Vali Berlin
The entrepreneurship hub at ESMT Berlin
Empower entrepreneurs to create a better tomorrow
Vali Berlin is the entrepreneurship hub at ESMT Berlin and fosters responsible entrepreneurship for economic, environmental, and social value creation. We do so through a range of initiatives in four main areas: We support founders and joiners, educate entrepreneurial leaders, shape an entrepreneurial culture and connect entrepreneurial stakeholders.
Entrepreneurship Programs
Vali Berlin news
The four pillars of Vali Berlin
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1. Support founders and joiners
Vali provides participants with tools and resources that help them on their entrepreneurial journey – whether as “founders” or as “joiners” who support founders in entrepreneurial teams.
Vali offers structured programs to support entrepreneurial individuals and teams at different stages of development.
The Sustainability Bootcamp (SB) creates a unique environment for creative talents from tech and business to develop ideas and form entrepreneurial teams. Announcement coming soon.
The 3-month Summer Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) helps individuals and teams with a business idea find the right problem-solution fit, develop an MVP, and pitch their idea in front of investors at Vali´s Demo Day.
- NEXT Program
The four-month NEXT program takes nascent ventures to the next level. It is tailored towards the needs of startup teams with an existing MVP or prototype. Vali helps them refine product-market fit, identify additional team members, secure funding, and solve tax and legal issues.
In addition to these structured programs, Vali offers support such as:
- Access to networks of industry experts and the broader Berlin startup ecosystem
- Customized individual mentorship for founders and entrepreneurial teams
- Access to co-working space at Space Shack Berlin
To learn more about our structured programs and apply, please follow the respective links above. To get in touch regarding other offerings and founder support, reach out to us at vali@esmt.org
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2. Connect entrepreneurial stakeholders
Vali serves as the platform for the ESMT community to meet, develop ideas and solutions, find collaborators, and acquire resources to develop and scale new ventures.
The Vali community consists of a broad range of individuals and organizations, including students, alumni, faculty, serial entrepreneurs, Venture Capitalists, and subject matter experts.
We foster and grow the Vali community through activities such as
- Matchmaking events for co-founders and entrepreneurial joiners
- Organizing startup tours and bootcamps in Berlin, or in cooperation with national and international ESMT alumni chapters
- Offering exclusive perks such as AWS credit, etc.
- A Slack community with dedicated channels for topics such as Co-Founder Matching, News and Resources, etc.
To join the Vali Slack channel or to learn about upcoming events, please reach out to us at vali@esmt.org.
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3. Educate entrepreneurial leaders
Vali creates curricular and non-curricular educational offerings that address the needs of a diverse range of students, corporate partners, and community members.
Several of Vali’s offerings are integrated into degree programs at ESMT Berlin:
- The structured Summer Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) fulfills the internship requirement of the Master’s in Management degree.
- Vali supports various ESMT entrepreneurship courses and experiential programs, e.g., by introducing guest speakers and industry experts, organizing startup tours, and developing hands-on workshops
The “Entrepreneurship@ESMT” series includes a range of different formats such as keynotes, panel discussions, and workshops on topics relevant to entrepreneurship. This series covers a broad range of topics such as
- Talks and panel discussions with thought leaders and successful entrepreneurs
- Overview of the Berlin entrepreneurial ecosystem
- Information about entrepreneurship as a career path
- Entrepreneurship tools such as design thinking, lean startup, and Business Model Canvas
- Important technological developments such as AI, blockchain, data mining, and advances in health care
To learn about upcoming offerings or if you have questions, reach out to us at vali@esmt.org.
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4. Shape an entrepreneurial culture
Vali fosters awareness of entrepreneurship as a mechanism to create value and as an exciting career path.
Vali shapes and supports entrepreneurial culture at ESMT through a range of events and initiatives:
- Entrepreneurship @ ESMT Series, workshops, and fireside chats (e.g., Cromme Meets with Christian Miele)
- Alumni Chapter Meetings featuring startup tours, successful entrepreneurs, or hands-on workshops across Germany and Europe
- Entrepreneurship @ ESMT Newsletter: Regular newsletter to promote entrepreneurship events at ESMT and share knowledge and resources
- Interviews and blogs featuring successful alumni founders and Vali community members (e.g. ESMT Blog with Francesca, ESMT Blog with Berglin)
- Pitch Competition at the Annual Digital Future Summit (DFS)
- Full-time MBA scholarships (e.g. Vali Berlin Female Founders Scholarship, Vali Berlin Entrepreneurship Scholarship)
To learn about upcoming public events, please reach out to us at vali@esmt.org.
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