WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is a top-ranked yet relatively small German business school in the middle of Europe. But at the heart of its core values, alongside community and entrepreneurship, is its commitment to diversity and internationality. Through internships and courses abroad, students at WHU gain a broader perspective of different cultures and nationalities.
In May 2022, students from the Part-Time Master in Management program were finally able to delve into this valuable cultural exchange that was missed during the previous years. As part of the program curriculum, students join an international module in Tel Aviv, Israel. For one week, they experience deeper cultural immersion, inspiring lectures, and networking opportunities.
Tel Aviv is a bustling, vibrant city home to many start-ups and entrepreneurs. The German-Israeli Chamber of Industry and Commerce hosted the students with a retelling of the country’s history to start the week. Over the following days, local entrepreneurs demonstrated to the students what makes the Israeli start-up ecosystem unique with company pitches and presentations.
The introduction to Tel Aviv’s spirit of innovation included large corporations such as PwC to incubators like Bizmax, helping Haredi Jews in their founding journeys. From start-ups in their first investment rounds to venture capitalists to Israeli unicorns such as app developer Lightricks – students gained fresh inspiration and perspectives from different aspects of business, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
“The international module in Tel Aviv was impressive,” says student Sabrina from the class of 2023. “Finding yourself at the center of such a high-tech start-up hub that everyone is talking about was eye-opening. To be so close to the history of Israel was indescribable and a fascinating experience that I will not forget.”