Last Wednesday, we were pleased to welcome Ludwig Deutsch from Miele as a guest speaker in our Innovation Marketing master’s course. His talk offered valuable insights into how a leading manufacturer integrates structured innovation into a traditionally product-focused industry. Ludwig presented Miele’s innovation strategy, centered on the guiding principle Immer besser ("Forever better") with a focus on customer experience, performance, sustainability, and employee engagement. Digitalization plays a key role, enabling smart products that reduce unnecessary user interaction and improve daily convenience. A highlight was Miele’s use of AI-powered user personas, developed from extensive customer data and used to explore unmet needs and guide product development. The session sparked engaging discussion around the role of AI, customer-centricity, and how structured innovation can drive value, even in established industries. A big thank you to Ludwig for the inspiring insights and for sharing his experience. We are looking forward to welcoming him back for future exchanges!

On June 3, our Gründungsmanagement course had the pleasure of hosting Timo Möller-Gomez for an inspiring guest lecture on venture building. Timo shared his deep insights into the world of venture building, drawing from his experience at Orbit, a Hamburg-based company builder, and his current journey as a founder of two new startups. In his talk, Timo emphasized the importance of radical innovation and openly discussed the challenges of entrepreneurship, including the often-overlooked survivorship bias and the importance of failing early. A key takeaway of Timos guest lecture was the importance of building solutions that align desirability, feasibility, and viability, which are three essential perspectives for success. Additionally, when working with established companies, strategic fit also becomes crucial. Timo walked our students through the venture building process, from early research and idea sprints to prototyping and scaling. He also introduced practical methods for generating promising venture ideas quickly, such as leveraging second mover advantages and identifying gaps between international markets. Beyond frameworks and tools, he reminded students to stay critical: truly understand the problem, avoid confirmation bias, and always test with real users. Following the lecture, students worked on a case study in the field of pet tech, developing startup ideas for passionate pet owners by defining their products value proposition, evaluating market timing, and outlining strategies to test and validate their concepts. The session was both insightful and highly interactive! Many thanks to Timo for the engaging presentation and hands-on experience. We hope to welcome you again in the future!