MIT Global Startup Lab finally back in Regensburg

• Informatics and Data Science

MIT experts teaching Regensburg University students

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24 August 2023

The summer term with all its lectures, classes and other events is over, but that does not at all mean there are no exciting teaching activities on the campus of the University of Regensburg. One example is the MIT Global Startup Lab (https://gsl.mit.edu) block course, which has just ended successfully. Based on a  bilateral agreement between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Regensburg (UR) we have welcomed guests  from the MIT Business School on campus since 2017. In a six-week block course, students from the University of Regensburg are equipped here with all the skills they need to develop an idea from the initial brainstorms to the financing of their own start-up.
 

After the corona-related break from 2020 to 2022, Sean Zhang and Ethan You were guests at UR this year. In addition to their MBA degrees from MIT, both have many years of experience in the financial sector and beyond, including at PIMCO, EY, Morgan Stanley and PlayStation. Ten students of media informatics and information science (bachelor's and master's students as well as doctoral students) accepted the challenge and worked in small teams to systematically develop their own idea. Several weekly seminars focused on entrepreneurship, communication and finance. There were also other activities, such as a visit to the TechBase with an inspiring talk by Alexander Meisel from dissecto GmbH, who shared his personal experiences of founding and running his own start-ups with the participants. Dr Raphael Wimmer was indispensable for the diverse programme with his commitment and networking in the TechBase and beyond. On the last day, the participants presented the concepts they had developed on the so-called "Demo Day". The spectrum ranged from "greenAI", the intelligent management of solar energy collected in one's own home, to the "Automatic Grocery Scanner", which takes the concept of the intelligent supermarket a step further, to the "Athletes Hub", which makes it possible to arrange for athletes to compete together, even if they are not in the same place. 

Ethan You, Prof. Dr. Udo Kruschwitz and Sean Zhang. © Sean Zhang

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Prof. Dr. Udo Kruschwitz, Chair of Information Science and now part of the new Faculty of Informatics and Data Science (FIDS), took over the overall management this year. His conclusion: "I am thrilled about what is possible here in Regensburg. The fact that the university has a long-standing, multi-faceted agreement with MIT is of course an important pillar. But it is equally important to have students who are enthusiastic, who have the necessary skills, and who then excel in teamwork. I'm already looking forward to continuing this next year." In his role as FIDS Internationalisation Officer, he emphasises the importance of bringing the ambitious internationalisation strategies of the university and faculty to life: "Many talk about internationalisation. We live it. The MIT Global Startup Lab is one piece in the big puzzle. And internationalisation comes in many forms and shapes. This summer, for example, three MIT bachelor's students in computer science are also completing a research internship with us at the department. They will be with us until the end of August, and they are already involved in the chair's activities as if they had always been here."