Munich Startup: If you had to name the most important elements that make the CDTM so successful – what would they be?
Samuel Valenzuela, CDTM: The more important question seems to me: How does the CDTM support its students and alumni in their success? Ultimately, it is their commitment that makes the CDTM The answer to this question is very individual, but some factors undoubtedly play a key role: a strong community with a supportive network, inspiring insights that open up new perspectives, a diverse skillset that goes beyond what you normally learn at university, and like-minded people who are willing to try new things together.
Interdisciplinarity as a foundation for innovation
Munich Startup: You bring together students from different disciplines. What challenges and advantages arise from this interdisciplinary collaboration? And how can productive translation into innovative solutions be achieved?
Samuel Valenzuela: Each academic background teaches students to think and explore the world in a particular way. A group of students from diverse backgrounds is therefore able to take a much more holistic view of the world. It recognizes everyone's siloed knowledge, but also the synergies and overlaps between each discipline. The key challenge is that everyone must learn to speak each other's language to some extent in order to effectively share ideas. Furthermore, most complex problems cannot be solved by viewing them in silos; they require diverse expertise to be addressed. This is the core of problem-solving at CDTM. We are always careful to bring together people with unique and complementary skills.
There's a catch, though: You have to make sure people can communicate effectively. An important part of our program is teaching our students how to collaborate effectively with their colleagues. Furthermore, we strive not only for interdisciplinarity, but also for all other forms of diversity. CDTM values unique perspectives and welcomes all kinds of backgrounds and identities.
Munich Startup: The CDTM is known for its strong and active community. What measures help ensure that alumni, students, and partners remain connected to the institute in the long term?
Samuel Valenzuela: Many alumni describe their time at CDTM as very formative. The intensive time spent together has often led to close friendships. I believe this is also due to the cohort principle we apply: Each semester, CDTM accepts around 25 students into a cohort, or so-called 'class'. This keeps the number of students manageable, and close bonds often develop within each cohort. This close connection to the people who make up CDTM ensures that many alumni continue to feel a strong connection to the program even after they leave. This connection – as well as the awareness of the special qualities of CDTM – often persists when former students hold decision-making positions in companies or academia.
Munich Startup: The students actively participate in shaping the CDTM. What advantages does this bottom-up approach bring, and what challenges does it present?
Samuel Valenzuela: Student engagement is an essential part of their educational journey. They feel heard and empowered to implement their ideas, and they are supported by the community. This medley of ideas and their outcomes makes the Center the diverse place it is today. Of course, some guardrails help align the ideas, and mistakes will certainly be made. But that's part of the experience.
Continuous iteration is also part of the CDTM
Munich Startup: What measures are you taking to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the future?
Samuel Valenzuela: Everything we do at CDTM is constantly iterated, rethought, and oriented toward what our community brings to us. The flexibility we have in our offerings—both in our curriculum and beyond—is an important factor. We enable ourselves to pursue the interests of students and alumni and thus stay as close to the cutting edge as possible. We also view much of this as experimentation: We're constantly trying out new things and building small test balloons.
This interview is the second part of a series of articles on the CDTM. Read the first part here.
