Entrepreneurship education is evolving. Beyond teaching the fundamentals of business planning and financial modeling, it now carries a greater mission: to prepare the next generation of founders as responsible, ethical leaders. Today’s entrepreneurs are not only builders of companies—they are also shapers of society, entrusted with balancing economic success, democratic values, and social responsibility.

In the context of the International Day of Democracy, and against the backdrop of recent developments in technology and startup culture—from high-profile scandals such as Theranos to growing concerns around political influence, data ethics, and accountability—this public online panel will take a closer look at what entrepreneurial responsibility means in 2025.

Together with leading voices in academia and entrepreneurship, we will explore pressing questions:

– How can entrepreneurial ecosystems foster ethical and impact-driven innovation?

– What values, mindsets, and governance systems are needed to ensure startups strengthen rather than undermine democracy?

– Where should the line be drawn between innovation, responsibility, and regulation?

This is a panel organized by ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences and EELISA Innovation & Entrepreneurship Workgroup,

WHEN

15 September 2025, from 4pm -5pm (CEST)

WHERE

Online

FOR WHOM

Anyone interested in the topic

REGISTER HERE.

MEET THE PANELLISTS

Prof. Dr. Jana Thiel, EDHEC Business School (France)	Dr. Jana Thiel is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at EDHEC Business School in France. Her research focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship and strategy, particularly how entrepreneurs conceptualize and implement strategies in technology contexts. She holds a PhD in Management of Technology from EPFL and has held research positions at ESADE Business School and Maastricht University. Dr. Thiel is also an external lecturer in the CAS program “Entrepreneurial Leadership in Technology Ventures” at ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Arjen van Witteloostuijn, VU Amsterdam (The Netherlands)	Prof. Dr. Arjen van Witteloostuijn is a Professor of Business and Economics at Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam and serves as the Dean of the VU School of Business and Economics. He is also a Research Professor in Business, Economics, and Governance at the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School in Belgium. Since 2015, he has been a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW),
Matthias Henze, Co-founder of Jimdo and SME representative	Matthias Henze is the founder and CEO of Jimdo, a platform that enables self-employed individuals and small businesses to create professional websites without technical expertise. Henze is passionate about supporting self-employed individuals, whom he considers the true heroes of the economy. He is also the curator of the German Start-Up Award and actively engages with organizations like Futurepreneur e.V. and Social Impact.
Kader Sevinc, Entrepreneur and EU-Expert	Kader Sevinç is an internationally active strategist, social entrepreneur, and poet with over 20 years of experience in international relations, public diplomacy, and political communication. She is the founder and CEO of Forward 1919 Global Strategic Advisory in Brussels and was previously a non-resident fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University. Her work covers topics such as artificial intelligence, digital politics, transatlantic relations, and European integration.
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Petra Moog	Prof. Dr. Petra Moog is a professor at the ZHAW School of Management and Law and heads the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Her research focuses on entrepreneurial economics, innovation economics, and entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). She also leads the EELISA workgroup focused on entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems.