TEDxHM – Event Recap & Talks

Most students believe that they must decide between a career where they make money or create a positive impact for society or the environment. In this talk, Verena Kaiser clears up this misunderstanding and explains that making money AND doing good for people and planet go together really well.

About Verena Kaiser

After her studies of business administration in Germany and California, Verena worked for an SME, an entrepreneurship center, and a big multinational corporation before she followed her passion for teaching and became a professor for enterprise and innovation. She is excited by encouraging students to pursue impact business ideas. In her spare time, she loves to do water and winter sports with her family.
Prof. Dr. Verena Kaiser is a Professor of Enterprise and Innovation at the HM Business.

Profit, Planet & People: Career choices for Everyone

What happens when machines can do the work we once thought was uniquely human?

In this talk, Paul Sudnik explores what it means to educate and lead in the age of AI. Drawing on decades of experience in boardrooms and classrooms, he argues that the answer isn’t to resist or compete with technology but rather to out-human it. Rooted in Servant Leadership and real classroom stories, this talk champions reflection, empathy and curiosity over content delivery.

About Paul Sudnik

After a successful corporate career, Paul Sudnik's academic interests have come to focus on what it means to lead, educate and serve whilst holding onto our human core in the age of AI. His thinking is grounded in the simple philosophy that the past wasn’t perfect but the future needn’t be tense. Calm, curious and never quite conventional, Paul helps others navigate complexity.
Prof. Dr. Paul Sudnik is a management scholar, former board director and thoughtful voice in the evolving conversation around education and technology.

The Future Needn’t Be Tense

Life is not a straight line—it's a winding journey shaped by constant transitions. In this talk, Barbara Wolf shows how entrepreneurial thinking can help us turn uncertainty into meaningful design moments. Through a powerful personal story, she invites us to stop waiting for certainty—and start creating from where we are.

About Barbara Wolf

Dr. Barbara Wolf is a researcher, educator, and entrepreneur with a PhD in communication sciences and over 20 years of experience in consulting, management, and academia. As Head of Impact Entrepreneurship Education at the Professorship of Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Sustainability at LMU Munich and founder of Panoramawolf, she explores how entrepreneurial action fosters personal growth and transformation. Her work examines the creative process as a force that shapes identity and guides people in envisioning and building sustainable futures. Committed to empowering individuals to innovate with purpose, Barbara bridges theory and practice, inspiring people to transform life's transitions into meaningful design moments.

What Could You Create From Here? Entrepreneurship Lessons for Shaping Your Life and Future

Despite massive investments in motivating women to pursue STEM, the results remain sobering. This is worrying and calls for a strategic shift. In Elke Wolf´s talk, she introduces two transformative approaches that not only inspire more women to enter STEM, but also help us tackle the urgent social, environmental and economic challenges of our time.

About Elke Wolf

Elke Wolf is a Professor of Economics at the HM with research focused on empirical labor market analysis and gender studies. As the gender equality officer at a large university, she combines academic expertise with practical experience in equality work. She has a genuine and keen interest in social developments and structurally eliminating disadvantages and inefficiencies. She is also a mother of three kids and an avid cyclist.
Prof. Dr. Elke Wolf is the Women’s Representative at HM, Professor and Women’s Representative at the Faculty of Engineering and Management, and the Spokesperson of the Bavarian Association of Women’s Representatives at Universities.

A new strategy to attract women to STEM

A new actor has entered our lecture halls — invisible, omnipresent, and far more powerful than many of us anticipated. It now asks questions, writes texts, advises students, and reshapes academic life at breathtaking speed. Yet as impressive as its capabilities are, it forces us to confront a deeper question: What part of science and understanding belongs exclusively to us as human beings? In his TEDxHM Talk, Prof. Dr. Klaus Kreulich looks beyond both the fascination and the fears surrounding artificial intelligence. With a touch of humor, he reflects on moments of shock across universities, the shift from anxiety to collaboration, and the crucial leap from knowledge to insight — the point at which truly human science begins.

About Klaus Kreulich

Prof. Dr. Klaus Kreulich is a visionary leader and long-standing Vice President at HM, dedicated to empowering people through transformative education. Klaus Kreulich bridges learning and innovation, drawing on his deep experience as a policy maker in higher-education quality, where he sees excellence and standards as powerful partners for progress.
Trained as a physicist, engineer, and media technology professor, he explores how digital media and emerging technologies inspire human ingenuity. From pioneering digital publishing to embracing artificial intelligence, Klaus Kreulich is passionate about using technology as a catalyst for human potential and societal advancement.

The Human Spark Beyond the Reach of AI

In today’s hyperconnected world, attention has become our most valuable and most exploited currency. Our digital lives have never been more connected, yet never more distracting. This talk explores how constant notifications, endless feeds, and algorithmic design are quietly reshaping the way we think, focus, and live. Blending behavioural science with everyday experience, this talk reveals how technology is engineered to capture our attention and how this fragmentation impacts our mental well-being and productivity. Most importantly, it aims to spark reflection, inspire change, and encourage others to reclaim their most valuable currency - attention.

About Rimsha Sajid

With a love for public speaking, travelling, and connecting with people across cultures, Rimsha Sajid brings a global and curious perspective to her work, combining that curiosity with research to better understand and address pressing modern challenges.
Rimsha Sajid is a business student pursuing two degrees in International Business and Business Administration and is currently part of the team at Apple.

Attention is Your Most Valuable Currency - Are You Spending It Wisely?

In this talk Ronja Fleckenstein reveals how the same tools that helped her grow a business became tools for navigating her cancer diagnosis and how they can help you, too. Ronja believes: “Entrepreneurship isn’t just for companies: It’s for everyday life.”

About Ronja Fleckenstein

Ronja Fleckenstein built her first web design agency in her twenties. While undergoing chemotherapy, she moved her office to Munich’s Maximilianstraße. Ronja kept creating, not despite it all, but because of it. She began sharing her reflections on fear, resilience, and cancer prevention, building a growing community on social media. Originally from Munich and now based in Switzerland, Ronja believes that the tools of entrepreneurship shouldn’t stay in business. They belong in everyday life to help more people grow through what they fear.

The surprising power of negative thinking

Matthias Paulat de Alarcón talk explores how mistakes can spark innovation, why growth rarely follows a straight line, and how slowing down can lead to faster and more meaningful breakthroughs. Blending neuroscience, storytelling and a Rubik’s Cube, it reveals how moments of feeling stuck can become powerful turning points.

About Matthias Paulat de Alarcón

Matthias Paulat de Alarcón is a Software Engineer and entrepreneur working at the intersection of environmental and aerospace innovation. Originally from Peru, his path has spanned roles as a photographer, trainer at Apple, and product engineer before earning his Master’s degree in Management and Technology. With a passion for discovery and reinvention, Matthias Paulat de Alarcón brings together skills from communication, design, and systems thinking to develop sustainable technologies. When not designing systems or building prototypes, he’s likely flying, painting, or exploring new microhobbies somewhere in the world.

The Power of Being Stuck: Turning Mistakes into Breakthroughs

Have you ever felt judged — and started to believe the things others said about you? For a long time, Anjes Kubiak did, too.

She lived inside the limits of other people’s opinions — until she learned to break the cycle and see who she really is. In this talk, she’ll share how you can do the same.

About Anjes Kubiak

Anjes Kubiak thrives at the intersection of design, storytelling, and endless curiosity, seeking challenges that push her to grow. Empathetic, extroverted, and inquisitive, Anjes loves turning ideas into experiences that inspire and connect. A longtime TEDx fan, she brings her creativity and energy to the stage, inviting others to see the world differently.
She is a curious and fearless creative, pursuing a Master’s in Creative Direction in Pforzheim after earning a Bachelor in Design in Munich. She is a student, design freelancer and content creator.

Why you don’t have to be who they say you are – Here’s how to break free

In her inspiring talk, Julia Schön invites us to rethink the way we build urban spaces by introducing Baubotanik – an innovative approach that merges architecture and living trees into one living system. As climate change accelerates and cities become hotter and denser, Julia explores how “building with trees” could transform our urban environments into cooler, greener, and healthier places to live. Combining science, sustainability, and imagination, she shows how nature itself can be our most powerful ally in shaping a livable future for generations to come.

About Julia Schön

Julia Schön is a passionate young real estate professional. She is always on the lookout for opportunities to make the real estate industry more sustainable and innovative. If you can't reach her, she's probably on the beach volleyball court or in the mountains.

Building with trees: Rethinking cities for a sustainable future

“Digital Dementia” highlights how smartphones and tablets affect children's concentration and development. This is something Sina Sommer has often observed in Munich schools. Her talk is intended to shake people up and motivate parents and teachers to promote healthier habits.

About Sima Sommer

Sima is a passionate engineer and educator. She began supporting students in 2014 through her own tutoring business, where she discovered her talent for explaining complex ideas in simple and engaging ways. Alongside her studies, she volunteered at local schools, teaching mathematics, 3D drawing, 3D printing, and creative technology.

After earning her Master’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering, she is currently pursuing her doctorate at the Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences, focusing on applied computer science, human–computer interaction, and accessibility.
Driven by a commitment to innovation and inclusion, Sima aims to create technologies that empower people and make everyday experiences more intuitive for everyone.

Digital dementia