Immersion in San Francisco | Executive MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The international immersion is an essential part of the Executive MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation – and has always been a real highlight of the program. The curriculum extends well beyond the walls of the classroom. In the course of program, you will complete an international immersion in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley, USA.

The study trip brings theory and practice together in an international context. It provides students with special insight into both the American way of doing business and of pushing innovation as well as the energizing startup scene of the San Francisco Bay Area. Lectures and workshops take place at renowned institutions such as the Stanford University. In the past, many leading international researchers in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation gave exclusive lectures to our MBA participants. Among them were Prof. Eric von Hippel (MIT Sloan School of Management) and Prof. Karim Lakhani (HBS), to name only two. For additional networking opportunities, the international immersion takes place together with the MBA Marketing & Sales students.

Gaining an understanding of the specifics of the American “culture of success” is highly interesting, especially for European entrepreneurs. Therefore, our MBA students meet with founders of start-ups and spin-offs, innovation leaders, as well as with venture capitalists. Exchanging experiences with successful entrepreneurs and experts, provides students with a valuable opportunity to gain input on how to approach professional challenges and makes it also possible for them to identify similarities and differences between the US and their own business environments. Recently, we have visited companies such as Salesforce, Formlabs, or the German Accelerator.

Visits to specialized academic facilities such as Stanford University round out the international immersion. Other highlights include campus tours and social activities. The international immersion is not only a great learning experience but also a lot of fun.

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