Three questions for Prof. Dr. Nils Högsdal

1. Please briefly introduce yourself and your current job.

I have held a professorship for Corporate Finance and Entrepreneurship at Stuttgart Media University since 2012. At the same time, as Vice Rector Innovation, I am responsible for startup topics at our university in the rector's office. In addition to teaching and research, I am enthusiastically involved in the startup scene, among other things as a host for events such as the Startup Weekend as well as an investor and mentor in startups.

2. How did you get involved in entrepreneurship?

I myself co-founded a company directly out of university and accompanied it in various functions from 2000 - 2012. During this time, I helped design the Germany-wide student competition "Jugend Gründet" for the BMBF. Since then, I have accompanied the respective winners as a mentor and, above all, traveled with them to Silicon Valley. For example, I visited LinkedIn and Tesla when they were still small backyard or garage companies.

3. What tip would you give to students who are enthusiastic about founding a company, who are currently thinking about founding a company or who have already taken the first steps towards self-employment?      

Even if it sounds trite: see it as a project with milestones and plenty of room for experimentation. If you approach it with this attitude, you can't fail, you can only learn, and the chances of success are much higher than some self-proclaimed experts claim.