Benefits
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31st August – 3rd September 2026 | on-site
Attention
The Summer School “How to Be a (Startup) CTO” is an intensive 4-day seminar for master’s students and PHD candidates who want to explore the full role of a Chief Technology Officer in a startup or tech company. Gain a 360° perspective on the technical, strategic, and leadership challenges of modern CTOs.
Term(s)
Time investment
A 4-day intensive block course (corresponds to 2 semester hours per week)
ECTS
3
Module type
Module selection at HPI
(preliminary)
ITSE: HPI-MK, HPI-SSK-RW, HPI-SSK-ML
DE: HPI-SSK-RW, HPI-DE-RWM, HPI-PSK-ML
CS: HPI-DE-RWM, HPI-PSK-ML
DH: HPI-PSK-MLE
SSE: HPI-PSK-ML, HPI-PSK-EI
Grades
Written Exam
Enrollment deadline
Examination date
Teaching format
Block seminar, combining practical classes and panel discussions.
Teaching language
Englisch
Registration requirements and link
Fee
None
Team budget
HPI Founder Scholarship
Participants
Master’s students and PhD candidates in Computer Science
Maximum number of Participants
75 students
Room (Location)
HPI Potsdam, Campus II
Key dates
Registration Deadline
28.08.2026
Summer School 2026
31.08. – 03.09.2026
Exam Date
TBC
Learning and Teaching Methods
The lecture covers three different aspects:
The Summer School “How to Be a (Startup) CTO” at HPI in Potsdam Griebnitzsee, close to Berlin, is an intensive 4-day seminar designed for master’s students and PhD candidates seeking to understand the multifaceted role of a Chief Technology Officer in startup and tech environments.
Participants will learn about specific tasks and responsibilities of a CTO such as technology strategy, devops, leadership, building high performing teams, retaining talent, healthy growth, communication, lean analytics and financing tech startups.
The summer school consist of a blend of classes, panels, fireside chats and reflection sessions to not only gain knowledge but also to engage actively with expert speakers and other participants as well as reflecting on their own career path.
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Details to be confirmed soon.
Week 1
Day 1
31.08.2026
Class 1: Technology Strategy
Panel 1: Roles & Responsibilities CTO, CPO, CEO
Class 2: AI first company building
Class 3: Staying on top of the game
BBQ & Fireside Chat
Week 2
Day 2
01.09.2026
Class 4: Retaining Talent & Healthy Growth
Class 5: Building high performing product & tech teams
Class 6: Security & Data protection
Panel 2: Transitioning from Engineer to Tech Leader: Personal Growth & Leadership Models
Week 3
Day 3
02.09.2026
Class 7: Creating a masterplan for smooth operations
Class 8: Talking Business
ELIAS Exclusive Panel 3: “A shifting mind: Transitioning from Scientist to Entrepreneur”
Week 4
Day 4
03.09.2026
Class 9: Lean Analytics
Panel 4: Financing Tech Startups
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The course ends with an (non-multiple-choice!) examination covering all topics mentioned above, compiled by the speakers and curated by HPI. In the questions, certain scenarios will be laid out and the student needs to describe how to handle the situation.
Dr. Tristan Ricken
Program Manager
Requirements
Program Structure
Data Rights
Deadline: 28.08.2026
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