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Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions

Learn from experienced founders how to make far-reaching decisions for your company and for yourself.

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Make Decisions Based on Your Principles

How do you make tough decisions when building a startup or leading a company? Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions connects personal values with entrepreneurial decisions. You develop your own principles, learn which criteria business angels and venture capital funds use to evaluate startups, and discuss real cases directly with the founders behind them.

For whomAspiring founders, founders, and students interested in venture capital
CreditsECTS (accreditation depends on your study program)
PeriodWinter semester 2026/27
WhenTen workshop days, each 9:30 am–4 pm
WhereOn site at UnternehmerTUM in Garching
LanguageEnglish

Voices From the Community

Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions exceeded my expectations. I was really surprised by how open and honest the exchange with fellow founders was.

This course came at one of the hardest periods of my startup journey, and it helped me enormously — through both its content and the people I learned from. I developed principles that help me distinguish whether I am reacting from pressure or acting from clarity. They now guide not only my entrepreneurial decisions, but also how I communicate, work with others, and navigate my personal life.

As a computer science student, I was used to courses that were much more theoretical. PED felt different because it brought real founders, real decisions, and honest discussions into the classroom. I took the course just as we were starting Calabaza, and it helped me lay the groundwork for making better decisions as we continued building the company.

Achim Ströbel, Student

Schedule for Winter Semester 2026/27

  • All workshops take place on site at UnternehmerTUM in Garching (Lichtenbergstraße 6, room ANTON), from 9:30 am to 4 pm.
  • The first three sessions are mandatory.
  • To earn ECTS, attend at least eight of the ten sessions and answer all case study questions.
Course Overview Winter Semester 2026/27
  1. October 19, 2026

    Case Study: Bears with Benefits

  2. October 20, 2026

    Case Study: KONUX

  3. October 23, 2026

    Case Study: iuvas medical

  4. November 2, 2026

    Case Study: ProGlove and sales workshop

  5. November 3, 2026

    Case Study: ProGlove and negotiation workshop

  6. November 16, 2026

    Principles of a VC and case study 10X Founders

  7. November 17, 2026

    Principles of Startup Financing and term sheets

  8. November 23, 2026

    Case Study: ParkHere

  9. November 24, 2026

    Case Study: NoMaze

  10. November 30, 2026

    Case Study: ERC System

  11. December 14–16, 2026

    Final Presentations

What You Gain

  • Clarify Your Principles

    Use frameworks to turn your values into a compass for difficult decisions.

  • Learn From Founders

    Discuss real cases with the founders who lived them.

  • Understand Investors

    Learn the principles by which business angels and VCs invest.

  • Shape Culture and Growth

    Apply principles to culture, strategy, and scaling.

How the Course Works

  1. Clarify your principles: Use frameworks to pin down your own values and principles.

  2. Analyze cases: Selected readings and case studies show the decisions other founders faced.

  3. Discuss with founders: In every session, you talk to the founders behind the cases, work in breakout sessions, and practice in role plays.

  4. Present and reflect: At the end, you present your results and capture your insights in a reflection paper.

By the End of the Course, You Can

  • approach difficult decisions with a clear framework

  • develop your own strategies for yourself and your company

  • apply insights from real cases and exercises to your own path as a founder

Application

The course for winter semester 2026/27 is already underway. Join our waiting list to be the first to know when applications for summer semester 2027 open.

  • The course is open to aspiring founders and founders, individually or as a team.
  • Each team member applies separately.
  • Students interested in venture capital are also welcome. Please mention this in your application.
Join the Waiting List

Questions About Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions?

Do you have questions about the course or the application?

Contact the Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions team: ped@unternehmertum.de.

FAQs

How Is the Course Graded?

Your ECTS grade consists of four equally weighted parts: active participation (25%), case study answers (25%), final presentation (25%), and written reflection paper (25%). If you fail one part, you can retake just that part within the current semester.

Can I Apply Without a Team?

Yes. Select “single” in the application form. If you apply as a team, please all enter the same project name.

Who Is the Course For?

For aspiring founders, founders, and leaders who want to make better decisions and understand how investors evaluate startups. Students interested in venture capital are also welcome.

What Topics Does the Course Cover?

Strategic decisions, values-based leadership, scaling, and the principles by which business angels and venture capital funds invest.

How Is the Course Structured?

Interactive workshops, case studies, and conversations with founders, for example from Flix, ProGlove, and KONUX.
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