Workshops and hands-on impulses

Jenny Rathgeber, Program Manager at UntenehmerTUM

Most pitches fail not because of the idea, but because of how they land.

In this high-energy session, Jenny Rathgeber takes you through the fundamentals of pitch presence: clarity of message, physical impact, and delivery under pressure. Expect quick inputs, live improv drills, and real-time feedback. You'll leave with a pitch that's sharp, confident, and built to stick.

Your coach: Jenny Rathgeber brings 6 years of live Teleshopping, 15 years in Sales and Improv Theater, and a successful Die Höhle der Löwen deal to the stage. She knows what it takes to deliver under pressure, and she'll show you how to own the room.

Register here: Pitching with Radical Clarity — TUM Entrepreneurship Day 2026

Andreas Schwersenz, Start-up Consultant at TUM
Magnus Baumann, Venture Manager at TUM Venture Lab Additive Manufacturing

Join this deep dive about public funding. You will master the different funding opportunities available to your venture. You’ll walk away with a proven framework. This helps map the right funding opportunities to your startup's current stage.

Florian Becke, Head of Startup Development at the UnternehmerTUM Incubator (XPLORE)
Dominik Feiden, Head of Acceleration at the UnternehmerTUM Accelerator (XPRENEURS) and Project Lead of the ESA Business Accelerator Germany
Mika Voss, investment team at UVC Partners
Robin Allert, QTAS

In deep tech, the right idea at the wrong time still fails.
In this impulse session with UnternehmerTUM Incubator & Accelerator and UVC Partners, deep tech founders share how they timed the leap from university research to venture-backed company – and UVC reveals how investors evaluate the "Why now?" behind every pitch. You’ll learn how to read market and technology signals, what being too early really costs, and how UnternehmerTUM Incubator & Accelerator help you test whether your idea is ready for the market.
Bring your questions for the Q&A.

Bianca Hartmann, Entrepreneurial Educator at UnternehmerTUM

At this workshop, you'll learn the core principles of rapid prototyping: how to take a rough idea and turn it into something tangible, testable and alive. No slides. No theory overload. Just a fast, hands-on session designed to get you building from minute one.

Naomi Betz, Program Manager Inception, NVIDIA
Alona Pammer, CTO & Co-founder, Devanthro
Dr. Gesa Biermann, Chief of Staff, RobCo
Your host: Dr. Christine Eilers, EBC Solution Architect Lead, NVIDIA

A PhD-level robot that makes coffee is a cool science project. A Bachelor-level robot that automates a billion-dollar logistics bottleneck is a company. Welcome to our expert panel, where we bridge the gap between deep-tech research and the brutal reality of venture capital.

Together with our diverse lineup of industry guests, we will explore how successful founders stop asking, "What can we build?" and start answering, "What MUST we build?". Join us to uncover what it actually takes to demonstrate undeniable product-market fit, secure funding, and scale robotic solutions that solve massive, painful industry bottlenecks.

Whether you are preparing for the upcoming hackathon or just want to understand the future of the physical AI space, join us to learn what it takes to build a company VCs will fight to fund. 

We are also launching the Robotic Unicorn Hackathon! (see below)

Philip Prestele, Principal Program Manager GovTech, Digital Product School

In this pressure-cooking workshop, we will show you and you will apply ai and the best startup and innovation methods. It's a remix of the best innovation tools and methods from product development, design thinking, lean startup and google design sprint. We will guide you through and facilitate the process with a real-life example. This workshop is for beginners and experienced students. 

by TUM Patents & Licensing

Martin Unglert, TUM ForTe Patente & Lizenzen
Dr. Florian Grasser, Vossius & Partner

A deep dive into intellectual property and the protection of inventions:
I made an invention … and now? By answering the question, we want to give you an insight into how you, as an inventor at TUM, can obtain a patent.
After this short introduction, Dr. Florian Grasser, patent attorney at Vossius & Partner, will take you on an exciting excursion on the possibilities of protecting an invention, the latest developments in European patent protection and will explain how products are protected by using a number of selected examples.

This workshop is for all TUM scientists and/or start-up founders who are interested in learning more about intellectual property and the protection of their own inventions. An overview of the basics of intellectual property legislation and licensing models is followed by an insight into the patent application process. Afterwards, everyone can test their knowledge about patents on real case studies.

Niklas Landerer & Anian Steiner, elunic AG

Demos are impressive - but the really exciting question is what happens afterwards. Behind the scenes of real AI projects in production and knowledge work, you can see what really works, what fails and how well thought-out design can lead to seamless collaboration between humans and AI, especially where models alone reach their limits. From autonomous agents in operational processes and knowledge work to AI-supported optical quality assurance: an open look at how the gap between a strong model and a truly productive solution can be closed - concretely, from ongoing projects and with the clear goal of noticeably accelerating the productive use of AI in Germany.

Seats are limited. Please register beforehands: Last Mile AI

Julia Kirsch, TUM Entrepreneurship Research Institute
Dr. Marina Vorholzer, TUM Entrepreneurship Research Institute

Dive into a high-energy, 30-minute challenge where teams use design thinking to prototype a solution to a sustainability challenge. Using lean startup methodology and a limited set of everyday household and office supplies, you’ll bring your green concepts to life from scratch. Test your idea’s desirability, viability, and feasibility before delivering a fast-paced, one-minute pitch to your peers.

Curious? Join us!

by TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability

CleanTech Ventures is an interdisciplinary course that brings together students from diverse backgrounds to work on innovative projects and explore their commercial potential. Six interdisciplinary teams investigate how emerging cleantech solutions can translate academic research into real-world impact. During the Pitch Session, the teams will present their initial ideas for bringing these technologies to market.

Bakir Kreso, Startup Coach at TUM ForTe Entrepreneurship

A business idea describes what you could build—an opportunity describes why the market needs it now and is willing to pay for it. In ten minutes, I’ll show you how to evaluate ideas based on customer pain points, market windows, and willingness to pay, thereby avoiding the trap of building a product that nobody needs.

Enrico Richter, Startup Coach at TUM ForTe Entrepreneurship

Everyone tells you storytelling is key. Nobody tells you how to actually do it.
Great founders don't just pitch — they pull their audience into a story. But which story? And how do you build one that sticks?

In this hands-on session, we’ll explore the building blocks of compelling narrative: which story structure fits your venture, how to find your hero, and—crucially—which questions your story needs to answer in the minds of the audience. Using real-world examples, you’ll leave with a concrete framework to craft stories that create genuine emotional momentum.

What can participants expect from the workshop?
A hands-on session focused on one simple question: How do you turn a great idea into a story that people actually remember? Participants will learn proven storytelling frameworks, explore real-world examples, and leave with practical tools they can immediately apply to pitches, fundraising conversations, and customer meetings.
Who should attend?
Founders, researchers, innovators, and anyone who wants to communicate complex ideas more clearly and persuasively.