Become your BHAG in the world
26
Students
20+
Company Visits
10
Alumni on board
1
Intercontinental trip
The new eLab format

eLab, rebuilt around one trip.

Two phase format: One input session in Munich and one trip abroad.

Munich ยท 1 week
28.09. โ€“ 02.10.
Trip threshold
2 successfully completed Task Force semesters
Intercontinental trip
01.02. โ€“ 14.02. ยท abroad - destination t.b.a.
Report
+ 2 weeks
1

Munich ยท 1 week

Intensive on-site phase at the Center: project work, inputs and trip preparation as one cohort. Full-time and in person - not compatible with other commitments during this week.

โ†’
2

Trip threshold

A defined gate before departure - the trip is earned, keeping stakes and quality high.

โ†’
3

Intercontinental trip

High-intensity trip combining international networking & teamwork - motivational boost & inspirational input.

โ†’
4

Report

Consolidating the learnings - the project-driven character of eLab is preserved end to end.

The format in numbers

26
Individual learning paths, adapted to your own goals
2
Intense, in-person
block formats (MUC + abroad)
17
Weeks hyper flexible growth and trip work

What the format deliberately preserves

  • Project-driven character - eLab stays a working course, not a study tour.
  • Transgenerational exchange - the cohort plans the trip itself, alumni travel along.
  • Two intense block weeks - allowing maximum flexibility between the blocks to accommodate varying responsibilities alongside the core course.
Synthesis ยท Drivers of educational success

What drives our success, and what doesn't

Two surveys, one signal: continue the density, intensify the shared experiences, stop the consulting flavor.

Continue

  • Peer density & tight communityThe one driver every role group names first - 65 of 86 secret-sauce answers.
  • Learning by doing, under pressure"Pressure cooker" projects with real stakes - doing rated 8/10 vs. listening.
  • High-caliber lecturers & electivesExternal founders, operators & investors - repeatedly "the most value."
  • Founding focus of the core courses"Keep the very start-up heavy focus" - the shared identity of the program.
76% name people & community as the sauce

Intensify

  • Full-time immersion phasesKickoff & Trend Seminar top the "doubled" list - intensity creates the bonds.
  • Building together (MPD-style)Most-doubled single element (27ร—) - "that's where the magic happened."
  • Trips & international exposure"Insane access" - NYC trip rated 9.0/10, the highest format on record.
  • Cross-class touchpointsMore moments where cohorts mix - the multi-generational community asset.
Kickoff & TS: 30 "gladly doubled" mentions

Stop

  • eLab in its consulting formThe most-named removal candidate across a decade of cohorts.
  • Anything with consulting flavor"McK/BCG flavor - I didn't learn much"; "pure strategy-consulting project."
  • Passive, content-heavy sessionsFrontal formats and corporate talks - lowest-rated everywhere we measure.
  • Low-stakes filler"Loveless, like a chore" - formats without real pressure don't stick.
eLab: #1 removal candidate (~25 of 81)
Survey 26 (N=102) ยท Redesign Survey 24 (N=55)
Quantitative data ยท Trip feedback readout

Proof of concept: what the trip format delivers

March/April 2026 CDTM ร— Index trip to New York, N=19 participants - the highest overall rating of any recent CDTM format.

9.0 / 10
Median rating across 19 participants
Top-rated sessions ยท learning value of 5
Index
4.58
Palantir
4.53
Egym
4.32
Anthropic
4.26
Ivy / Augustus
4.26
DeepL
3.79

Why this is a proof of concept

  1. Highest rating on record9.0/10 median overall - higher than any recent CDTM format we have data for.
  2. Sessions the community asks forFounders, operators, frontier-AI labs - top-rated sessions were exactly what eLab is criticized for lacking.
  3. "You can just do things"The most-repeated verbatim takeaway across responses - the same phrase named as the sauce in the Education Survey.
  4. Reset the scale of what's possible"One of the most formative weeks of my life - reset the scale of what I think is possible."
Implication

Why a trip format solves eLab

The trip format delivers exactly what the community says eLab is missing - point by point.

eLab today
Trip format - evidence from NYC
Founding & building focus
"Too consulting-heavy - too little founding."
Founders & operators on stage; "you can just do things" as the most-cited takeaway.
Fits the AI era
"Format feels dated - no longer fits the AI era."
Anthropic, DeepL, Palantir, Index - top-rated sessions on frontier AI and go-to-market.
Distinct from MPD
"Too similar to MPD."
Off-Munich, cohort-planned, alumni on board - a format MPD structurally cannot deliver.
Concentrated intensity
"Facilitations & guest sessions are the best part."
One high-density week; sessions repeatedly named "formative".
Education Crew ยท What you take with you

Learning Goals of eLab

You times your environment is what creates impact. eLab is built to raise both factors at once.

Pixel scene: you, the tools you need and the environment you swim in
You x Environment = Impact
eLab raises both factors at once.

Why these are the learning goals

  1. You - Personal Growth AcceleratorReflect on who you are, define your BHAG and work on your personal goals with structure and honest feedback.
  2. You x Environment - ToolboxLearn the tools to shape your surroundings: methods, frameworks and habits that stay with you long after the course.
  3. Environment - Know the Waters You Swim InUnderstand the context you operate in: international exposure that raises your bar and boosts your sense of agency.
  4. Impact - Impact in the WorldGrowing yourself while learning to shape your environment is how eLab turns ambition into outcomes.
Education Crew

Curriculum shifts from a "Product Development Cycle" to a "Community Journey"

TF I
TF II
Jul
01
Recr.
Aug
02
Kickoff
03
TS
Oct
04
MPD
14 weeks
Mar
05
eLab
Muc 1 week
Jul
06
Trip
threshold before
Oct
07
Grad.
01โ€“03

Birth - Becoming Part of the Family

Build a shared sense of identity as a community. Foster the feeling of having arrived and finding a place to call home. Provide the first boost in self-efficacy.

04

Playground - Build & Raise the Stakes

Develop, validate, and ship solutions with real project partners in fast-paced, high-performing teams - a launchpad for future endeavors. 6 projects.

Mandatory participation (communicated during recruiting), similar to TS. Ensures long-term course quality. No abroad option.

05โ€“06

Takeoff & Adultship - Flying High

Motivational boost & inspirational input through high-intensity, intercontinental trips (exclusively within eLab), combining international networking & teamwork.

Each cohort includes 26 students and 10 alumni. Project-driven character and transgenerational exchange are preserved through cohort-led trip planning.

07 โ†’

Parentship - Living in the Community

Transition from internal to external focus and from graduate to alumnus/alumna. Continued active participation through collaboration on MPD projects, participation in the eLab trip, and diverse engagement as a mentor and coach.