Language of instruction
German
Digital Marketing, Sales and User Engagement
This course provides practice-oriented strategies and tools for digital marketing and sales with a focus on startups and intrapreneurship.
Focus areas:
(1) Strategic foundations: brand positioning and go-to-market strategies in a digital environment
(2) Multichannel marketing: designing and analyzing the customer journey in B2B and B2C contexts
(3) E-commerce and sales: platform models, conversion optimization, and digital checkout experience
(4) Performance marketing: paid media, KPI-based campaign management, A/B testing
(5) Digital storytelling: content strategies, community building, viral mechanisms
(6) Customer insights: target group analysis, marketing metrics, campaign controlling
(7) Trends in digital marketing: e.g. conversational marketing, AI personalization, or privacy-by-design
(8) Practical project: development of a go-to-market and engagement concept
Language of instruction
German
Electives 2: Open Campus – Verticals & Complementary Competences
This elective module enables individual deepening of entrepreneurial, digital, or language skills through topic-specific electives and complements the innovation project and/or master’s thesis. Courses can be selected from an elective catalog or—after approval by the program director—from external institutions.
Focus areas:
(1) Selection of internal or external electives to deepen relevant competencies
(2) Content connection to the student’s own innovation project and/or master’s thesis
(3) Broad range of topics, from verticals (e.g., Health, AI, Mobility) to complementary skills (e.g., IP, UX/UI, Growth, language)
(4) Recognition of external formats with ECTS allocation and performance verification
(5) Reflection paper to be assessed by the instructor, focusing on individual learning transfer
(6) Peer exchange on content and synergies
(7) Accompanying mentoring by the instructor
Language of instruction
German
Leadership, Organisational Design and Agile Innovation Culture
This course conveys key concepts and practice-based approaches to leadership, organizational design, and the development of an agile innovation culture — with a particular focus on startups and innovation-driven organizations.
Focus areas:
(1) Agile, servant, and situational leadership in digital and entrepreneurial contexts
(2) Team building and leadership in growth phases: roles, decision-making, high-performance teams
(3) Organizational design for startups: structural models, scalability, role distribution
(4) New Work & innovation culture: self-organization, hybrid work, feedback culture
(5) Change management: classical and modern models (e.g. Kotter, ADKAR)
(6) Key action areas in change: communication, processes, culture
(7) Transformation journey: steps of successful change
(8) Practical examples & reflection: analysis of real transformation processes and application
Language of instruction
German
Resilience for Entrepreneurs: Mind, Body, Business
This course fosters entrepreneurial resilience by combining physical, organizational, and mental strength and teaches practical strategies for healthy, effective work in startup and intrapreneurship contexts.
Focus areas:
(1) Healthy working as a digital entrepreneur: mental, physical, and organizational resilience
(2) Basics of movement and nutrition to enhance performance in daily life
(3) Mental health in the startup context: stress management, burnout prevention, coping with uncertainty
(4) Personal resilience strategies: mindfulness, self-regulation, and work-life balance
(5) Reflection as a leadership tool: self-awareness, mental clarity, and decision-making in teams
(6) Integration into the startup project: individual resilience plans, peer coaching, personal goal setting
Language of instruction
German
Cloud Prototyping: Build Smart With Less Code
Building on the DevOps Basics course from the 2nd semester, this course teaches practical knowledge and tools for rapid, resource-efficient prototyping using cloud technologies and low-/no-/vibe-code approaches.
Focus areas:
(1) Introduction to cloud technologies and their application contexts
(2) Architectural patterns and methods for rapid prototyping in the cloud
(3) Use of low-/no-code services for accelerated development of digital solutions
(4) Basics of cloud operations: scaling, security, monitoring, and maintenance
Language of instruction
German
Startup Supply Chain Management
This course provides practice-relevant knowledge on building and managing supply chains in digital startups — with a focus on resilience, geopolitical developments, and digital tools.
Focus areas:
(1) Fundamentals of supply chain management in the startup context
(2) Impact of geopolitical shifts and new raw material alliances on supply chains
(3) Strategies for supply chain resilience (e.g. nearshoring, multi-sourcing)
(4) Sustainability and regulatory requirements (e.g. ESG, supply chain law)
(5) Procurement strategies and make-or-buy decisions in early stages
(6) Digital tools for planning, management, and scaling
(7) Case studies and application to students’ own innovation projects
Language of instruction
German
Individual Project Work 2: Tech Lighthouse Project
This course provides the individual technical specialization of the innovation project from Startup Lab 3 and lays the digital/technological groundwork for the master’s thesis. Building on the team project, students independently develop a technically focused subproject — such as an MVP, architecture concept, prototype, or technology analysis.
Focus areas:
(1) Development of technical questions related to the student’s own innovation project and upcoming master’s thesis
(2) Selection and application of suitable technologies, tools, or frameworks in an individual context
(3) Independent technical implementation
(4) Documentation of the development process and reflection on technical challenges
(5) Technology research, justification of selection, and placement within current developments
(6) Individual coaching, peer review, and feedback to further develop the project idea toward the master’s thesis
Language of instruction
German
Startup Lab 3: Digital MVPs & Technical Feasibility
This course forms the technical core of the student’s own innovation project and focuses on the implementation of digital MVPs with regard to technical feasibility, software architecture, and scalability.
Focus areas:
(1) Design and evaluation of software-based architectures considering scalability, maintainability, and extensibility
(2) Technology assessment and selection based on specific MVP requirements (e.g. programming languages, frameworks, cloud services), including definition of roles and skill profiles within the development team
(3) Application and reflection of the DevOps lifecycle: development, testing, deployment, monitoring, and iteration
(4) Integration of technical insights into the continued development of the startup project
(5) Support through coaching, peer feedback, and technical review formats
(6) Connection to Project Work 2 for deeper analysis and documentation of technical feasibility