The Managing Innovation specialisation is designed for future leaders who want to drive innovation, build ventures, and shape industries through technology and entrepreneurship — covering the entire entrepreneurial journey from opportunity recognition and business model development to venture financing and market entry.
Your future in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Venture
A Master in Management with a focus on Managing Innovation prepares you for dynamic roles at the intersection of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Graduates are well-prepared for careers such as Innovation Manager, Venture Capital Analyst, Corporate Venturing Lead, Product Manager, Start-up Founder, Technology Strategy Consultant, or Head of Innovation. You will find opportunities in corporate innovation labs, venture capital firms, accelerators, and in founding your own company. Industries and organisations such as Bosch, SAP, and Deutsche Telekom actively seek professionals who combine innovation management tools, entrepreneurial skills, and venture financing knowledge with both strategic vision and hands-on execution. The specialisation also provides a strong foundation for leadership positions in scaling businesses and serial entrepreneurship.
The success of our alumni
Our graduates of the Managing Innovation specialisation have gone on to build careers across a wide range of industries and functions. They work in leading consulting firms, corporate strategy and transformation departments, and specialised roles that sit at the forefront of their field — as well as in research as doctoral candidates at top universities. Many hold positions where they put the analytical tools, strategic frameworks, and practical skills developed during their studies at EBS to work from day one.
From idea to market – and beyond
The Managing Innovation specialisation at EBS equips you with both the theoretical frameworks and practical tools to manage innovation from idea to market — and beyond. With 180 of 270 workload hours dedicated to group work, presentations, and case studies, this is the most hands-on specialisation in the programme.
The Founder's Skillset course explores the realities of entrepreneurship and the mindset, skillset, and decision-making required to build and scale start-ups under uncertainty. Rather than focusing on abstract models or business plan theory, the course emphasises the practical challenges founders face when turning ideas into companies: finding product–market fit, assembling teams, raising capital, and executing under pressure in highly uncertain environments. You will examine how founders think, make decisions, communicate vision, and mobilise people around ambitious goals, with particular emphasis on the difference between start-up reality and the often-romanticised public perception of entrepreneurship. Through lectures, case studies, and guest speakers from the start-up ecosystem, you will develop a realistic understanding of how start-ups are actually built and why many fail. The course also reflects honestly on the opportunities, responsibilities, pressures, and sacrifices associated with building a company, and helps you critically assess whether the founder path is right for you. In Tools of Technology and Innovation Management, you will be introduced to the theories and concepts that form the foundation of technology and innovation management, including the role of innovation in business, different types of innovation, and the factors that drive it. The course covers practical tools such as market research, product development, strategic planning, and innovation management control, ensuring that innovation efforts align with organisational goals — equally relevant for start-ups and established firms. In Venture Financing, you will focus on the financing relationship between early-stage investors — business angels and venture capitalists — and their portfolio companies. The course covers the venture financing cycle, the choice of financial instruments, VC contracting, venture governance, risk management, and strategies for value creation and exit. Using capitalisation tables and term sheets as core tools, you will gain hands-on experience in a semi-flipped classroom setting with case discussions, group work, and practice talks.