My ambition was simple: to become more deliberate in how I evaluate opportunities, support founders and structure early-stage growth – and to learn from people with different experiences and viewpoints.
1. What inspired you to join this programme, and what did you hope to achieve?
I joined the Entrepreneurship: New Business Ventures programme at a point where I was involved in developing several organisations in parallel. I wanted to step back, challenge my own assumptions, and sharpen the way I work with new business creation. My ambition was simple: to become more deliberate in how I evaluate opportunities, support founders and structure early-stage growth – and to learn from people with different experiences and viewpoints.
2. In what ways has the programme shifted your perspective or influenced your approach to work?
The programme strengthened my belief that entrepreneurship is not about big gestures, but about disciplined learning. The combination of research-based frameworks, practical cases delivered by experienced founders and peer discussions helped me refine how I move from idea to validated business model. Today, I work with a clearer focus on testing assumptions early, reducing complexity and building momentum through small but meaningful decisions. It has made my conversations with leadership teams more focused and my guidance more grounded.
3. Which aspects of the experience stood out most for you (faculty, peers, content, format)?
What stood out for me was the learning atmosphere. The mix of experienced faculty, honest contributions from participants and a format that encouraged real dialogue created a strong foundation for reflection. Heinrich and his team brought an energy and openness to the room that made it easy to challenge one’s thinking in a constructive way. It felt less like a classroom and more like a group of people genuinely trying to understand how to build better companies.
4. Can you describe a moment or insight that particularly resonated with you?
One insight that has stayed with me is the realisation that a new venture is not defined by the idea or the technology itself, but by the people who bring it to life — and by how well they work together. The programme reinforced that every venture is a set of hypotheses about value, behaviour and capability, but it also highlighted that these hypotheses only become meaningful when they are connected to the people who will benefit from the solution. For me, the true leadership challenge is creating the conditions where talented people align around a shared purpose, collaborate openly and translate a concept into real value for real users. This perspective has influenced how I evaluate early-stage opportunities and how I support teams in focusing on what truly matters.
5. Would you recommend this programme to others? If so, what makes it meaningful to you?
I would gladly recommend this programme. It offers a rare combination of structure, honesty and global perspectives. It pushes experienced leaders to rethink entrepreneurship without losing their own identity or judgement. For me, it has added clarity to my work and broadened my professional community. And despite the short timeframe, the week created strong connections with people from all over the world that I continue to learn from.
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