About the Program
What the CxO Academy is about
Technology is created in research and development. It only becomes a company when people make decisions, lead and take ownership of the outcome.
Subject-matter expertise is the foundation. Everything else can only be learned in practice: the ability to decide under uncertainty, to lead yourself and others through change, and to represent a venture to third parties. The CxO Academy prepares you to take on responsibility at leadership level, whether as CEO, CTO, CFO or in another executive role.
You start with the open CxO Foundations. They are followed by the CxO Academy 2027, with hands-on sessions, mentoring and a real company challenge.
Value
What awaits you
Six months in which you learn leadership and responsibility and apply them to a real task.
Eight intensive in-person days: expert input in the morning, hands-on application in the afternoon. Delivered by chairs at KIT, the University of Stuttgart and HdM, with founders and CxOs in the room who speak from their own experience.
A company gives you a task with real stakes. Working in teams of three to five, you spend six months on it and apply what you’ve learned where real challenges and valuable experience await you. On Demo Day, you present your results to a high-profile jury.
Fifteen to twenty selected participants, the same group for six months. In addition, four special evenings where you grow together as a group and experienced CxOs share insights into their decisions and lessons learned.
Guidance from someone who has already walked the path: one conversation per month on the topics you bring along. Time for whatever is really on your plate and on your mind right now.
The programme is backed by the NXTGN Startup Factory and the combined strength of Baden-Württemberg’s startup ecosystem: founders, companies, investors and universities. The difference afterwards: when you need someone who has already faced your problem, you’ll know exactly whom to ask.
Hard facts
Duration: Six months | January to June 2027
Location: Alternating between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart
Language: German, with some sessions in English
Participation: Free of charge
Conditions of participation
Are you and the CxO Academy a good fit right now?
Four criteria for a self-check.
You’re affiliated with KIT, the University of Stuttgart or HdM Stuttgart
You’re a doctoral candidate or postdoc, or you graduated no more than three years ago. This also applies if you’re funded through EXIST or Junge Innovatoren, or if you’ve already founded a company.
Master’s students should ideally be in the final stage of their studies.
You want to make an impact
You want to take on responsibility, make bold decisions and turn ideas into action. You’ve already been responsible for a team, a project or an outcome. You don’t need a startup or a concrete startup idea.
You can be on site twice a month
One in-person day plus one evening format or community event, along with your work in the Project Lab. In total, around 30 hours per month over six months.
Open to all disciplines
Ideally with a connection to technology or deep tech. The CxO Foundations in November and December cover the basics of law, equity and IP, as well as finance, funding and growth. Alternatively, you can provide evidence of comparable prior knowledge.
Important: Please only apply if you can firmly commit to the core dates. We’re looking for people who are committed and who enrich the group with their experience.
Application process
Two steps to joining the CxO Academy
The CxO Foundations give you an introduction to key entrepreneurial topics and a chance to get to know the programme. To apply, you attend at least one of the two days or provide evidence of comparable prior knowledge.
Meet the requirement: Attend at least one CxO Foundations day or provide evidence of comparable prior knowledge.
Apply and get selected: Apply online. You can apply with or without a nomination and state who nominated you, if applicable. Attending the Foundations does not guarantee a place in the Academy.
Two open days with 50 places each. Join one day or both. Participation is free of charge.
You’ll get to know the topics, the people and the way we work, and then decide whether to apply.
27 Nov, Karlsruhe: Law, Equity, IP
Your takeaway: You’ll understand how equity stakes are structured, what matters in agreements between co-founders, and who owns the rights to your work.
11 Dec, Stuttgart: Finance, Funding, Growth
Your takeaway: You’ll be able to read a financial plan, know the funding options for young companies, and understand what investors look for.
Six months from January to June 2027, fifteen to twenty curated places.
You’ll receive valuable expert input, work with ambitious like-minded peers on a real company challenge in the Project Lab, and benefit from the exchange of different perspectives. On top of that come personal mentoring by experienced practitioners, four inspiring evening formats and a joint finale at Demo Day.
Applications open from 1 November to 15 December 2026; decisions by 22 December.
You can apply with or without a nomination from your university. The requirement is attendance at at least one CxO Foundations day or evidence of comparable prior knowledge. Admission is decided in the subsequent selection process.
the process
Your roadmap for the CxO Academy
27.11.2026
CxO Foundations 1
11.12.2026
CxO Foundations 2
15.01.2027
Kick-Off
29.01.2027
Navigate the Future
26.02.2027
Lead Yourself & Others
19.03.2027
Define your Strategy
23.04.2027
Drive Tech Transformation
21.05.2027
Execute & Scale
18.06.2027
Transform Responsibly
25.06.2027
Demo Day
Results
What you take away
Here’s what you can expect after completing the CxO Academy:
A Project Lab result on a task that genuinely matters to a company, presented at Demo Day to a high-profile jury
The confidence to make decisions under uncertainty and lead a team through a difficult phase
A clear idea of how you want to lead yourself and others
Fifteen to twenty people who have been through the same six months and whom you can turn to with questions
Access to the NXTGN ecosystem and valuable partners across Baden-Württemberg
A certificate of participation, plus around 6 ECTS credits if your university recognises them
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the CxO Academy
The CxO Foundations and the first cohort of the CxO Academy 2027 are free of charge. There is no participation fee. You only cover your own travel and meals. The in-person days alternate between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, so please factor this into your planning.
If you apply on your own initiative, yes: at least one of the two days, or a comparable format that you can document and have recognised. Nominees can apply without attending a Foundations day, but we recommend going anyway. It shows you what you’re signing up for.
Around 180 hours over six months, or roughly 30 hours per month. This includes the in-person days, the Project Lab and the group work. You commit to the core dates when you apply.
You’ll receive a certificate of participation. In addition, around 6 ECTS credits are planned via the Project Lab as an assessed component. Which route applies to you depends on your university and your status.
The programme is in German. Some sessions may be held in English, so we expect a sufficient level of English.
You’re a doctoral candidate, postdoc or Master’s student at KIT, the University of Stuttgart or HdM, or you graduated from one of them no more than three years ago. EXIST-funded founders, Junge Innovatoren participants and people who have already founded a company are also eligible. If you apply on your own initiative, you also need to attend at least one Foundations day or a recognised comparable format. Nominees don’t need to, but we recommend attending.
Professors, research group leaders and multipliers can propose candidates. They will then send you a link and a nomination code, which you use to apply directly, even without attending a Foundations day. Whether you apply is entirely up to you.
No. We look at whether you want to and can take on responsibility, what you’re planning, how you learn and where your connection to technology lies. Whether you’ve founded a company before plays no role.
A workshop or programme in which you’ve already covered the same topics, i.e. law and equity or financing and growth. Send us a short description and proof in the application form, for example a certificate of attendance.
Contact
Do you have questions or want to apply?
Get in touch directly – we'll help you plan the next steps.
Björn Brenner
Director State Initiative – University of Stuttgart | Project Lead CxO Academy
The CxO Academy is run by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the University of Stuttgart and Stuttgart Media University (HdM) as part of the NXTGN Startup Factory, and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) under the EXIST lighthouse competition “Startup Factories”.
