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Graduate of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management part-time MBA program has founded the big data start-up Humada in Silicon Valley
Dr. Andreas Berger is a graduate (2015) of the Part-time Master in General Management Program (MBA) of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management. Born in Saxony, he is now the founder and CEO of the start-up Humada headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company, which specializes in big data solutions, is working on the infrastructure for a decentralized Internet. The founders believe in a paradigm shift in the Internet, away from the major data silos to many small data banks whose interaction needs to be managed. "In the same way as the change in the energy market, where the world went from large power stations to many small solar and wind systems, the Internet will be undergoing dramatic changes as well," says Berger. "The large data monopolies will disappear in the process. We have come to disrupt the business models of companies such as Google," Berger comments jokingly, but with some seriousness attached to his statement.
MBA provides valuable impetus for founders
Looking back at the MBA program, the 32-year-old says, "The most important thing about completing a Master's program are the people with whom you interact. You not only learn to work with the most varied characters on a professional level; you also find friends for life." Although he had already been infected with the founder's bug, his time at HHL encouraged Dr. Berger to take business matters into his own hands even more. "After obtaining my MBA, it was clear to me that the world belongs to the brave once and that we can tackle anything that interests us." To this day, the passionate value investor draws a lot of positive things from the MBA topics which he needs for his own entrepreneurial activities. He concludes, "All in all, I benefit every day from the decision to complete an MBA program: as a human being, on the job and in my personal life."
A career in Silicon Valley
Dr. Andreas Berger's career so far has been in equal parts multi-faceted and international. After obtaining a doctorate in law and working in a firm specializing in corporate law in Regensburg, Dr. Berger launched his career at the RWE Group where he accepted a position in project and investment management in early 2011. After this, he oversaw an international M&A project in Poland where he was a member of the Supervisory Board of a publicly traded company. In 2014, he took over as a General Manager of the IT service provider GISA GmbH in Halle/Saale where he was responsible for sale of the company to itelligence AG. Following this, Dr. Berger shared the responsibility for the activities of RWE in Silicon Valley for two years. During this time, new products were developed in close cooperation with innovative technology start-ups, entry into the U.S. infrastructure market for charging stations was facilitated, USD 15 million were invested in well-known venture capital funds focusing on green technologies and several direct investments in start-ups were made. According to Dr. Berger, the next logical step was founding Humada Inc., his own company, where he has worked together with his co-founder Hans-Martin Hellebrand since April 2016. "In addition to this, I also travel internationally as a speaker, I own two small dry cleaning businesses as well as a gym together with my best friend and I have worked as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University since April – that keeps me busy," Berger laughs.
Assuming responsibility
Commenting on his current work for the big data start-up Humada Inc., Dr. Berger says, "As a founder you do everything. Your main concern is finding the right partners and the capital required to pay them. The most important thing, however, is to make sure that everyone else can work without disruption." The HHL graduate enjoys being able to make all decisions himself and assume responsibility. "To see how quickly you can make progress with the right co-founder is the best thing in the world – every day anew. The learning curve is steep, of course, because you have to deal with so many different things which you all have to understand as you are completely responsible for everything. This is where the MBA was great preparation," says Dr. Berger.
The Part-Time Master in Management Program (MBA) at HHL
The two-year part-time MBA program with a focus on General Management is designed for people working in middle management who would like to expand their existing knowledge by practice-oriented and up-to-date management knowledge. The program has achieved top rankings in the Financial Times rating for career progress of its alumni and the salary increase after graduation. The classes, held in English, teach the basics of economics in combination with concrete management tools. Internationally renowned professors teach extended management skills and leadership competencies. The offer of courses focusing on 'Leadership' as well as 'Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management' was expanded. Moreover, the program provides the participants with excellent networking opportunities with HHL's extensive alumni network. Good to know: The tuition fees as well as all other program-related costs are fully tax-deductible as professional expenses. Moreover, HHL offers a variety of funding options. Since March 2015, HHL has offered its academic part-time Master Program in Management (MBA) not only in Leipzig but also in Cologne. Further information: www.hhl.de/part-time-mba
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
HHL is a university-level institution and ranks amongst the leading international business schools. The goal of the oldest business school in German-speaking Europe is to educate effective, responsible and entrepreneurially-minded leaders. HHL stands out for its excellent teaching, its clear research focus, its effective knowledge transfer into practice as well as its outstanding student services. The courses of study include full and part-time Master in Management as well as MBA programs, a Doctoral program and Executive Education. HHL is accredited by AACSB International.
With over 165 start-ups established by HHL alumni over the past 18 years, Germany's top address for young managers has also developed into an incubator for company creation. The founders' entrepreneurial commitment has created more than 2,800 jobs already. In 2013 and 2014, HHL reached one of three first places for the best entrepreneurial universities in Germany in the Start-Up Radar ranking published by Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Founders' Association of German Science) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BWMi). According to the Financial Times, HHL ranks first in Germany and fifth globally for its entrepreneurship focus within the M.Sc. and EMBA programs. http://www.hhl.de/EntrepreneurialGraduateSchool and http://www.hhl.de
http://www.hhl.de/part-time-mba
http://www.hhl.de/EntrepreneurialGraduateSchool
http://www.hhl.de
Dr. Andreas Berger, graduate of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management's part-time MBA program, h ...
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Dr. Andreas Berger, graduate of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management's part-time MBA program, h ...
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