"Networking is a win-win situation for me. It is incredibly valuable when you can quickly get help or tips from your network. On the other hand, it's fun to share your knowledge and experience and give something back.“

Some time ago, our alumnus Dominik Enzenauer was annoyed that discussions on the net quickly become confusing. That was the start of his founding idea! Today he is the founder and managing director of Topikon, a company that offers innovative software solutions for eParticipation. In our interview, he talks to us about new opportunities due to the current crisis, how his Master's degree with us has helped him so far and gives our students some exciting tips along the way.

Dear Dominik, you are the founder and managing director of Topikon, a company that offers innovative software solutions for eParticipation. How did you come up with the idea of founding the company?

The idea for the platform actually came quite casually. I was annoyed that discussions on the net quickly become confusing and everything has already been said, just not by everyone. The platform was supposed to solve this problem by aggregating similar opinions and presenting them visually. With a wireframe, i.e. a drawn prototype, I asked a few friends what they thought of the idea. When this was well received, I continued with a simple website that only presented the most necessary design without functionality. With that, in turn, I pitched my idea at every opportunity until I found someone who helped me with his developer skills and built an MVP, i.e. a "Minimal Viable Product". When talking to potential customers, we quickly met with interest - but it was only a project at the time. The start-up scholarship then gave me the opportunity to focus on this project while studying and eventually found the company. 

You won several awards with Topikon, received scholarships and funding programmes, and all this during the Corona crisis. How did you feel about the last year as founder and CEO during the crisis? And looking to the future, where do you see yourself and your company in three years?

The crisis has thrown a lot of things into disarray. Networking opportunities, such as trade fairs or meetups, suddenly fell away completely. Even in our start-up centre, where we are based, it was suddenly quiet and empty. That was very unusual for me. Companies also understandably went on the defensive at first at the beginning of the crisis with regard to the introduction of new tools that are not called Zoom or Teams. Fortunately, alternative digital formats and exchange opportunities quickly emerged - both for networking and for sales. 

In addition to our Meinung.click platform, which is now used by schools and political parties across Germany, a new and exciting market developed for us during the crisis. With Topikon, for example, we offer a solution for online shop operators and platforms that want to improve their customer experience through qualitative real-time feedback. I am happy that we can create a measurable positive impact in this area by making it easier for companies to actively involve users and thus strengthen customer loyalty.

I hope that our team will continue to grow over the next three years and that we will be able to learn even more about how artificial intelligence can be used to further streamline feedback processes and make them smarter. Personally, though, I'm particularly looking forward to seeing some normality return to our everyday lives in the near future, so that we can see friends and family again as usual.

You have completed your Master's degree at the WiSo Faculty. Are there any important insights, contents and experiences that you have taken away from your studies and that help you in your current everyday working life?

Yes, during my studies at the WiSo faculty I learned to look at complex problems from different perspectives and to solve them with different approaches. In everyday work, it helps enormously to keep a cool head even in difficult or new subject areas and deadlines and to approach the challenge in a structured way. 

In addition, you learn in one way or another during your studies how you have to manage your time so that you can get all the exams and seminar work under one hat. For my day-to-day work in the start-up, it's helpful to have gained experience early on of how I tick in this respect and what works well for me.

During your Master's degree at the WiSo Faculty, you certainly not only acquired a lot of specialist knowledge, but were also able to make a number of contacts. What special significance does networking have for you and to what extent has the alumni network of the WiSo Faculty helped you so far?

Networking is a win-win situation for me. It is incredibly valuable when you can quickly get help or tips from your network. On the other hand, it's fun to share your knowledge and experience and give something back. Especially during the start-up, I had tons of burning questions every day. Everything was new and I was grateful for every tip. Admittedly, I was really surprised by how many sides I got support from, as I assumed that if I had an MVP, I wouldn't be taken seriously right away. By the way, I also met my mentor at the networking event, who later became our business angel. 

I only recently finished my Master's degree and am therefore still new to the alumni network. I have already been able to exchange ideas with a few members, and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming conversations. Therefore, I would like to extend a friendly invitation to all readers: Feel free to add me on LinkedIn - I would be delighted!

Finally, do you have three tips? What would you like to pass on to our students?

My first tip is certainly not new to many people, but it helped me a lot during my studies: Find your learning type and choose a suitable learning mode. For me, study groups were the ideal way to consolidate knowledge. Whether with friends or students you don't know yet - these meetings motivate you and keep you on the ball. For other fellow students, it's better to go to the library, where they can study undisturbed. So try out different methods as early as possible and find out what suits you best. 

Do what you're passionate about! Studying is the perfect time to try out new things or pursue your own projects. This doesn't always have to be related to your subject, but can have many facets. If you do want to go in the direction of a start-up, all I can say is: get well informed and then just try it out. The stakes certainly don't get any lower, and there are great support services that can help you both with planning and with implementation. 

My third tip is for young entrepreneurs: Be honest about what you can and can't do. No one expects you to have the next AirBnB in your pocket or to go public in three years. Being open about your strengths and weaknesses takes the wind out of the sails of overzealous critics, prevents disappointment and helps enormously in the long run to build a great team that complements each other.

The interview was conducted by Lorraine Hoffmann