Franz Lohrke

Education

• PhD, Louisiana State University
• MBA, University of Iowa
• BA, Flagler College

Professional activities

Franz T. Lohrke serves as the Spencer Family Professor of Entrepreneurship at Auburn University. He has assisted aspiring entrepreneurs for over 30 years through his teaching, mentorship, investing, and community service activities. He also has contributed frequently to stories in the business press about entrepreneurship.

He previously held the Brock Family Chair in Entrepreneurship and served as a department chair at Samford University. In these roles, he helped build the school’s entrepreneurship program from a single course in 2006 into one that the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) selected as the best new entrepreneurship program in the U.S. in 2010. He also has previously served as a faculty member at other schools, including the University of Southern Mississippi, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of South Florida, University of Alabama, and Louisiana State University. 

Since joining Auburn University's faculty in 2019, Lohrke has served on the team that helped the Harbert College of Business' entrepreneurship program gain international recognition for its innovativeness and growth. He has also presented papers about entrepreneurship at several national and international entrepreneurship conferences and published articles in several top academic journals. 

In addition, he has co-edited three books on entrepreneurship. His most recent one, published in 2025, focuses on how the transition to an increasingly digital world (like the growth of artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital platforms, and other technologies) impacts entrepreneurship.

Prior to his academic career, Lohrke worked primarily in the hospitality industry, including small and start-up restaurants, as well as banquet services and restaurant management at Walt Disney’s EPCOT theme park. During his academic career, he co-founded and currently helps manage Wize Owl Wizards, LLC.