Master Study Trip 2025: Insights, Innovation, Inspiration

Every year, our Master's students set off on a week-long trip to visit companies in different economic regions; the study trip is organised by the students themselves in collaboration with the teaching staff. This year, three groups of students from the MSc Innovation Management and MSc Digital Transformation and Digitalisation programmes travelled to Silicon Valley, Turin and Hamburg. They gained in-depth insights into regional economic issues, got to know the country and its people together, and created an unforgettable experience.

Here are some highlights, lessons learned and impressions from their trips – many thanks to all participants, especially Patrycja Kubicz & Evgeny Azarov (Turin), Rike Braker (Silicon Valley) and Lamees Al Maaite & Jiranan Panlanatiyarak (Hamburg) for their input and the great photos!

A big thank you goes to all the companies that gave our students such a warm welcome. The study trip is supported by the Association of Friends and Sponsors of HSBA (VFF).

Turin

For one week, our Master’s students from Innovation Management and Digital Transformation & Sustainability had the chance to dive deep into Turin’s innovation, technology, and culture. The trip was packed with inspiring company visits, exciting discussions, and plenty of eye-opening insights.

A big thank you to all the hosts for sharing their time, expertise, and passion. The trip was not only about learning from companies, but also about reflecting on how innovation, sustainability, and culture intersect to shape the future of industries.

The key takeaway: Innovation is not just about technology – it’s about people, culture, and the courage to transform.

Highlights included:

  • Eoliann – learning about the challenges of founding an AI startup in Italy and the impressive potential of climate risk prediction.
  • MSC Technology – exploring how digital tools and strategies enable sustainable maritime operations.
  • Costadoro – gaining a deeper appreciation for coffee culture, sustainable production, and responsible trade.
  • Casa Martini – discovering the heritage of the iconic vermouth and how a global brand is managed from Pessione.
  • VW Financial Services Italy – understanding how innovation and customer orientation drive transformation in financial services.
  • Leonardo Helicopters – experiencing cutting-edge aerospace innovation and advanced training solutions firsthand.
  • OGR Torino – exploring a unique hub where art, innovation, and entrepreneurship come together.
  • Juventus – seeing how data, strategy, and business innovation shape one of the world’s most iconic football clubs.

Silicon Valley

In Silicon Valley, we have experienced how contagious enthusiasm can be when people share their ideas, take input on board and are open to new things. Every exchange shows that you can learn something from everything.

Our five most important lessons:

  • Fail fast: The faster you fail, the sooner you will come up with a truly innovative solution.
  • User first: The user is the focus, which is why founders talk to so many different people.
  • Courage to take risks: In the Valley, people don't spend a lot of time thinking about possible criticism; they take action.
  • Learn – Share – Do: Everything can be broken down into these three steps
  • AI as a game changer: Artificial intelligence will change or even eliminate many jobs. Instead of fearing this, we should recognise the opportunities and ask what new business models will result from it. For German SMEs in particular, it will be a challenge to use AI sensibly and, at the same time, a great opportunity to reposition themselves.

One sentence in particular that struck us: ‘If you don't already have a start-up that may have already failed, then something is wrong.’ Because the current one will probably fail sooner or later, and that's exactly why it's so important to fail once, because that's when you learn the most.

Companies visited:

  • Learn.xyz
  • Navier
  • Investor/founder: Mostafa Akbari Hochberg
  • Plug and Play Tech Centre
  • Ramboll
  • Salesforce
  • SAP
  • GACC West – Representative of German Business
  • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Hamburg

Our study group had the opportunity to visit three leading innovation hubs in Hamburg: Otto Group, GHARAGE, and ARIC (Artificial Intelligence Center Hamburg).

  • At Otto Group, we gained first-hand insights into how one of Germany’s largest retail and e-commerce players drives digital transformation and corporate venture building. The discussions with the tech strategy team gave us a clearer view of the challenges and opportunities of innovating in a highly competitive global market.
  • At GHARAGE, the innovation unit of Gebr. Heinemann, we explored the intersection of foresight, venture building, and investment. Their projects, such as Duffle and Nullpunkt, showed us how creativity, experimentation, and corporate backing can come together to reimagine the travel experience.
  • At ARIC, we experienced Hamburg’s AI ecosystem in action. We learned about applied AI projects, industry collaborations, and the importance of bridging research with practice to build impactful AI solutions.

Overall, the study trip gave us a valuable mix of corporate, entrepreneurial, and applied research perspectives on innovation. The openness of all hosts, the engaging Q&A sessions, and the chance to see how innovation strategies are implemented in practice enriched our learning experience and sparked many new ideas for our studies and future careers.

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