In the first edition of the TUM Business Game in Heilbronn, students were given the opportunity to build a bridge between educational institutions and companies. The games were launched in 2016 by students at the TUM School of Management and now arrived on the Heilbronn campus. Industry leaders such as the Schwarz Group, SAP and networX brought their tasks to the campus. And they were tough. Among other things, the task was to develop an innovative and sustainable concept for a health-promoting product or service.
Two Intensive, Informative Days
On the first day, the student teams were introduced to the rules and challenges of the Business Game. In the evening, the talented students got the opportunity to talk to company representatives. On the second day, the students had to give their all in a short period of time, from researching possible solutions to the final pitch.
At the closing event, one out of three SAP teams prevailed with its pitch and was named the winner for this challenge by the jury. Ansh Suraj from Deggendorf Institute of Technology was part of the team. He looks back: “The atmosphere made everyone think quickly and work together under pressure.” The young man is proud to be part of the winning team: “The victory was an incredible feeling. It was proof that our hard work, creativity, teamwork and my idea of creating a prototype for every challenge really paid off.”
Both Sides Benefit
But companies also benefit from the event, as Leon Wiesner from the Schwarz Group emphasizes: “The students offer us a fresh, creative and unbiased perspective on our business problems – something that is easy to lose sight of when you are dealing with them intensively on a daily basis.” So, it's a win-win situation. Wiesner was also impressed by the results: “Given the short time frame, it was difficult to go into greater detail, so their results did not quite correspond to the business reality – but they were definitely on the right track.”
The next business game at TUM Campus Heilbronn will take place sometime next year.