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Entrepreneurship and start-up management (BWiWi 2.7)

Submodules

Lecture "Entrepreneurship, founding and growth"

 

Exercise "Case studies on start-up management"

 

Sub-module 1: Entrepreneurship, founding and growth

The lecture aims to provide students and those interested in founding a company with knowledge relevant to start-ups as well as specific skills and techniques for evaluating start-up projects. For example, students will be shown entrepreneurial ways of thinking and acting that qualify them to identify, structure and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities. At the end of the course, each student should be able to pursue their own entrepreneurial project (social or commercial) - both theoretically and practically. In addition, growth opportunities for the start-up projects should also be identified.

The lecture aims to provide students and those interested in founding a company with knowledge relevant to start-ups as well as specific skills and techniques for evaluating start-up projects. For example, students should be shown entrepreneurial ways of thinking and acting that qualify them to identify, structure and evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities. At the end of the course, each student should be able - theoretically and practically - to pursue their own entrepreneurial project (social or commercial). In addition, growth opportunities for the start-up projects should also be identified.

The theories presented in the course will be explained and illustrated using practical examples. The content focuses on the following topics:

  • The entrepreneurial personality - entrepreneurial approaches to thinking and acting
  • The many facets of entrepreneurship (e.g. start-ups in the social and cultural sector, sustainable entrepreneurship, university entrepreneurship, corporate entrepreneurship)
  • Entrepreneurship as a process of discovering and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities
  • Detailed analysis and structuring of entrepreneurial opportunities (business model canvas, lean start-up method)
  • Aspects of marketing young companies
  • Building an entrepreneurial team
  • Financing options for young companies (classic and modern financing alternatives)
  • Various growth strategies

 

 

Lecturer: Prof. Dr Christine Volkmann

Proof of performance: 6 LP

Dates: Held in the summer semester.

Sub-module 2: Case studies on start-up management

The aim of the case study exercise is to develop a deeper understanding of entrepreneurship on the basis of practical examples and at the same time to learn helpful knowledge and useful skills in an action-orientated way, for example by teaching techniques for drawing up and evaluating business plans under guidance. Case studies from various sectors or industries and specialisation areas are worked on, e.g. business model development, start-up financing (VC financing, mezzanine forms of financing, bank and subsidy financing), start-up marketing (market research, target group selection, creation of marketing plans, guerrilla marketing, pricing) and start-up funding (funding mix). Students apply various business analysis and evaluation methods that have been adapted or developed specifically for the context of business start-ups. These include, for example, discounted cash flow methods, Opportunity Diamond, Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas, Porter's Five Forces, SWOT analyses, venture screening and zero-based budgeting. The course repeatedly establishes reflexive bridges to entrepreneurship theory and thus helps to better recognise the analytical and practical value of good theories.

Lecturer: Dr Kazem Mochkabadi

Effort: 3 LP

Dates: Thursday, 16:00 - 18:00 (weekly)

Start of course: 30.10.2025

Room: M.12.22