As part of the “AI Strategy, Management and Governance” lecture at the University of Liechtenstein, Karsten Neugebauer, former CEO of G2K, gave an inspiring guest lecture on “How a Germany-based company became Europe's biggest AI Exit”. The event was organized by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benjamin van Giffen and offered students valuable insights into the world of AI start-ups and, in particular, their scaling potential.

Karsten Neugebauer shared the impressive story of how he and his co-founder developed the German AI start-up G2K into Europe's largest AI exit. G2K was acquired by American technology giant ServiceNow in 2023. The talk was rich in insights and provided many personal insights into building and scaling an AI-driven start-up and the challenges involved.

Three insights were particularly in focus:

1.  “Show, don't tell": In their customer presentations, G2K prevailed over well-known technology giants by making their AI offering tangible. Instead of just promising results, they showed practically how their solution works, demonstrating the value for potential customers.
2. External rather than internal competition: In contrast to large companies, where competition often takes place between departments, start-ups need to maintain a clear and strong focus on the common goal. G2K's success is due to the fact that the company functioned as a cohesive team, with teams directing their energy “outwards” to meet growth pressures and market challenges, rather than losing it to internal politics.
3. Thinking about the scalability of AI applications: Another important success factor is the focus on AI use cases with high scaling potential. G2K demonstrated early on how their AI solutions can deliver return on investment (ROI) across multiple applications - providing the critical link from data to positive business value. This is a fundamentally important prerequisite for the successful use of AI, especially in times of AI hype.

The event provided an excellent opportunity for students to learn first-hand how European AI start-ups can be successful on a global scale. The guest lecture complemented the theoretical foundations of the lecture and enabled all participants to gain practical insights into the challenges and opportunities of current developments in the AI environment.

The lecture “AI Strategy, Management and Governance” under the direction of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Benjamin van Giffen is part of the Master's degree program in Information Systems at the University of Liechtenstein and underlines the importance and commitment of the university to provide students with up-to-date and practice-relevant knowledge in the field of artificial intelligence.

On the evening of 3 March 2025, the third edition of Talent Pitch Switzerland took place at the Volkshaus Zürich—a competition that offers a stage to promising young entrepreneurs from Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In front of more than 400 live attendees and an online audience of over 1,000 viewers, 13 start-ups from leading universities and universities of applied sciences competed against one another.

Each participating founder had three minutes to pitch their innovative business idea to a distinguished panel of judges. This year’s jury included Thomas Dübendorfer, Penny Schiffer, Jürg Schwarzenbach, and Roberta Massa—all experienced investors and entrepreneurs.

After the pitches, three outstanding start-ups advanced to an in-depth Q&A round:

• Reverso Therapeutics (University of Geneva) – Developing the next generation of blood thinners
• PlaynVoice (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland) – AI-powered solution for automated clinical documentation
• Nepsos (University of Liechtenstein) – Revolutionary low-emission brake system emitting up to 80% less than conventional steel brakes

First Place for Nepsos and Marco Eichberger

After a highly competitive final round, the start-up Nepsos, founded by Marco Eichberger, convinced the expert jury and secured first place. His innovative approach to low-emission brake discs impressively demonstrated how technological innovation can actively contribute to sustainability.

“It’s fantastic to see how well our students are prepared for entrepreneurial careers through the Master’s programme in Entrepreneurship & Management—not just for the start-up phase but across the entire lifecycle of a company,” said Prof. Dr. Marco Furtner of the University of Liechtenstein.

Also inspiring was the keynote by Muriel Schreck (ETH Zurich), who won the 2024 competition with her start-up qCella. She shared how Talent Pitch Switzerland opened doors and helped elevate her business to the next level.

We warmly congratulate Marco Eichberger and Nepsos on winning Talent Pitch Switzerland 2025 and wish them continued success on their entrepreneurial journey!

A study published in the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, one of the leading journals in the field of Information Systems, with the involvement of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Johannes Schneider from the Liechtenstein Business School, focuses on an often-overlooked aspect: the quality of relationships in social networks.

While social networks are often perceived as platforms for exchange and interaction, the authors examine how deep and high-quality these relationships truly are.

By analyzing over 440,000 non-private messages in social media networks, the researchers identified four key factors for high relationship quality: personality, curiosity, respect, and sharing. These factors contribute to making digital interactions feel more genuine and valuable—similar to personal conversations.

The study, titled "Capturing the ‘Social’ in Social Networks," demonstrates that social networks are not only defined by their structure but, more importantly, by the quality of interactions between users. This has significant implications for companies and platform operators: a more conscious design of social media environments could help strengthen relationships and make digital interactions more human.

The publication in a top-ranked journal (A* in the ABDC ranking) highlights the scientific excellence and global impact of the research – a significant achievement for the University of Liechtenstein!

For more information on the study: "Capturing the “Social” in Social Networks: The Conceptualization and E" by Christian Meske, Iris Junglas et al.

The University of Liechtenstein is pleased that two of its architecture students have been recognized by the SIA Specialist Group for the Preservation of Buildings (FEB) for their work in building preservation. The annually awarded "FEB Prize" honors well-founded approaches to dealing with existing buildings.

In 2024, 62 projects were submitted and evaluated by a professional jury. The FEB awarded two main prizes and five recognitions, with a total prize fund of 4,500 CHF.

The projects by Antonia Trager, “Traditionen zurückbringen - la mucca podolica”, and Anna Stricker, “Amphiorama – the view of the world from here, casa di miele”, were acknowledged by the jury. These projects were developed as part of the design studio under the supervision of Alberto Alessi and Anna Lohs.

The Liechtenstein School of Architecture congratulates the award winners and thanks the SIA Specialist Group for the Preservation of Buildings for recognizing these achievements.

At the beginning of May 2025, the University of Liechtenstein welcomed three guests from partner universities around the world: Dr. Riann Singh from the University of the West Indies (Trinidad & Tobago), Zineb Adaskou from the Université Internationale de Rabat (Morocco) and Dr. Violeta Toncheva-Zlatkova from the University of National and World Economy (Bulgaria). During the Staff Training Days, the visitors gained a wide range of insights into research, teaching, administration and culture in Liechtenstein.

The three-day program began with an introduction by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Stöckl, Academic Director of the Undergraduate and Graduate School, and short presentations by the host universities. The subsequent exchange with international students and a guided tour of Vaduz focused on intercultural dialog.

In the following days, the guests accompanied employees of the university as part of job shadowing and got to know various areas: the School of Business, Student Services, the Research Office, the Undergraduate and Graduate School, Legal Services and Data Protection. Visits to social institutions such as the Specki restaurant and the Agra institution, which integrate people with special needs into everyday working life, were particularly enriching.

A culinary and cultural highlight was cooking traditional cheese dumplings together with Martha Bühler and a hike to the tower on Dux, followed by a guided tour of the Stein-Egerta education center.

The Staff Training Days provided a valuable opportunity for professional exchange and strengthened the university's international partnerships.

As part of the course “Technology and Innovation Management” in the Bachelor’s programme in Business Administration (specialisation in Entrepreneurship & Management), students had the opportunity to visit Ivoclar, the Liechtenstein-based dental company, at its headquarters in Schaan this semester.

In addition to gaining current insights into Ivoclar’s technology, innovation, and project management practices, the student group from the University of Liechtenstein also enjoyed impressions of the company’s state-of-the-art headquarters—including a visit to the in-house barista coffee bar. The group was accompanied by Clemens Armellini and Marie Scheuffele, both of the Professorship for Technology & Innovation.

The visit began with an interactive presentation of an ongoing process optimisation project focused on implementing a novel Programat sintering system. This hands-on “lecture day” offered the students a real-world look at the company’s internal innovation activities. The hosts walked the group through the entire journey—from the initial idea for streamlining processes, to the development of a new concept, and the current implementation stage of the innovative production system—while enthusiastically answering the students’ many questions.

The second half of the morning was dedicated to product innovation. Students gained valuable insights into Ivoclar’s product lifecycle management and were introduced to the company’s idea generation and evaluation process. In this context, they also learned about the key megatrends shaping Ivoclar’s business and how the company addresses them within its technological and industry context.

A warm thank-you to Ivoclar for the generous hospitality and the insightful programme put together for our students!

International University Partnership with the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts

As part of the International Credit Mobility partnership between the University of Liechtenstein and the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts , Prof. Dr Daniel Stockhammer, Dean of the Liechtenstein School of Architecture and Head of the Heritage & Upcycling Research Group, travelled to Georgia for seven days in April 2025.

The purpose of the visit was institutional exchange and the strengthening of academic cooperation. Official discussions were held with the Rector and Vice-Rector of TSAA as well as with the International Office. Two follow-up working meetings with the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture focused on future opportunities for collaboration in research and teaching.

Academic Exchange and Lecture on Upcycling

A key component of the visit was the exchange with Georgian professors of architecture, students, and alumni – including architect Giorgi Kurdiani, a graduate of the University of Liechtenstein and a representative of a distinguished Georgian family of architects whose roots go back to 1898.

Prof. Stockhammer also delivered a public lecture on the topic of upcycling in architecture, which was met with great interest by those in attendance.

Experiencing Local Architectural Heritage and Strengthening Networks

Accompanied by faculty coordinator Nestan Tsiklauri and another Georgian professor, he visited significant examples of both historical and contemporary architecture in and around Tbilisi. Visits to two renowned architecture firms and in-depth exchanges offered further insight into Georgia’s dynamic architectural scene and opened up new perspectives for future collaborations. The stay was rounded off with an exclusive guided tour of the Tbilisi Gold Museum.

Special thanks go to Mirjana Schädler from the International Office of the University of Liechtenstein and Nestan Tsiklauri from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts for coordinating this international exchange.

Photo Credit: Lizele Osepaishvili-Nemtsova, Tbilisi State Academy of Arts