Challenges to Engage the Entrepreneurial Mind

Plenty of success stories show that the Technical University of Munich inspires and enables its students, scientists and alumni to think and act entrepreneurially. TUM systematically develops and supports start-ups. It aims to use the findings of its top researchers to create sustainable profits for society. Our curriculum at the TUM School of Management specifically prepares our students to become entrepreneurs themselves. Not only do our students obtain the theoretical knowledge they need to become founders, but they can further benefit from the school’s network when it comes to putting their ideas into action. At the TUM Campus Heilbronn for example, our students can unlock their entrepreneurial potential within the formats of the Campus Founders, the entrepreneurship and innovation center in the region of Heilbronn-Franken located on the same campus.

A Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Campus Founders are the entrepreneurship and innovation center in the region of Heilbronn-Franken // Photo: Campus Founders

The Campus Founders are the entrepreneurship and innovation center in the region of Heilbronn-Franken. They support energetic and passionate creators and guide them through their entrepreneurial journey. Through their regional roots, international mindset, and sustainable actions, the Campus Founders inspire, educate, empower, and connect. On a regular basis, the Campus Founders host events for entrepreneurial talents and students. Two of these programs will be starting in October: the Impact Hackathon and the Corporate Campus Challenge!

The Impact Hackathon – 48 Hours to save the future!

October 9 – 11, 2020

Do you want to make a difference and actively shape a sustainable future?

Innovation inspires you and creating a real impact is what you are wanting to do?

You are a team player and see the great advantages of real cooperation in diverse teams?

Apply now for the Impact Hackathon!

In 48 hours, and under the guidance of experienced coaches, participants of the Impact Hackathon will search for innovative solutions to three different challenges set by companies of the Heilbronn-Franken region. The event serves as a place for exchange and networking with like-minded people. The Campus Founders’ experienced coaches are there to support participants and teach effective methods from innovative fields to develop concrete solutions. Read more about the event here.

Corporate Campus Challenge – Unlock Your Entrepreneurial Skills!

Kickoff: October 23, 2020

Pitch finals: January 15, 2021

The participants of the Corporate Campus Challenge 2019 // Photo: Campus Founders

The Corporate Campus Challenge is a unique hands-on learning experience where students learn to solve real problems the way a startup would. In the course of one semester, teams will go from problem understanding to solution design to solve a real industry challenge in the most creative way with the goal to identify unmet user needs, create new products or services, and develop a tested functional prototype. “My friends and I happened to see a poster of the event at the beginning of our first semester. A startup challenge sounded really exciting as it was something completely new to us. As I could imagine working in a startup or founding one myself after finishing my studies, I was thrilled to participate in an event where I could already put my skills to the test and grow from it in the process,” says Patrick, Bachelor student at the TUM Campus Heilbronn who joined the challenge last year. His friend Nicola agrees: “I liked the idea of gaining insights on the formation of a startup and the difficulties that might arise within the process.” The challenge both of them worked on, although in different teams: making business travel more environmentally friendly, initiated by GreenCycle. Johannes, who also joined the challenge, remembers his first thoughts about the task: “Our challenge was to find a solution to reduce CO2 emissions in business travel. It was quite tricky to find a way to do so without hurting the interests of the company. However, because of that we were able to get great insights into how business travel works and how to solve a problem that seems unsolvable at first.” In the end, Patrick says, his team found a great solution: “We prototyped an app that would make the process of booking a company car much smoother and more transparent than before, so you would for example easily know how much CO2 you would emit. We also integrated a way to enable employees to have a voice in the CSR projects of the company.” “Seeing the result of your hard work come to life is an amazing experience,” says Johannes, who particularly enjoyed working on the prototype for the challenge. When asked about their favorite part of the challenge both Patrick and Nicola agree that they enjoyed their team’s energy, productivity, and learning curve the most. Looking back, all three of them cherished the value the challenge had for their studies: “While working on our project, I frequently realized how the topics of our classes came up in those ‘real business’ situations. Even better, the knowledge I gained helped me a lot in my second semester because lectures like Entrepreneurship, Ethics, or Cost Accounting were closely related to what I had already experienced during the challenge,” says Nicola. “We did use some of the instruments in practice that we later learned the deeper purpose of in our lectures. Studying them became much easier by having the practical background from the challenge,” adds Johannes. For Patrick the challenge definitely further strengthened his interest in entrepreneurship: “The challenge can certainly give you a first, hands-on impression of what it feels like to work on an idea and to realize that idea together with your team. This can help in deciding whether such a path is suitable for you – it definitely is for me!”

Find out more about this year’s challenge!

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