31st August – 3rd September 2026 | on-site
Attention
The Summer School “How to Be a (Startup) CTO” is an intensive joint 4-day seminar by HPI Engine and ELIAS 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
04.09.2026 and 11.09.2026
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 tasksand responsibilities of a CTO such as technology strategy, AI-first companybuilding, leadership, building high-performing teams, smooth operations, leananalytics, 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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Week 1
Day 1
31.08.2026
· Welcome, Opening & Agenda
· Keynote: Stefan Krumnow (addressable value)
· Class 1: Technology Strategy — Snir Yarom(Taxfix)
· Panel 1: Roles & Responsibilities — CTO,CPO, CEO
· Class 2 — Martin Graf (PraxiPal)
· Class 3: Staying on Top of the Game — Anil CanBaykal (Integral)
· BBQ Dinner & Fireside Chat
Week 2
Day 2
01.09.2026
· Class 4: AI First Company Building — Marvin Bornstein (Zeit AI)
· Panel 2: Building Tech Startups in Europe
· Class 5: Building High Performing Product &Tech Teams — David Gebhardt (mobile.de)
· Panel 3: From Model to Company - Turning AI Research into a Defensible Startup - Omar El Nahhas (Stratifai); Erik Ziegler (Voize)
· ELIAS Exclusive Networking Event & Dinner
Week 3
Day 3
02.09.2026
· Class 6: Creating a Masterplan for SmoothOperations — Shery Brauner (Otto)
· Class 7: Smooth Operations II — Shery Brauner (Otto)
· Interactive Session
· Company Visit: Langdock (Berlin)
Week 4
Day 4
03.09.2026
· Class 8: Lean Analytics — Dr. Arndt Schwaiger
· Class 9: Founder Fundamentals Essentials — FrankPawlitschek (HPI)
· Panel 4: Financing Tech Startups
· Check-out & Outlook
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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.
Exam Date: September 4 or September 11, 2026
(optional · required for 3 ECTS · registration via CAS)
Dr. Tristan Ricken
Program Manager
Requirements
Program Structure
Data Rights
Deadline: 28.08.2026
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