I Am Franz Heinfling: Technical Software Product Expert

I am a freelance Technical Software Product Expert based in Berlin, Germany, with over a decade of distinguished experience operating at the critical intersection of product management, software engineering, and strategic entrepreneurship. My professional identity is defined by a rare hybrid of capabilities: the strategic, user-centric vision of a product leader and the deep, hands-on technical proficiency of a senior software engineer. This dual-pronged expertise allows me to not only define a product’s “what” and “why” but also to fundamentally understand and lead its “how.” My core mission is to launch innovative, high-quality software products, build and strengthen high-performing, cross-functional teams, and ensure my work leaves a lasting, positive impact.

Forging the Technical and Entrepreneurial Foundation

My career journey began with a focus on deep technical implementation, forging the engineering foundation that validates my authority as a technical product leader. From 2013 to 2015, as an iOS Developer at Project A Ventures, I worked on numerous projects for high-growth startups, most notably Catawiki, which was subsequently named the fastest-growing startup in Europe in the Deloitte 2015 Technology Fast 500. I continued to hone my mobile expertise at Move Fast GmbH, where I was responsible for the redevelopment and launch of the Buzz app for one of Germany’s largest daily newspapers. In these early roles, I mastered not just the core technologies of Swift and Objective-C, but also the surrounding product-development disciplines, including UI/UX design, rapid prototyping, UX research, and A/B testing.

This engineering foundation was soon paired with an entrepreneurial mindset. From 2015 to 2018, I co-founded LikelyGreat, where I conceived and published a local multiplayer game for AppleTV, iPhone, and iPad. This venture demonstrated a keen product-market sense, taking the game from initial concept to app release in just three months and achieving a “top five” ranking for Apple TV apps in Germany and other countries. I further expanded this business acumen as Co-Founder of Courcery from 2018 to 2020, developing and implementing novel workshops based on design thinking and game design principles. These entrepreneurial experiences provided me with a holistic understanding of the full product lifecycle, from ideation and MVP creation to go-to-market strategy and user adoption.

Freelancing: From Elite Engineer to PM Unicorn

Since 2016, I have operated as a freelance consultant, first solidifying my reputation as an elite software engineer for top-tier clients. My portfolio includes projects for Edeka Zentrale AG (merging and redeveloping parts of the Genuss+ and Edeka apps), Mobimeo GmbH via BCG Digital Ventures (developing an iOS framework for mobility providers), and M-Sense (native development of a data collection app for migraine patients). My technical prowess is further validated by my leadership in the open-source community. As a developer for Janoodle Unlimited GmbH, I led the development of the Timy Messenger, an open-source Flutter app that has garnered over 2,000 stars on GitHub, a significant marker of community respect and technical quality.

This convergence of engineering excellence and entrepreneurial strategy culminated in my current specialization as a freelance Technical Product Manager and Product Owner, roles I have held since 2020. In this capacity, I have led some of my most complex and impactful projects:

• For over a year at smart Europe GmbH, I led the end-to-end development and stabilization of a cross-platform automotive companion app. I built and managed a distributed, 15-person engineering team across nearshore and offshore locations, oversaw C-Level stakeholder communication across Germany, China, India, and Portugal, and delivered over 30 app updates on schedule, facilitating the app’s expansion into 15 new European markets. This engagement involved coordinating over 1,200 merged pull requests and improving key features like OTA Wallbox integration and Plug & Charge.

• My leadership was similarly demonstrated at Handelsblatt Media Group, where I stepped in as Product Owner for six months, leading a 10+ developer Kanban team to ensure continuous delivery and maintain product stability for all Handelsblatt applications during the absence of the permanent PO.

• For Apothera GmbH, I was responsible for the entire MVP development of a multi-platform pharmacy app, leading product discovery, user research, and the cross-functional Scrum team to launch the app under a tight deadline.

Purpose and Credentials

My work is driven by a strong sense of purpose. In 2020, I founded bitpurpose, a venture dedicated to providing technical and strategic support to non-profit and impact projects, consulting on digital strategy and software development for organizations like Bund Deutscher Amateurtheater e. V. and Initiative Offene Gesellschaft e. V.

My practical experience is supported by a solid academic and professional foundation, including a B.Sc. in Internet Computing from the University of Passau and further studies in Computer Science at Humboldt University Berlin. I am a dedicated lifelong learner, holding numerous professional certifications, including Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I), Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I), an OKR Certification, a Google Project Management Certificate, and multiple certificates in Software Product Management and UX Design.

This unique, 360-degree command of the software development lifecycle—from ideation to C-Level strategy, and from product discovery to the code itself—is what defines my brand. As my clients attest, I am “one of the best PMs” and “ranks among the best product owners”, serving as the “‘unfair advantage’” and the “sought-after ‘PM unicorn’” that high-growth companies need to build, scale, and deliver exceptional products.