Entrepreneurship at HHL
Empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs
Ready to launch your entrepreneurial journey? Learn the skills and nurture your big ideas at HHL – one of Europe’s top business schools for startups, with an alumni lineup that includes four German unicorns (Trivago, About You, Lieferheld and IONIQ).
Our innovative English-language courses relating to entrepreneurship and innovation management set you up for success. You’ll benefit from hands-on mentorship, entrepreneurial insights, and exciting industry connections through our prestigious alumni and business network.
Entrepreneurship numbers we are proud of
#1
Entrepreneurial University in Germany
Stifterverband Startup Radar 2022
#2
Number of startups in relation to student numbers
TU Munich Impact Study 2023
4
Unicorns among HHL alumni companies
HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024
>530
Startups founded by HHL alumni
HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024
>30k
Jobs created by HHL alumni
HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024
HHL Entrepreneurship Report 2024
Get an overview about our entrepreneurial ecosystem – activities, success stories, experiences
Dedicated to nurture talent
We actively support our students in their entrepreneurial ambitions because we deeply value the difference entrepreneurs make in our society. When we foster innovation, we move entire economies forward. Entrepreneurs with fresh ideas are the ultimate wealth creators, creating jobs and changing society with great ideas.
We measure our success by the success of our students. And with over 530 startups founded and more than 30,000 jobs created by our alumni, we’re proud of our far-reaching impact.
#1 Entrepreneurial University in Germany—
for the sixth time in a row
An entrepreneurial curriculum designed to unlock potential
HHL equips students with entrepreneurial skills through our holistic approach to entrepreneurial leadership and the fundamentals of general management.
Our curriculum equips both Master in Management and MBA students with the tools they need to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and start putting their ideas into practice. Students learn how to understand customer needs, identify business opportunities, build a winning business plan, and successfully implement disruptive technologies that turn whole markets on their heads.
Creating a foundation for success: Entrepreneurship-driven course highlights
Ready for a challenge: Problem-solving and communication skills
Want to learn how to tackle new and complex management problems head-on? This course has you covered. You’ll gain a toolbox of methods and strategies to identify, structure, analyze, and communicate solutions with expert finesse. This course ensures you’re set up to master every challenge with confidence.
Planning for success: How to launch your digital venture
This course takes you through the first steps to transforming your blossoming business ideas into thriving opportunities. You’ll learn how to succeed on schedule with proper business planning, how to compose and structure an effective pitch deck, how to navigate the legal aspects of starting a business, and how to present a winning business plan based on essential tools and methods.
Embracing the future: Disruptive technologies and business models
Explore cutting-edge digital transformation: You’ll gain a deep understanding of major developments at the intersection of tech and society, from AI to blockchain to robotics, and learn how to leverage these technologies in a variety of real-world business settings. Make your academic insights a competitive advantage in your new enterprise.
Diving deeper: Entrepreneurial deep dives for targeted skill development
These entrepreneurial deep dive modules give students the skills they need to drive entrepreneurship in any size of the company. By exploring and implementing underdeveloped business domains, students will gain the tools and skills needed to drive entrepreneurial ventures and keep established corporations at the forefront of innovation.
A strong faculty
HHL’s faculty of digital and general entrepreneurship professors and postdocs brings a wealth of global industry experience to the classroom. Our teaching program is designed to provide students with real-world insights through our close collaboration with successful founders and investors. We set our students up for success with unique support, networking opportunities, and an incredible range of extracurricular entrepreneurial development programs.
Prof. Dr. Tobias Dauth
Chair of International Management
Dr. Caroline Große
HHL Female Founders Initiative
Prof. Dr. Dominik Kanbach
Chair of Strategic Entrepreneurship
Prof. Dr. Alexander Lahmann
Chair of Mergers and Acquisitions
Prof. Dr. Claudia Lehmann
LF Group Chair of Digital Innovation in Service Industries
Dr. Sascha Julian Oks
LF Group Chair of Digital Innovation in Service Industries
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Maximilian Schreiter
Junior Professorship in Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer
Dr. Maurice Steinhoff
Managing Director HHL Digital Space
Prof. Dr. Stephan Stubner
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG Chair of Strategic Management and Digital Entrepreneurship
Prof. Dr. Vivek K. Velamuri
Chair of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer
Prof. Dr. Dr. Kelvin W. Willoughby
Stiftungsfonds Deutsche Bank Chair of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship
Prof. Dr. Stephan Stubner among Top 20 Entrepreneurship Professors
Prof. Dr. Stephan Stubner, holder of the Dr. Ing. h.c. Porsche AG Chair of Strategic Management and Digital Entrepreneurship, was ranked among the Top 20 of entrepreneurship professors in Germany! The federal initiative UNIPRENEURS, under the patronage of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, honors outstanding professors for their commitment to university spin-offs and entrepreneurship. With 700 nominations from founders, it is the largest award for the promotion of entrepreneurship in the university and research sector. Congratulations to Professor Stephan Stubner! Get all the details here.
Photo on the left:
Award winner Prof. Dr. Stephan Stubner (HHL) with the Federal Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger (right) and the Federal Commissioner for Digital Economy and Start-ups, Dr. Anna Christmann
Photo credit: Jürgen Aloisius Morgenroth (UNIPRENEURS)
Incubate and accelerate to startup success
Our top-notch education programs give you the knowledge and skills – but we also do everything to help you hit the ground running. HHL’s innovative Digital Space startup incubator and the SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator provide the perfect platform for developing and scaling your business ideas.
These are complemented by a wide variety of networking, support, and coaching programs, and a range of events, networking, and other opportunities.
HHL Digital Space
Based on our Leipzig campus, HHL Digital Space offers a free 12-week incubation program for early-stage founders to get their businesses off the ground. Our incubator connects founders with established companies to help them navigate the challenges of digital business models. And with regular events such as Founders Talks, Market Day, and Launch Day, our program provides the perfect stage for you to pitch your company to investors and experts. -> Learn more about HHL Digital Space
#12
Leading startup hub in Germany
Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2024 (Statista & Financial Times)
81
Startups incubated
HHL Digital Space 2024
>18.3 m
EUR raised of funding
HHL Digital Space 2024
SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator
Once you’ve completed the HHL Digital Space program, the SpinLab Accelerator – an HHL spin-off managed by HHL alumnus Dr. Eric Weber – is the place to take things to the next level. Its six-month program is designed to foster growth with a no-nonsense mentality. Located in Leipzig’s creative core, the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei, SpinLab gives aspiring entrepreneurs access to the guidance, resources, partner networks, and infrastructure they need to develop and thrive. -> Learn more about SpinLab
#12
Europe's leading startup
Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2024 (Statista/ Financial Times)
#2
Accelerator in Germany
Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2024 (Statista/Financial Times)
>315 m
EUR of funding raised by SpinLab startups
SpinLab - The HHL Accelerator 2024
Discover other entrepreneurial opportunities on campus
Female Founders Initiative
The Female Founders Initiative is a 6-month program that empowers women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Designed with STEM specialists in mind, this initiative offers interactive workshops and seminars led by industry experts to help budding founders refine their business ideas and discuss challenges unique to women in business. The supportive network of experienced coaches and mentors help women to navigate the path to self-employment with confidence.
Corporate Entrepreneurship: HHL Student Consulting Projects
Corporate Entrepreneurship is not just about starting your own business. Many large companies have started intrapreneurship initiatives to foster an entrepreneurial spirit among their employees. HHL helps established companies create successful projects with students using methods such as hackathons and design thinking workshops. They explore areas such as digitalization, business model innovation, and new ways of working.
Events and networking opportunities
HHL offers various events to connect students with successful entrepreneurs, investors and potential co-founders. HHL brings movers and shakers in the world of business together, ensuring students and graduates can connect with the right people to help them successfully launch their businesses. These are some of our most popular HHL entrepreneurship events.
The Accelerate@HHL conference
The student-run Accelerate@HHL Conference is an entrepreneurship-focused event, open to all. It provides the ideal platform for networking and sharing ideas on everything from founding to funding, financing, and leadership. The event offers interactive workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for students, startups, investors, and established companies alike. A great opportunity for entrepreneurs eager to make their mark.
Learn more about our student-driven Accelerate conference
Exclusive Startup Careers Fair
The Startup Careers Fair is a highly successful entrepreneurship event at HHL, initiated by our dean, Prof. Dr. Stephan Stubner. The fair is an opportunity for successful startups to share their entrepreneurial journeys and offer exclusive internships and management positions to HHL students. Held twice a year, the fair is open exclusively to HHL students.
The HHL SpinLab Investors Day
The HHL SpinLab Investors Day is a conference dedicated to investors and co-organized by HHL and SpinLab, the HHL accelerator. The event features panel discussions on investment-related topics, while SpinLab accelerator startups get the chance to present their pitches. HHL also presents the Best of Mitteldeutschland award, inviting the top startups from the founder initiatives in Central Germany to participate.
EY Public Value Award
The EY Public Value Award is a cooperation between the HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management and the auditing and consulting firm Ernst & Young. New companies are invited to align their business models with bold solutions to the challenges of our time and submit their ideas for the award. After a pre-selection phase, the prize will be presented to the winners at a major event organised by HHL Professor Timo Meynhardt. HHL and Ernst & Young have jointly launched the EY Public Value Award, creating a platform for showcasing innovative start-ups and innovative solutions to current societal challenges.
