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Know Yourself. See the World. Lead with Impact.
Attention
This seminar is your space to grow as a founder and entrepreneurial leader. Over the winter term, you will travel from Münster to Harvard and back to Potsdam, work on your own Personal Leadership Challenge and experience firsthand the global context in which digital ventures are built and regulated. The seminar is both a personal journey and a window into the world: it helps you understand your own strengths and identity, brings you face to face with policymakers, executives and entrepreneurs, and equips you with the leadership tools to make your venture last
Term(s)
Winter Term 2026/27
Time investment
90 hours in total | 2 SWS
ECTS
3
Module type
Compulsory elective module
Module selection at HPI
HPI MA and HPI BA.
Ph.D. students can participate without performance recording and receive a certificate.
Grades
Yes
Enrollment deadline
23.08.2026
Teaching format
Block seminar with an online kickoff and three sessions in Münster, Cambridge (USA) and Potsdam
Teaching language
English
Registration requirements and link
Via CAS
Fee
None
Team budget
Travel funding: Up to €750 per participant
HPI Founder Scholarship
Participants
Maximum number of Participants
10 HPI students (plus 10 students from the University of Münster)
Room (Location)
Zoom; University of Münster; Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, USA; Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam
Key dates
24.08.2026 | 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm via Zoom
Kickoff Call
01.10.2026 and 02.10.2026 | 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Session in Münster
09.10.2026 to 11.10.2026
German American Conference in Cambridge, USA
03.12.2026 and 04.12.2026 | 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Final Presentations in Potsdam
Learning and Teaching Methods
Discover your leadership potential as a founder in an international seminar connecting the University of Münster, Harvard Kennedy School, and Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI).
Join up to 20 students from HPI and the University of Münster to develop your entrepreneurial leadership skills, explore your founder identity, and experience one of the world's leading startup ecosystems.
No leadership experience required!
Basic knowledge of entrepreneurship or management is helpful but not necessary.
Travel funding:
Participants receive up to €750, which has covered basic travel costs for previous cohorts.
What Will You Learn
Digital entrepreneurs operate at the intersection of technology, business, and society. This seminar helps you discover your leadership strengths, understand global startup challenges, and develop your entrepreneurial identity through theory, feedback, and practical self-reflection.
Why Join?
Combining leadership development, international exposure, and entrepreneurial self-discovery, this seminar prepares aspiring founders to navigate the challenges of building and leading digital ventures.
■ 01
A block seminar that takes you to three cities: Münster, Cambridge and Potsdam.
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Direct exposure to policymakers, executives and entrepreneurs at the German American Conference at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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A personal leadership challenge grounded in feedback from your own network.
■ 04
Firsthand insights into the Cambridge innovation ecosystem, one of the leading startup environments worldwide.
■ 05
Interdisciplinary exchange with students from HPI and the University of Münster.
■ 06
Travel funding of up to €750 that covers the basic costs of the journey.
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The assessment is based on your Personal Leadership Challenge and consists of two components:
1. Personal Leadership Development Project Paper / 50% of your final grade
Date: tbd
An essay about your personal leadership challenge (max. 15 pages).
2. Personal Leadership Development Presentation / 50% of your final grade
Date: 03.12.2026 and 04.12.2026
A final presentation of 15 minutes about your personal leadership challenge.
The exact requirements and assessment criteria will be announced at the beginning of the course.
Week 1
Day 1
24.08.2026, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Session 0 | Kickoff Call
Course structure and grading, introduction to the German American Conference
Location: Zoom
Week 2
Day 2
01.10.2026 and 02.10.2026, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Session 1 | Who am I as a founder?
Leadership and entrepreneurship theories, introduction to the Personal Leadership Challenge
Location: University of Münster, Münster
Week 3
Day 3
09.10.2026 to 11.10.2026
Session 2 | Global Entrepreneurial Context
Participation in the German American Conference at the Harvard Kennedy School, visit of the Cambridge innovation ecosystem
Location: Cambridge, USA
Week 4
Day 4
03.12.2026 and 04.12.2026, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Session 3 | Reflection
Final presentations of the Personal Leadership Challenge
Location: Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam
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Requirements
Program Structure
Data Rights
Delmar, F., & Davidsson, P. (2000). Where do they come from? Prevalence and characteristics of nascent entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 12(1).
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2).
Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Making fast strategic decisions in high velocity environments. Academy of Management Journal, 32(3).
Kuhnert, K. W., & Lewis, P. (1987). Transactional and transformational leadership: A constructive/developmental analysis. Academy of Management Review, 12(4).
Sarasvathy, S. D. (2001). Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of Management Review, 26(2).
Tushman, M. L., & O'Reilly, C. A., III (1996). Ambidextrous organizations: Managing evolutionary and revolutionary change. California Management Review, 38(4).
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