dit no. 1 worldwide in the "entrepreneurial spirit" category
wuri ranking 2023 (world university rankings for innovation)
The nine-month Silicon Valley Program is the tailor-made scaling and transformation programme of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology. In cooperation with Santa Clara University, we have been supporting ambitious teams for over 14 years on their way from a minimum viable product to a company - ready for financing - with a scalable business model.
The Silicon Valley Program incorporates the knowledge and experience of successful investors from Silicon Valley: together with us, programme participants go through a structured and scientifically based process with clearly defined content and milestones. In this way, we ensure that all aspects relevant to the development of a scalable business model are taken into account and addressed. In addition, participants benefit from the experience and network of our international mentors as well as exclusive access to a strong ecosystem of investors and companies.
The Silicon Valley Program turns promising inventions and the US-American understanding of global market penetration into sustainably successful companies. Would you like to be a part of it? Then apply now for the programme starting in July 2024.
overview
The Silicon Valley Program is aimed at teams, regardless of industry and age, who want to develop a promising product with first customers into an internationally successful company with a scalable business model. We bring your pitch deck and pitch skills to an international level.
You have come to the right place if
- You have an ingenious product and first (pilot) customers,
- You identify with a "think big" mentality,
- You want to scale internationally with the support of a global network.
Over the course of nine months, experienced mentors and instructors guide each team through the Silicon Valley Program and address their individual needs and challenges. The participants can expect an optimally coordinated combination of workshops, peer-to-peer learning and regular pitch and feedback rounds in front of investors. The highlight of the programme is the six-day stay with a pitch in front of investors in Silicon Valley. All the results of the nine months' work are incorporated into the pitch deck and are the perfect preparation for meetings with investors.
The participation fees for the Silicon Valley Program are € 20,000 per team of up to three people. This includes the support of an experienced mentor, participation in specialist workshops, pitch sessions with feedback from Silicon Valley investors, a six-day stay in Silicon Valley (excluding travel and accommodation costs) with company visits and pitch opportunities in front of investors, as well as exclusive access to our investor and company network and the research facilities of the Deggendorf Institute of Technology.
The workshops and pitch sessions will take place at BITZ Oberschneiding in Lower Bavaria. The exchange with the mentors is arranged individually and can take place on-site or remotely. For the Experience Week, the programme participants will fly to Silicon Valley in spring 2025.
contents & time frame
Kickoff: The Silicon Valley Program starts in July 2025 with the kickoff. During five intensive workshop days, we will work with you to develop the foundations for your scalable business model. This includes the right mindset, the appropriate market entry strategy, a comprehensive competitive analysis and a convincing pitch to investors.
Mentoring: From the first meeting, we start thinking about which mentor is the best fit for you. In addition to industry experience, personal fit is also important to us. After the bootcamp in July 2025, you will be accompanied by a main mentor throughout the entire programme. The mentor will be at your side as a competent sparring partner in 1:1 discussions.
Pitch and feedback sessions: From September 2025 to February 2026, monthly workshops will take place at BITZ Oberschneiding. There you will have the opportunity to present your progress to the mentors and investors as well as the other teams. With this feedback, you will continuously develop your business model and your pitch.
Experience Week: From 21-27 March 2026, we will fly with you to Silicon Valley. In addition to exclusive company tours (e.g. Google or eBay), you will have the opportunity to pitch to Silicon Valley investors.
Homecoming: The programme ends in May 2026 with the final pitch in front of investors, entrepreneurs and alumni at our legendary Homecoming. You will remain part of our network even after the official end of the programme.
All dates at a glance
In October the exclusive MasterClass in Silicon Valley takes place at the partner university Santa Clara University. In addition to intensive workshops, this programme offers unique opportunities to exchange ideas with important network partners on site and gain in-depth insights into the way Silicon Valley works and thinks. The workshops are focussed on the development of ground-breaking innovations and scalable business models. The aim is to familiarise participants with the ‘Silicon Valley mindset’ and provide them with the tools to transfer this expertise to Germany.
A particular highlight of the masterclass is the planned visits to some of the world's leading and most innovative companies. The programme includes excursions to Nvidia, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence and graphics technology, and C3.ai, a leading company for enterprise AI software. These visits offer participants exclusive insights into the strategies and technologies that make these companies so successful.
More information: Flyer Silicon Valley Master Class
team, mentors & ecosystem
All participants of the Silicon Valley Program have access to our ecosystem of global market leaders from different industries, investors and research institutions. In addition to a large number of reliable contacts in Bavaria, we maintain excellent relationships in Silicon Valley.
Our mentors are successful founders themselves, have exit experience and have already accompanied teams on their way to financing maturity.
excerpt from our mentors
I managed product strategies for large, multinational corporations like Autodesk and Oracle, as well as several startups in the past. It’s my pleasure to share two decades of experience as CEO and founder, startup entrepreneur and investor and help startups developing product-market fit and solid strategies for the future.
Justin Lokitz
As Chairman of Software Industry Group at Band of Angels I have more than 25 years of experience in investment and executive management. Through my VC and my angel activity, I have invested in or advised a huge number of companies and served on more than 25 private companies. My investment focus is on software, analytics, SaaS, text technologies and health IT.
Dr. Ron Weissman
With my mentoring in the Silicon Valley Program, I want to change the mindset of our startup teams in two directions: 1. Put yourself in your customers' shoes. What problem are you solving for your potential customers? What needs do your customers have? And 2. start thinking and acting like an investor. What makes your startup stand out, generating immediate investor interest in your company? How are you and your team able to minimize the risks of your startup so that investors can't pass up the deal?
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Strobl
With my many years of experience as a company builder in the field of digital innovation and transformation, I support companies in aligning their strategic goals precisely with market requirements and successfully mastering the challenges of a digital world.
Dr. Markus Ortmann
Following an extensive Silicon Valley career in software and technology, I founded Yabusame Partners, an international boutique advisory & consulting firm. We focus on helping early-stage startups launch and scale their business. As a fractional executive, I frequently support startups in executive sales or business development roles (including international expansion). In addition, I provide executive coaching and advisory services to technology companies. Based on my broad experience in software/SaaS companies, I focus on B2B businesses in automotive/mobility, IoT, supply chain/logistics, energy, and climate tech verticals. I am an active mentor at several Silicon Valley accelerators, including StartX (Stanford University Accelerator), the German Accelerator, and Plug and Play.
Jens Weitzel
With over 20 years of experience in banking, innovation strategy, corporate venture capital, and international business across the US, UK, Middle East, and Asia, I offer expertise in advising venture teams, particularly with their financial and fundraising strategies. I have led numerous CXO engagements with software and FinTech clients, regulators, and investors. I am happy to share my knowledge with venture teams.
Amar Rathor
Impressions
current teams in the silicon valley programme
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aipama develops fully automated payroll processes that can be used worldwide. |
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Bionorica is one of the world's leading manufacturers of phytopharmaceuticals and offers a novel, ultra-fast method for analysing highly complex mixtures of active ingredients with regard to product quality and shelf life. |
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Career Captain helps companies to attract the next generation through gamified recruiting. |
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CURIOX is developing an interactive toy figure that makes audio stories playable. |
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HydroGENTs automates the industrial production of hydrogen tanks -Controlled, standardised and repeatable in accordance with legal requirements, we scale the production of tomorrow. |
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move technology is developing a universal and innovative B2B ecosystem for AI-based knowledge transfer and user-friendly learning. |
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sun-X develops an efficient solar system maintenance ecosystem for system operators and service providers |
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The Green Bridge
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Traeger GmbH
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success stories
success stories
60
Teams (150 individuals) have participated in the programme so far
25
Of which are in business - with an improved and refined business model
20+
Teams are still in close contact with network partners & investors
1.000.000+
investors have already invested in teams
WURI Ranking: World's universities with Real Impact in Entrepreneurial Spirit
WURI ranked DIT No. 1 worldwide in the category “Entrepreneurial Spirit“ 2023.
The Silicon Valley School with the SVP at the BITZ Oberschneiding has contributed significantly to the success in international comparison.
Worldwide ranking in the category "Entrepreneurial Spirit" according to WURI ranking 2020 - 2022 (World's Universities with real Impact)
alumni
Our alumni about the Silicon Valley Program:
"The Silicon Valley Program does a great job of translating theory into real-life practice, which has had an immediate positive impact on our venture. The ecosystem of the programme is unique and it has definitely helped us open numerous doors to experts and potential customers, validate our theses and develop our venture at an incredible speed."
Philipp Gellert, Co-Founder iVivid
"Through the Silicon Valley Program, we were encouraged to offer our platform not only in the DACH region, but also for the US market. "Think Big" not only gives us access to a larger customer base, but also enables more people around the world to save resources by using our platform."
Kamill Skupien, Co-Founder reBricker
"The extremely detailed feedback from the mentors put the finishing touches on our pitch. The Silicon Valley Program prepared us perfectly for the upcoming funding round."
Chris Gnerlich, Co-Founder brainjo
"After participating in the Silicon Valley Program and the successful pitches, the startup b-plus automotive GmbH received the Innovation Promotion Award of the City of Deggendorf in November 2019 for the product, "Connectivity Solution for Vehicle Test Fleets", which enables faster development cycles in automotive pre-development. The goal for the future is to develop even more solutions in addition to function integration for ADAS sensors and ECUs with which OEM and Tier1 customers can bring their products safely and quickly into series production, always one step ahead to master the hurdles of tomorrow."
Josef Behammer, Managing Director b-plus automotive GmbH
"We were allowed to participate in the Silicon Valley programme several times with different teams. The participants learned what steps and what content is necessary to bring an idea to market. There is a focus on thinking big and scaling up as much as possible. The impulses into our organisation initiated by the programme have sustainably promoted our positive company development."
Karl Fuchs, Managing Director T.CON GmbH & Co. KG
contact & registration
We're happy to help if you require further information or individual advice. Feel free to contact us!
Deggendorf Institute of Technology
Bavarian Innovation Transformation Centre (BITZ Oberschneiding)
Silicon Valley School
Straubinger Str. 19
94363 Oberschneiding - GERMANY
+49 991 3615 8700
bitz@th-deg.de
