Start-up spirit Saar / Unternehmergeist Saar

The digital transformation and the associated technological progress offer enormous opportunities and challenges. In view of rapidly changing markets, the question arises as to how these new opportunities can be recognised and realised. Entrepreneurs in particular are predestined to take advantage of these opportunities due to their flexibility and strategic orientation. This both theoretical and practical course provides an overview of the various methods and strategies in the start-up process and how these can be utilised to establish themselves in the market.

Start-up spirit Saar / Unternehmergeist Saar is a talent-centered program to discover, activate and coach the next generation of entrepreneurial personalities. The program takes a skills-based approach to unlocking the entrepreneurial potential in people from diverse backgrounds. The course is conducted in collaboration with the August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute.

Upon successful completion, students will be able to (1) form solution-orientated teams within use cases, (2) explore the market, (3) generate business models and (4) conduct pitches.

This course is intended for Master students.

Organizational details

Date: Summer semester 2024
Degree courses: Master level
Scope: 4 SWS/6 CPs
Exam: Project work (Demo day presentation)
Date: Wednesday from 17:00 - 18:30 (lecture) & Friday from 14:00 - 15:00 (tutorial)

Start: May 29th, 2024
Location: tbd.
Contact person: benedikt.schnellbaecher(at)uni-saarland.de
Registration deadline: May 12th, 2024
For the registration please send an email with your CV to the email address above with your name, student ID number (Matrikelnummer) AND register at the website of the collaboration partner AWSI (please click here).

Learning objectives

After attending the Entrepreneurship module, participants have gained insights into the topics of team building; market evaluation; digital business models; prototyping and start-up pitches.  Furthermore, students are given the opportunity to acquire skills in the areas of team management, time management and project management through interdisciplinary teamwork.

Literature (extract)

  • Duening, T. N., Hisrich, R. A., and M. A. Lechter 2020. Technology Entrepreneurship: Taking Innovation to the Marketplace. Academic Press.
  • Evers, N., Cunningham, J., and Hoholm, T. 2017. Technology Entrepreneurship: Bringing Innovation to the Marketplace. Red Globe Pres
  • Foegen, M., und Kaczmarek, C. 2019. Organisation in einer digitalen Zeit: Ein Buch für die Gestaltung von reaktionsfähigen und schlanken Organisationen mit Hilfe von skalierten Agile & Lean-Mustern. wibas.
  • Foegen, M., Battenfeld, J., Croome, D., Dorn, M. and Gansser, S. 2014. Scrum Guide 2.0. wibas.
  • Hoffmeister, C. 2017. Digital Business Modelling: Digitale Geschäftsmodelle entwickeln und strategisch verankern. Carl Hanser Verlag.
  • Wagner, D., J. 2018. Digital Leadership - Kompetenzen – Führungsverhalten – Umsetzungsempfehlungen. Springer Gabler.