The DTE Ideation Days provide students with a perfect opportunity to generate (digital) business ideas. During five intensive sessions, DTE Alumni Max Wittrock, passionate and experienced entrepreneur (a.o. cofounder of mymusli) and investor, taught students the necessary tools for coming up with creative ideas and transferring them into innovative business ideas.
The main focus of the first two days of the Ideation Days was getting to know the other participants, applying techniques that spur creativity, and structuring ideas to first concepts. For instance, in one exercise students developed creative business ideas based on everyday terms – such as bread - and explored their digital potential. In doing so, it became apparent that creativity is not just pure coincidence, but rather triggered through structured and concentrated work. In that sense, it is hardly surprising that the students were able to develop a wide array of creative ideas, which they had to validate and further develop during the following sessions. In doing so, the students created a first structured concept of their idea using the Lean Canvas Model. The generated business ideas ranged from platforms aiming at facilitating the access of immigrants to the German labor market and integrating incoming/relocated workers in the local community to healthy smoothies that refuel after workout. In cooperation with Appinio (www.appinio.com), students were able to perform initial market research which provided important insights for the improvement of their business ideas. The pitch session completed the DTE Ideation Days with inspirations for further improvements and potential next steps.
We would like to thank all participants for the successful workshop and are looking forward to meeting some familiar faces in other events or programmes, such as the upcoming “Honours Degree”. During the ‘Honours Degree’, students will work intensively, professionally supported by researchers and practitioners, on their business idea with the goal to further develop and refine it. The application period for the next ‘Honours Degree’ cohort is planned to start at the end of January, 2022.
Special thanks go to Max Wittrock for the organization and execution of this inspiring workshop and Appinio for their impulse talks and the opportunity to perform instant market research!
Check our website for further details on the certificate programme and its application: https://www.wiwi.uni-passau.de/en/dte/honours-degree/