Fabian

Before the Summer School: Application and Preparation

While completing my internship at Charité Berlin, I received an email from my university in Vienna promoting an interesting opportunity: a scholarship competition for a two-week summer school boot camp focused on entrepreneurship and startups, held in Silicon Valley, USA. I immediately reached out to my university friend, Iliad Poth, who was also completing an internship at the time. Despite our tight schedules, we began brainstorming ideas for the competition and developed a concept for an ergonomic airplane seat that adjusts its vertical position and posture dynamically using AI technology.

We were thrilled to learn that our project had won second place in the competition, securing a 75% scholarship to participate in the Silicon Valley program. After informing the International Office at UAS Technikum Vienna, we received further financial support, which made it possible for us to attend the program.

Diving into Knowledge: Academic Highlights

The boot camp took place in California at San José State University, where we also stayed in on campus dormitories. The program included a comprehensive group project, in which teams were challenged to develop and pitch a business idea using entrepreneurial methods learned during the lectures. A jury of professionals from the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem evaluated our final pitch. I am proud to share that my team won the final pitch competition with our concept for an innovative sleep mask designed to enhance sleep quality using integrated smart features.

The program featured a wide range of expert-led lectures and guest speakers covering topics such as startup development, pitching techniques, and integrating artificial intelligence in your business ideas. One of the highlights was visiting companies like Google, Tesla, and IBM, as well as Plug and
Play Tech Center—an accelerator that played an important role in the early success of PayPal and many other startups. At Plug and Play, we even had the opportunity to attend a live startup-pitching event where real companies sought investment.

Beyond Academics: Networking, Cultural Experiences, and Personal Growth

Beyond the educational content, the program was a valuable networking opportunity. I met passionate, like-minded individuals—many already involved in the startup scene—from countries such as Croatia, Germany, Italy, and several South American nations.

A standout moment of the experience was celebrating the 4th of July in San Francisco. A professional photographer documented the program throughout, and I gained a new appreciation for the importance of platforms like LinkedIn in professional networking. Overall, this experience was truly transformative.

I am deeply grateful to UAS Technikum Vienna for promoting the program and providing financial support that made this opportunity possible.