The Bachelor’s Program in Management & Entrepreneurship aims to equip young people with the necessary skills to become founders or managers. In addition to legal, economic, and management topics, one key skill is essential: networking.
In the Entrepreneurship & Start-up Management specialization, networking is not just an abstract buzzword, but an important and, above all, learnable skill. Since real encounters cannot be simulated in the classroom, external lecturer Michael Neuberger takes his students in the Start-up Eco-System and Networking course to places where networks form events, trade fairs, and networking evenings. In this way, aspiring entrepreneurs learn step by step to break out of their comfort zone, make new contacts, and engage in professional exchanges.
Our bachelor’s students had three opportunities to try out networking in “real life” during the course.
First steps at the NOW Business Days
The first excursion took the students to the NOW Business Days. The event offered innovative companies, start-ups, and industry representatives a platform to present their ideas, services, and technologies. For many students, this was their first opportunity to actively approach people in a business environment, ask questions, and get to know potential conversation partners.
Michael Neuberger accompanied the group, provided guidance, prepared them for introductory situations, and showed them how to identify relevant topics of conversation. The diversity of exhibitors provided natural talking points, and the students were able to overcome their initial inhibitions.
Presenting and Connecting at ADV Trends 2025
The second excursion was even more challenging. The group attended the ADV Trends 2025 networking event, which focused on trends in the IT and digital industry. Here, the students presented content from their course — a targeted “icebreaker” that gave them a clear topic of conversation at the get-together that followed.
After that, it was time to network independently. For many, this was the moment when theory and practice came together. The combination of presentation and exchange showed how to use technical content to make real professional connections.
Pure Networking at the start-up event
The last excursion on December 1 took the students to a pure networking event: a casual punch party hosted by the networking community Gründerio. There was no supporting program, no input, no predetermined structure—just people, conversations, and an open, entrepreneurial atmosphere.
It was precisely this reduction to the core of networking that posed the greatest challenge for the students. Without an “anchor point,” the students had to independently create conversation situations, approach new people, and leave their comfort zone. Afterwards, many described how they quickly gained confidence, made new contacts, and learned that networking doesn’t have to be artificial, but can be authentic and enriching.
This experience is crucial for aspiring entrepreneurs: anyone who wants to start or run a business must be able to actively build, maintain, and expand networks.
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