Entrepreneurship

Do you have a great idea? We will support you in implementing it! 

Students and employees working on an entrepreneurial project can be coached by experienced experts in the field of entrepreneurship. 

An "entrepreneurial project" is understood as a serious effort to create something new, either alone or with others (including those who do not study or work at BFH). 

Entrepreneurial projects can include, but are not limited to, the following types of activities: 

• Development of a new business idea and establishment of a company 
• Development and establishment of a social enterprise or another organization not primarily focused on profit, with the goal of achieving a socially valuable impact 
• Conception and implementation of projects, events, initiatives that create societal or cultural value 

The focus, intensity, and duration of the coaching will be determined individually with the student or employee depending on their particular situation and needs. 

The primary contact person is Jeremias Jurt, entrepreneurship expert at the BFH Business School. Other experts are brought in as required.  

Contact Jeremias directly by email for an initial non-binding consultation. Contact: jeremias.jurt@bfh.ch

Work on your own entrepreneurial project, benefit from regular coaching sessions and get credit for the time you spent on it. The "Entrepreneurship Track" is a variant of the elective module "Supervised Professional Experience". The module can be chosen in all Bachelor's degree programmes. A total of up to 12 ECTS points can be acquired in this programme.

You can propose your own topics for your bachelor's or master's thesis. This can also include working on an entrepreneurial question from an external startup. In this case, the startup acts as the client. 

Possible questions might include: 

• Qualitative investigation of the needs of customers/stakeholders in relation to a new offer idea 
• Quantitative validation of the acceptance of a new product or service idea 
• Investigation of decision-making factors among stakeholders regarding a new business idea 
• Development and evaluation of business models for a new business idea or the expansion of an existing business idea 
• Financial analysis and evaluation of new business ventures 

In order for a student's topic idea to be formally accepted for a bachelor's thesis, a lecturer must be found for the topic and an appropriate research question must be agreed upon. Students are invited to discuss a relevant topic idea with Susan Müller or Aron Braun at an early stage and without obligation. 

As part of the basic modules BEMA/EBWL and IIFI, Bachelor students can take part in the annual "Entrepreneurship Week" in November. 

At the beginning of the entrepreneurship week, teams of 3 to 5 students receive the same "start-up capital" in the form of a low-value item. You and your team will develop an idea on how to turn this "start-up capital" into a product or service that generates monetary, social, ecological or artistic added value. 

The value creation must not only be described but actually created and realized. 

The teams must demonstrate their created value in measurable terms, e.g., in the form of earned sales revenues. 

Alternatively, instead of financial gain, a quantifiable "impact" can also be demonstrated, e.g. in the form of clicks, likes, shares, or impressions. 

The teams document their project and their final reflection on their work and results in a video. 

Entrepreneurship Week is also open to students from other departments via "BFH Diagonal." 

In this specialisation, you will learn how to create value through innovation, entrepreneurship and sound strategic decisions. The specialisation is limited to 30 participants and consists of the following modules: 

• Customer Side of Innovation, (6 ECTS, English) 
• Refining Business Models, (6 ECTS, English) 
• Decision Making of Consumers and Managers, (6 ECTS, English) 

All information about the modules can be found in the moodle course  Informationen BSc Betriebsökonomie and Information BSc International Business Administration. 

Would you like to take on sustainability tasks in an organization in the future? Or would you like to start a company that offers sustainable products or services? 

Then this specialization is just right for you. You can acquire the relevant know-how, get to know effective tools and practice using them. The following modules are offered in the specialization: 

• Applied business ethics (6 ECTS, German) 
• Circular Business Models (6 ECTS, German) 
• Sustainable Startup Challen (6 ECTS, English) 

All information about the modules can be found in the course  Informationen BSc Betriebsökonomie and Information BSc International Business Administration. 

The three modules of this elective group deal with different challenges related to the development and implementation of innovations: 

• Innovation & Entrepreneurship, (6 ECTS, German) 
• Heuristics & Biases, (3 ECTS, English) 
• Entrepreneurial Marketing (6 ECTS, German) 

This elective group is available for the Bachelor’s degree programmes «Betriebsökonomie» and «International Business Administration».

In the “Refining Business Models” module, students support start-up companies in the areas of "Business Modelling" and "Business Planning". To this end, students work in small teams. Assignments can be, for example: 

• A startup has an exciting business idea and is looking for a promising business model. 
• An existing business model is to be scrutinized, validated, and optimized. 
• The business model should be reviewed for the upcoming expansion, growth or internationalization phase. 

Instead of an external startup company, students can also work on their own entrepreneurial initiative. The module takes place in the fall semester and can be taken by students of the Bachelor Betriebsökonomie and International Business Administration in the 5th or 7th semester. Das Modul is part of the specialisation «Innovation & Entrepreneurship».

The module is taught in English and yields 6 ECTS credits. 

In this module, students spend a semester supporting social enterprises in the areas of "Business Modelling" and "Business Planning". For this purpose, students work in small teams. Tasks can be, for example: 

• The social enterprise wants to increase its social impact. 
• The social enterprise is looking for a promising business model. 
• An existing business model is to be scrutinized, validated, and optimized. 
• The business model should be reviewed for the upcoming expansion, growth or internationalization phase. 

Instead of an external social enterprise, the students can also work on their own entrepreneurial initiative. 
The module takes place in the autumn semester and can be taken by students of all Bachelor’s degree programmes in the 5th or 7th semester. The module is part of the specialisation “Sustainable Business”. 

The module is taught in English and yields 6 ECTS credits.

BFH diagonal is the university-wide, cross-disciplinary optional program at BFH. BFH diagonal gives you the opportunity to attend modules from other departments or university-wide interdisciplinary modules ("BFH optional modules "), including several exciting entrepreneurship offers, e.g.:

• Sustainability and Impact in Entrepreneurship – from concepts to methods allowing to act
• Kickstart your idea
• Meine eigene App

Further offers can be found here.

In addition to the modules "Refining Business Models" and "Sustainable Startup Challenge", we offer further opportunities to work on a "Life Case." 

In a Life Case, you work with a company or organization on a practical entrepreneurial question and develop solution ideas for the client. 

Life Cases are included in the following study programs/modules: 

• Master in Digital Business Administration: In three consecutive semesters, students work on three different Life Cases with varying thematic focuses. Studentsreceive a relevant entrepreneurial question from the Life Case partner and interact with the company during the semester. The module is held in English. More info: Link to Moodle 
• Bachelor's degree program in Business Administration, module "Entrepreneurial Marketing": You will accompany a real, local startup company and address relevant questions in the area of marketing. You will learn first-hand what it means for a newly founded company to create acceptance for its innovative ideas. You experience the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs and address them with scientific methods. The module is taught in German and is worth 6 ECTS credits. 

YEEP is a unique opportunity for students who want to gain first, real-world experience of entrepreneurship in an emerging economy. Increasing entrepreneurial thinking, capability-building and intercultural learning are the main goals of YEEP. 

This intensive 16-day field trip takes you to Parul University in Gujarat, India. Participants will join teams of entrepreneurial Indian students working on their startup ideas. The Indian students are supported by the Business Incubation Center of Parul University and intend to turn their business ideas into reality after graduation. 

This module is available as an Elective Module for BFH Business School students and as a BFH Diagonal Module for Bachelor’s and Master’s students from all other BFH departments. The module yields 3 ECTS credits. 

Do you have an innovative business idea and intend to start a knowledge or technology-oriented company? In this module offered by Innosuisse, you will train your entrepreneurial thinking and acting, preparing yourself for founding and leading a company. During the 12-week course, you will acquire theoretical and practical skills, such as pitching, building your team, creating a financial plan, understanding and convincing your customers, working with the Business Model Canvas, and much more. You will also meet many like-minded people and become part of the Bern startup ecosystem. 

This module is open to all BFH students as part of "BFH Diagonal". Furthermore, students from other universities, alumni, and all BFH employees can participate. The module is worth 3 ECTS credits.  

You can propose your own topics for your bachelor's or master's thesis. This can include addressing an entrepreneurial question related to your own entrepreneurial initiative. 

Possible questions might include: 

• Qualitative examination of the needs of customers/stakeholders in relation to a new offer idea 
• Quantitative validation of the acceptance of a new product or service idea 
• Investigation of decision-making factors among stakeholders regarding a new business idea 
• Development and evaluation of business models for a new business idea or the expansion of an existing business idea 
• Financial analysis and evaluation of new business ventures 

In order for a student's topic idea to be formally accepted for a bachelor's thesis, a lecturer must be found for the topic and an appropriate research question must be agreed upon. Students are invited to discuss a relevant topic idea with Susan Müller or Aron Braun at an early stage and without obligation.