Entrepreneurial Realities (TUM Venture Labs)

This week's episode is our end-of-the-year-special: Antoine discusses with Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Professor at Harvard Business School, on the concept of disruptive innovation formalised by  Pr Clayton M. Christensen and the implications for today's start-ups as well as established companies.

Welcome to the third season of Entrepreneurial Realities, the podcast for startup founders at the Munich Technical University. Our guest today is Michael Eckhardt, Chairman of the Chasm Institute, a high-tech consulting firm founded by Geoffrey Moore, author of the classic book "Crossing the Chasm." Michael is a highly experienced entrepreneur and advisor to companies in the technology industry. In this episode, we will discuss the key challenges and opportunities facing startup founders today, as well as strategies for successfully navigating the early stages of a startup's development. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to succeed in the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship. So, sit back, relax, and join us as we explore the realities of starting and growing a business with Michael Eckhardt.

We are joined today by three AI luminaries from the Technical University of Munich: Professors Daniel Cremers, Stephan Günnemann, and Reinhard Heckel.

These distinguished scholars aren't just leading prestigious academic chairs at TUM—they're actively shaping the business landscape through their entrepreneurial ventures.

Join us for a fascinating conversation as they share their unique perspectives on AI DeepTech entrepreneurship, bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world innovation.

In this week's episode, Antoine and Christos, MD TUM Venture Labs Built Environment, meet Dénes Honus, a serial entrepreneur and currently Chief Commercial Officer of metr Building Management Systems. Together, they elaborate on the importance of built environment for societal challenges and the corresponding megatrends that shape the industry.

Please meet Kevin Berghoff.

Kevin is the CEO of Quantum Diamonds and an Alumni of the team of the Venture Labs.

Discover Quantum Diamonds's technology and projects. But more importantly, do hear how they are transforming DeepTech research from Munich's Technical University into a leading player in the global semiconductor industry.

Three TUM Venture Labs. One shared mission.

In this episode, we dive into the Life Science Cluster at TUM Venture Labs – and explore how they are redefining their role within the biotech ecosystem with Maria Sievert, MD of the Healthcare Venture Lab, Sabine Oldemeyer, OD of the ChemSPACE Venture Lab and Roman Werner, MD of the AgriFood & Biotech Venture lab.

Discover how close collaboration across multiple TUM Venture Labs creates a unique support system for life science innovators – from the first idea to a successful startup.

We also discuss what defines a true life science entrepreneur, why this field is both incredibly exciting and highly complex, and what structures and offerings are needed to thrive in such an environment.

Whether it is biotechnology, medtech, or digital health – this episode highlights how bold visions turn into real impact through deep expertise, interdisciplinary networks, and entrepreneurial drive.

Join us this week with Katrin Redmann, the COO of SAP Paris, as she shares insights tailored for first-time entrepreneurs like YOU. Hosted by Svenja Enchelmaier, dive into topics from unearthing your motivation, resilience in entrepreneurship, to the transformative power of female networks and the magic of teamwork in innovation. Kickstart your entrepreneurial journey with a dose of real-world wisdom! 🚀🎧 #EmpowerHer #InnovationAtHeart #MunichTechEntrepreneurs

Please meet Vladimir Keil, CEO and co-Founder of AskLio.

Vladimir is a serial entrepreneur whose latest startup, Asklio, is an AI powered procurement assistant. Asklio is a proud Y-Combinator Alumni and has strong momentum.

Join us to understand Vladimir's business philosophy and particularly why increasing the number satisfied customers is addicitive.

Welcome back to Season 2 of Entreprneurial Realities! In this week's episode, Antoine meets Flora Geske, the CEO and Co-Founder of SUMM, and Miloš Zlatković, CEO and Founder of Mily Technologies. Flora and Miloš talk about their journey from their first idea to successfully aquire first paying customers.

Daniel Garnitz is the Co-Founder and CEO of FAAREN, a Wurzburg-based provider of solutions to enable car dealers to offer car subscriptions to their customers.

FAAREN was founded three years ago. They recently closed a significant funding round which values them in the double digits range. Daniel talks about the fundraising process, which was not an easy one, and presents valuable insights, lessons learned, and best practices for founders:

• The power of teams
• The need for resiliency
• Not over-engineering your MVP
• The value of sound domain knowledge
• and how his work as a founder has evolved

In this compelling episode of Entrepreneurial Realities, host Antoine delves into the world of healthcare innovation with esteemed guests Marina Leonie Moskvina and Dominik Pförringer. Join them as they explore the exciting realm of (digital) innovation in healthcare and shed light on the entrepreneurial endeavours that are shaping the future of the industry.

Marina Leonie Moskvina, Operating Director of TUM Venture Labs - Healthcare, and Dominik Pförringer, Academic Director of TUM Venture Labs - Healthcare and Medical Director of the University Hospital of TUM, bring their extensive expertise to the table. Together with Antoine, they embark on an insightful journey to uncover the latest trends, challenges and transformative technologies that are revolutionising healthcare.

Throughout this episode, Marina, Dominik and Antoine navigate a wide range of fascinating topics. They delve into the latest digital innovations and the influential role of artificial intelligence in reshaping the healthcare landscape. With a focus on visionary ideas and entrepreneurial ventures, they explore how entrepreneurs are driving change and transforming the industry.

Listen as the guests share compelling stories of successful healthcare startups, emphasising the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial mindset within the industry. They highlight the key role of academic institutions such as TUM Venture Labs in nurturing and supporting budding entrepreneurs. They also shed light on the unique challenges and opportunities specific to healthcare entrepreneurship.

For the first time since many years we are in an economic downturn. This could be due to many reasons: Interest rates are rising, uncertainties in Supply Chain, the war in Ukraine, ... but whatever, this is likely to be the first time that young entrepreneurs will face such a situation. 

This will impact both existing funded startups which will need to plan for uncertainty and not growth at all costs and non-funded ones will find it more difficult to raise. 

To make sense of this situation, Antoine Leboyer Leboyer interviews Andreas Goeldi, Partner at Btov Partners, who wrote in Medium: The 10 mistakes most founders make in a downturn to help our listeners step back and make the right decisions in the current situation.

Please meet Paul Graham, Vice President of Customer Centric Innovation at Mastercard Europe.

In today’s episode, Paul will share his insights on Mastercard’s collaborations with startups, highlighting the innovative strides in the payment sector.

With a wealth of experience, he’ll discuss Mastercard’s strategies for nurturing startup relationships and delve into the evolving landscape of financial technologies and offer valuable recommendations for startups aiming to succeed in this dynamic field.

Tune in to gain expert perspectives on making the most out of these collaborations, essential listening for entrepreneurs and innovators from Munich and beyond, eager to make their mark in the business world.

In a recent edition, the Economist identified Tracking Space Debris as a fast growing business.

In this interview, we hear from Luisa Buinhas, Christoph Bamann and Stefan Frey, the three founders of Vyoma who are developing innovative solutions to tackle this topic. In detail, we hear the three founders, how they met, gained their domain expertise, and raised funding.

In this episode, Jan Goetz, CEO and Co-Founder of IQM Quantum Computers is interviewed by Antoine to discuss the huge opportunities opended by Quantum Computing, IQM's latest raise and the challenges and opportunities of having such a Venture in Europe. 

In this week's episode, Antoine talks to Rafael Laguna de la Vera, Co-Founder, and Director of the federal agency SPRIND. 

SPRIND is a German civil version of the US agency DARPA which focuses on helping local founders to achieve ambitious disrupting innovations.

In this week's episode, Antoine meets Jochen Engert, Co-Founder and CEO at FlixMobility. Antoine and Jochen are talking about the story of Flixmobility to becoming a dominant player in Germany before going abroad to evolve into a global leader.

In today's episode, Antoine meets Markos Kern, a serial entrepreneur, CEO of LYMB.iO, and co-founder of Civil Relief Munich. He tells us about his newest organization (Civil Relief Munich), which he co-founded to help thousands of people who had to fly due to the war in their home country. Three weeks after its creation, Civic Relief Munich has gathered a permanent team of 80 volunteers and 1,000 drivers to safely organize transportation from the Ukrainian Polish border to Germany. Around 1000 refugees have been transported to Munich as well as directly paired with host families with the best possible match.

Details and information is at Civil Relief Convoy Munich | Linktree.

You can donate at Help & donate to Ukraine - Civil Relief Munich.

This is an amazing and inspiring story which illustrates that the principles of entrepreneurship can bring the best of us during the most difficult of the times.

We are joined this week by Julien Weissenberg.

Julien is Zurich based and the founder of Deep Tech Experts. He is also playing an active role with leading organisations such as the World Economic Forum and Inno-Suisse.

More importantly, he is working with many Swiss leading VCs and Innovation Agencies as the expert they call to assess the quality of the technology of AI startups they want to invest in.

... So he is really someone you want to be asked to meet.

Please meet David Oldeen.

David is the CEO of Co-founder of Sizekick. His startup uses AI to enable e-commerce customers to validate that the clothes they are buying are of the right size so as to reduce costly and environment-unfriendly returns.

Discover his journey, why he had an unusual but very apt source of financing for his startup, where they are and how they are expanding.

This is our first episode straight from the Valley with Rocky Yu entrepreneur, VC and now founder of Hillsborough AGI House.

Do not miss our discussion to understand why AGI House is such a powerhouse, how the AI opportunity is evolving, why the Valley is so special for Entrepreneurship and what we have to do in Munich.

On this week’s podcast, Antoine interviews Ravi Venkatesan. Ravi was last on this podcast on episode #14 as the founder of GAME (Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship to illustrate how entrepreneurship can be a force for social good.

Ravi is not here in his new capacity as Chairman of The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, he is back this week to speak about his latest book: “What the Heck do I do with my life ?” and how its lessons can be of value for entrepreneurs.

In this captivating episode, Antoine Leboyer, MD of the SW/AI TUM Venture Lab, engages in a thought-provoking discussion with esteemed sociologist Jacy Reese Anthis, founder of the Sentience Institute.

Join them as they unravel the complexities surrounding AI, diving into the realms of ethics, regulation, and innovative business models. From exploring the societal impact of AI to dissecting the challenges of regional regulations and the evolving landscape of AI startups, this conversation offers valuable insights for entrepreneurs navigating the AI revolution. Tune in for a captivating exploration of the ethical, regulatory, and business aspects of unleashing AI.

Please meet Jonathan Lowenhar.

Jonathan lives in California based. He has been an executive in large organisations, a Private Equity investor and a repeat founder.

He has since started Enjoy the work where, not unlike what we do at the Venture Lab, he supports founders in all aspects of their entrepreneurial journey.

“Everything is relative in the startup world” - Dr. Marcus Erken 🔊 This week's episode of the TUM Venture Labs podcast features investor and entrepreneur Dr. Marcus Erken. Marcus is a co-founder and managing partner of Sunfish Partners, an early-stage deep tech VC based in #Warsaw and #Berlin. Together with Jan Mittendorf they speak about the challenges of setting up a VC fund and the investment focus of Sunfish Partners the peculiarity of the startup ecosystem in Warsaw and the differences with Munich the change in the investment climate in 2022 the biggest challenges of deep-tech founders

Join me In this episode where we discuss with Matthias Röder, CEO of the Karajan Institute.

In this fascinating interview, we discuss his work, how artists can embrace technology and particularly AI to enhance their creativity, classical music and entrepreneurship.

For our first interview, we are joined by Herbert Mangesius , founding partner of Munich-based VC Vsquared.

Herbert is a TUM CDTM Alumni who has very significant expertise and experience in Deeptech investing.

He speaks about various topics, from becoming a Venture Capitalist, on the challenges and opportunities of investing on Deeptech in Germany and why he recommends students consider entrepreneurship.

The next MUC.XYC conference will be held November 9th at the Munich Urban Colab in partnership with the TUM Venture Lab.  This is a special episode where we interview the organisers of this conference: Daniel Kliche, Anton Hiller,  Dirk Stauder and Christoph Langewisch. And we hope you can all join us on November 9th.

Please meet Simon Sagmeister.

Simon is the lead in the TUM Autonomous Motorsport project.

Simon and his exceptional team have consistently dominated the Autonomous Challenge, outperforming 20 elite universities from across the globe.

Discover the unique constraints and cutting-edge solutions behind developing high-performance autonomous racing software. Simon reveals how his team pushes the boundaries of AI and software engineering to achieve victory on the track.

A must-listen for automotive enthusiasts, software developers, and anyone fascinated by the future of autonomous technology.

Welcome to a very Special Episode:

Harvard Business School Professor Andy Wu⁠ and Antoine Leboyer step back from the events of the last days with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman being fired and joining, along with a likely high number of OpenAI employees and discuss on a big variety of topics: Non profit and for profit board, what this means for the industry, what this means for Microsoft, ...

In anticipation of the MUC.XYZ, we interview Annette Doms, founder of MUC/labs, and one of the world best authority on NFT and Web 3 opportunities.

Please meet Pablo Palafox.

He is the CEO and Co-founder of HappyRobot, one of the most successful TUM Software and AI Venture Lab Alumni.

Discover his experience of going to the US, doing a major Pivot and reaping the benefits of focusing with intensity on a very specific problem for the freight industry in the US.

In this week's episode, Antoine meets Patrick Strunkmann-Meister, the Founder and CEO of BAO. Patrick tells about his experiences as an XPRENEURS mentor and tips on how young founders can identify the true value of their technical solutions and convince potential customers.

This week's TUM Venture Labs podcast features two inspiring guests from Infineon: Nico Kelling, Head of AI Center of Excellence, and Lamin Ben-Hamdane, Head of Start-up cooperations.

Together with Antoine, we deep-dived into:

• Infineon’s Digital Agenda
• the vast potential of AI for the semiconductor industry
• how innovation cooperation works for the benefit of both: start-ups and Infineon!

Peter Raulerson is a former SW CEO - Technology Consultant. He has worked on a large number of engagements related to Go-to-Market redesigns for HW and SW Companies.

Along with former Plantronics Europe GM Jean-Claude Malraison and Antoine Leboyer, Current MD of the TUM Venture Lab for Software and AI, he has co-written Building Routes to Customers: Proven Strategies for Profitable Growth.

One of the cornerstones of the book is the framework developed by Goeffrey Moore in Crossing the Chasm which explains the various stages through which new technologies go through to be adopted by consumers.

Peter gives an introduction to this framework which is fundamental for Technology Entrepreneurs.

In this week's episode, Antoine meets Florian Scherl, founder of FAST AI Movies. Florian founded his company while being 17years old and still being a pupil. Florian takes us on his journey of how he learned coding identified the opportunity for FAST AI Movies, but also of the importance of intensely listening to what your customers want.

Join Antoine as he engages in a captivating conversation with Simon Greenman, an AI expert with a passion for pushing the boundaries of technology. Simon, a Partner at Best Practice AI and a Global AI Council member at the World Economic Forum, shares his deep insights into the world of AI and its transformative potential. From his co-founding role at MapQuest to his expertise in generative AI, Simon's expertise will leave you inspired and enlightened. Tune in to this episode of "Entrepreneurial Realities" to explore the exciting possibilities of AI with Simon Greenman.

We are back from our short break: Antoine Leboyer and Roman Werner, the MD of our FAB Venture Lab, discuss with Judith Camarcat, VC Associate at Five Season Ventures, the latest trends, and challenges in Food Tech. In their exciting discussion, they cover the topic from a business as well as a research angle and especially spotlight the DACH market.

To reinvent urban mobility Pascal Blum and his Co-Founders developed electric mopeds and founded their own company, unu motors. In this week’s episode, Pascal and Antoine discuss unu’s path to a successful startup and its challenges along the way.

For this end of year 2023, Antoine Leboyer receives Leon Merkel, Founder and CEO of Bumpee.

Leon is one of the rare entrepreneurs who have already sold their startups. This is a rare experience. Do hear our discussion on the lessons of this great adventure.

In this week's episode, Antoine discusses with Nicolas Kozakiewicz, Chief Innovation Officer of Worldline, the hype and reality of the Blockchain. Therefore, they elaborate on the technology's primary use cases, the chances, and their limitations.

This is a crucial episode of Entrepreneurial Realities for all startups we work with at TUM. They are very strong on technology but lack marketing experience and sensitivity but need to gain visibility and market insight to get prospects and clients.

This is a similar experience I went through personally in my former company. The person who helped us overcome this challenge and build a fantastic Marketing Engine is Meryll Moreau, my former VP of Marketing.

Meryll gives us an excellent overview of Marketing for startups which is simply essential listening for every Tech Entrepreneur.

Do not miss this podcast which will ensure you will understand the principles of Marketing for Tech Startups, how to implement them practically and how to get your startups to progress.

Entrepreneurial Realities, listen to Mark Gazeki, a serial entrepreneur and angel investor, to start the year. Mark talks about his lessons learned during the founding and scaling companies and his tips for other founders.

In this week's episode, Jan Mittendorf meets Zied Bahrouni, the CEO and Co-Founder of Motius. Zied and Jan talk about the challenges many deep tech founders face and how Zied came from working at BMW and founding a company to starting his own venture fund Spacewalk.

Welcome to another episode of Entrepreneurial Realities! Today, we're joined by Meg Langan, a seasoned professional with a diverse background in commercial and investment banking, as well as biotech and software startups. Based in New York, Meg brings a unique perspective to the table as we delve into the latest developments at Silicon Valley Bank. During our conversation with Meg, we'll be exploring the past, present, and future of the banking sector, and discussing what this means - or doesn't mean - for the world of startups. From her wealth of experience, Meg shares insights and assessments that are sure to be valuable to anyone interested in the intersection of finance and entrepreneurship. So sit back, relax, and let's dive into this fascinating conversation!

Please join us in our discussion with Bernhard Neumann.

Bernhard is a dear friend and a brand strategist whose recent work focuses on the concept of personal branding. We discuss why this really matters and particularly for younger entrepreneurs and is part of their journey.

This week's TUM Venture Labs podcast features the winners of the TUM.ai Makeathon.

As a Munich-based student initiative, TUM.ai aims to have a positive impact through combining AI with entrepreneurship including their Makeathons and projects such as TUM.ai Entrepreneurship Lab in Ghana. In this episode, we talked about the exciting combination of Venture and AI, as well as the Makeathon, AI4Good, and other projects of TUM.ai with Nils Jacobsen (Team Cabalytics), Sebastian Wilhelm (Team Cabalytics), David Podolskyi (AI4Good Organizer, TUM.ai), Ekin Karabulut (Makeathon Lead, TUM.ai)!

For the 50th Episode of the series, we do not have a guest.

This podcast is the audio of a conference I did at the Global Tech Shapers on Mental Health and Entrepreneurship.

It is a "first person testimony" of my personal journey as a founder and the mental health struggles I had to face: I was diagnosed with PTSD.

My objective is to describe what happened to me but beyond this, also give hints on how to cope with this problem.

At TUM , I meet many remarquable young founders who are under huge stress. This is very common to many of them. And this episode and all what we do at the Venture Lab is for them.

In this episode of "Entrepreneurial Realities," host Antoine sits down with Morra Aarons-Mele, a renowned workplace mental health speaker, entrepreneur, and host of the Anxious Achiever podcast. Join the conversation as they delve into the challenges faced by anxious entrepreneurs and explore strategies for not just surviving, but thriving as an entrepreneur with anxiety. Morra shares her expertise on navigating the pressures, self-doubt, and emotional hurdles that come with the entrepreneurial journey, providing valuable insights and practical advice for anxious achievers in the business world. Discover how embracing your unique qualities can be an asset and learn actionable tips for achieving success while taking care of your mental well-being. Don't miss this engaging discussion on entrepreneurship, anxiety, and the path to fulfillment and achievement.

Dive into the extraordinary journey of https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexasinyachova/https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexasinyachova/ on this enlightening episode of "Entrepreneurial Realities," presented by Antoine Leboyer, MD of the SW and AI TUM Venture Lab.

 

Alexa, a leading entrepreneur, community builder, and mother, shares her wealth of knowledge and insights from her dynamic career.

 

With her roots in Ukraine, Alexa provides a unique perspective on global entrepreneurship and her efforts to support tech ventures in her home country. As a mother, Alexa showcases how she embraces the beautiful chaos of juggling professional and personal responsibilities, serving as an inspiration to many.

 

Join us for an enlightening conversation filled with inspiration, realities, and lessons from Alexa's life as an entrepreneur, mentor, and mother. Don't miss this incredible episode!

We conclude this 2021 year with a thoughtful interview with Ravi Venkatesan.

On this podcast so far, we have discussed with Entrepreneurs, VCs and Thought leaders to better understand some of the aspects of building companies.

There is another aspect of entrepreneurship which is to be a force for positive societal change.This is for this purpose that Ravi Venkatesan has created India’s Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship.

He is interviewed here by Klaus Liegener from the TUM-Venture Lab Central team.

Entrepreneurial Realities will take a break for the end of year and will be back the second week of January. We wish you wonderful end of year vacations, do recommend that you all get boosted and vaccinated and wish you an entrepreneurial happy new year.

Thanks to Dominik Reuter, for doing an amazing job as producer of the podcast.

Again thanks to the magical pianist Gabriela Montero whose unique fascinating improvisational skills have created the music of the podcast and who, like our guest Ravi Vekatesan, is both an amazing talent and a force for good.

In this session, Dominik Reuter, Operating Director of the Software and AI Venture Lab, welcomes Philipp Gerbert, General Managing Director of the TUM Venture Labs. Philipp introduces the Venture Lab and gives an outlook on the new Podcast: Entrepreneurial Realities.

You can find more information, and contact details for each Venture Lab here: venturelabs.tum.de

Please join us for our end of year podcast, a conversation with Valentin Schelhaas, CEO of Zentor on ... Happiness.

Valentin and I were guests at the first conference on Mental Health and Entrepreneurship where he gave a revealing presentation.

I reached out to him so that we could discuss it in the context of Entrepreneurship to understand if and how entrepreneurs can also be as good on their ventures as to their happiness.

First Momentum Ventures is the first student-run VC fund founded by Sebastian and his co-founders. In this week's session, Antoine and Sebastian are talking about the story and business of First Momentum and what fellow students can learn from it.

Eugene Huang is founder of https://www.prorata.ai/.

I heard of Prorata after listening to legendary investor and entrepreneur Bill Gross at the Munich DLD conference.

Prorata completely changes the concept of intellectual property for Generative AI. It is a radical game changer which I strongly believe will have a systemic impact on stabilising business models for AI applications.

Do listen to what they are doing, GenAI is not going to be the same after.

In this episode, Antoine interviews Bruce Linton, Legendary Canadian CEO and Co-Founder of Canopy Growth, the world largest Cannabis company.

We discuss a wide range of topics that go beyond Canopy Growth, how to grow companies, spot huge disruptions and the coming revolution on psychedelics for mental health treatment. 

Do join me as I discuss with Sebastian Mallaby on the history of Venture Capital.

Sebastian is the writer of the Power Law.

This book which is on recommended list for the lecture I teach at TUM on VCs. It an outstanding analysis of the unique and still misunderstood dynamics of Venture Funding.

It is an absolute must-hear (and the book is a must-read) for all interested in better understanding entrepreneurship.

Do join me in my fascinating conversation with Niclas Molinder.

I met Niclas at the 2024 DLD Munich Conference where he gave a remarquable presentation of creation of music using AI tools.

In addition to his activities as a musician (he has worked with Abba, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga ..), Niclas is also a founder of SessionStudio and has launched CLIP to help creators manage their Intellectual Property.

Together, we discuss on his career but also on how AI is impacting the music industry.

In this episode Antoine meets Gregor Haidl, a Senior Investment Manger at High-Tech Gründersfonds (HTGF) and TUM Alumnus. The HTGF is a German-based VC fund with public and private investors. In their discussion, Antoine and Gregor are talking about the operating model of the HTGF as well as how early-stage teams should engage with their first customer(s) and early adopters.

Harvard Business School Emeritus Professor Bill Sahlman has run several of the most influential classes on Entrepreneurship which have inspired many entrepreneurs worldwide.

His research has had an immense influence. His book on How to write a business plan is a major classic. His case studies are being taught at TUM and in every Entrepreneurial minded university worldwide.

TUM CDTM Professor Hana Milanov teaches several of his cases for this special episode and joins us to interview Professor Sahlman.

Prof. Sahlman discusses entrepreneurship, the importance of hypothesis testing, how entrepreneurship has evolved in the last years, the value of Ventures for social progress, and being financed with VCs.

This is a major episode of our series of Entrepreneurial Realities.

(and since Pr Sahlman refers to the importance of mothers for entrepreneurs, this episode is dedicated to all mothers.)

Join us today for a conversation with Pr Noam Wasserman, Dean of the Yeshiva University, former Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Harvard Business School and writer of The founder's Dilemnas.

Pr Wasserman has done an extensive and regular studies of thousands of startups in IT and Life Science. He takes us through some of the key choices founders face at the very beginning of their startup journeys, from ownership and control to roles and responsibilities and why these are among the biggest challenges founders face.

Join us as we uncover the wisdom and expertise of Professor Wasserman, offering practical advice for aspiring founders, students, and startup enthusiasts alike. Whether you're at the inception of your entrepreneurial dream or seeking to scale your existing venture, this conversation promises to shed light on the intricate web of decisions that can make or break a startup.

Do join my colleague Nic Knapp in our interview with Bernhard Horst, head of the BMW Startup Garage, as we discuss on multiple topics, where innovation in the automotive industry will come from, Startups around the world and how to engage with his organisation.

Please note that we had a few seconds where we were disconnected (around 8:30 ...) but all the rest of the conversation is perfectly audible.

In this week's episode, Antoine meets Andreas Schwarzenbrunner, a Partner at Speedinvest. Andreas introduced Speedinvest and his way from TUM to a VC fund in their discussion. Furthermore, Andreas explained how Speedinvest values early-stage start-ups and added some valuable tips about fundraising.

Bill Reichert is a founder of Garage.com, a legendary Tech investor, and a current partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures.

He is also the writer of the great and essential: "Getting to Wow!" Silicon Valley Pitches Secrets for Entrepreneurs, which is simply the best book I have read to understand how to make a strong pitch to a VC.

He speaks to us from Silicon Valley about how to make a good pitch, the current state of the Venture business, and how Covid has changed investing.

In this week's episode, Antoine meets Mathijs Heutinck, Founder of Venturelytic. Mathijs and Antoine talk about the story of Venturelytic as well as how founders can keep relations with interested VCs.

Of all Early Stage/Deeptech Venture Capital Firms, UVC Partners is unique for us given its proximity to Munich TUM and the impressive set of successful companies they have invested in and supported.

Today, we speak with Andreas Unseld, TUM Alumni and partner at UVC, on a series of topics: how he became a Venture Capitalist, what he is looking for in projects he invests in … and as always, what he is looking for is his advice to students and entrepreneurs.

Music: Gabriela Montero

Andy Wu is Harvard Business School Professor of Strategy with a focus on new technologies.

He also is the holder of multiple patents so in other words, he really has a grasp of strategy and technology.

Join us as we discuss the implications of AI for Businesses, new business models, who are going to be the winners in the new world and what AI startups should take into account ...

One of the many misconceptions on Entrepreneurship is that it is linked with innovation and reserved for brilliant young graduates.

At the Harvard Business School, Professor Royce Yudkoff has done a comprehensive study of different types of entrepreneurs that, at a stage in their career, want to use their experience and position to become entrepreneurs by acquiring an existing company with their means and running it.

Our discussion centers on the dynamics of such a project, the risks, and the returns. The characteristics of these are not so different from other entrepreneurs.

And Royce’s book: HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business is recommended reading to go further.

This is a follow-up to last week's podcast where we interviewed Tom Eisenmann from the Harvard Business School.

In this conclusion of our two-part series, we now turn to Martin Bitzinger. Martin is Group Vice President Product Management at Canadian Telecom Giant Mitel. He is also a TUM Alumni 2001 whose personal story you simply have to hear.

Yes, Entrepreneurship is hard and even the best entrepreneurs have failures and multiple starts, but the real Entrepreneurs learn and restart.

In this week's episode, Antoine meets Fabian Warmdt, the CEO and Co-Founder of Glocally (YC W22). Fabian and Antoine talk about Glocally and Fabian's personal and professional experiences of his time in the Y-Combinator. 

It is not obvious that all Tech Entrepreneurs are charismatic figures like some of the greatest entrepreneurs. Many aspiring students at Munich TUM need some form of encouragement and confidence. Too many believe that their technological prowess is only what they need to succeed on their ventures.

Richard Tedlow is Professor of Business History at the Harvard Business School. Immediately after his first “retirement” from HBS, he joined the Apple University where he stayed until 2018. He is an “emeritus” Professor of both institutions.

He has published several very important History Books: the complex relation between Watson father and son at IBM , the definitive biography of Andy Grove, CEO of Intel and my personal favorite "Denial, Why Business Leaders Fail to Look Facts in the Face--and What to Do About It".

He speaks on his last book: The Emergence of Charismatic Business Leadership and on this podcast, discusses some of the inspiring characteristics of leading entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.

Please meet Raffaela Rein, Entrepreneur, Board member and amongst the most influential women in startups and VC by Startups EU.

We discuss together on her journey, entrepreneurship, B2C versus and B2B and how to foster entrepreneurship in Germany.

We now embark on a two-part series about the challenges of entrepreneurship.

Professor Tom Eisenmann is co-Chair of the Harvard Business School Center of Entrepreneurship.

He recently wrote an important book called Why Startups Fail: A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success, which is an essential complement to the “Lean Startup”.

It looks at ventures which followed this approach and yet failed. It is a fabulous book that reminds us that failure can happen even if you are a hard-working entrepreneur. It helps identify some patterns and also explains how to "fail well" and to restart.

Entrepreneurship is hard, and studying successes and failures is a source of learning and inspiration. This will be the object of next week's podcast so stay tuned.