentation. It feels like real engineering, not just student project work.

Why this matters

TUM.ai sits at an interesting intersection. It's connected to Munich's startup ecosystem (UnternehmerTUM, TUM Venture Labs), academic research, and major industry partners like Microsoft and BMW. Alumni are founding companies, joining top accelerators, and driving real innovation. The infrastructure we build enables all of that, from the first touchpoint when someone applies, to the platforms that keep 100+ members coordinated across dozens of projects.

Beyond the technical work, being part of TUM.ai means being surrounded by ambitious people who care about AI's future. That's the part that's hard to capture in a job description, but it's probably the most valuable part.