What Center for Digital Technology and Management, CDTM does

CDTM is an interdisciplinary academic study program — not a commercial company — that delivers an add-on curriculum in technology management to bachelor and master students from all academic fields. It operates two campuses: one in Munich jointly offered by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU), and one in Valencia jointly offered by the Technical University of Valencia (UPV) and the University of Valencia. The program is part of the Elite Network of Bavaria and was founded in 1998 by Andrew Kelly, Jörg Eberspächer, and Manfred Broy.

The core product is a hands-on curriculum covering applied innovation (from biotechnology to negotiation), leadership experience through student-initiated campaigns and events, and a small-cohort community model (~25 students per semester, 1,000+ alumni educated cumulatively). Supporting offerings include a Doctoral Program for advanced research, recurring info sessions and keynotes, and outbound student exchanges with MIT, Cambridge, Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Tsinghua. Students also collaborate with industry partners including McKinsey, BCG, Google, Adidas, Allianz, and Airbus across course formats; the program counts 220+ project partners and 250+ alumni-founded startups.

The business model is academic, not commercial: CDTM is funded through its partner universities and the Bavarian Elite Network rather than tuition or fees, and it is operationally managed by a student-and-management-team structure. Go-to-market is community- and event-led (info sessions, workshops, keynotes, blog content) targeting prospective students via the program's own admission pages.

Name

Center for Digital Technology and Management, CDTM

Legal name

Center for Digital Technology and Management

Website

https://cdtm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CDTM is an interdisciplinary academic add-on program in technology management for bachelor and master students, jointly run by TUM and LMU in Munich and by UPV and University of Valencia in Valencia. It is part of Bavaria's Elite Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. University Affiliation Revenue: CDTM operates as an interdisciplinary study program offered by partnered universities (Technical University of Munich, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Technical University of Valencia, University of Valencia). The program is integrated into university curricula and is likely funded through university budgets and student tuition as part of their primary studies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

CDTM is an interdisciplinary study program in technology management that integrates computer science, business, and innovation education. The program is offered jointly by partner universities in Munich (TUM and LMU) and Valencia (UPV and University of Valencia), admitting approximately 25 students per semester who complete coursework, industry-sponsored projects, and a master's thesis. It is part of the Elite Network of Bavaria and operates a related events/workshop program and a doctoral track.

Product overview

CDTM offers an interdisciplinary Technology Management study program as its core offering, delivered at two campuses: Munich (Technical University of Munich and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich) and Valencia (Technical University of Valencia and University of Valencia). The program welcomes bachelor and master students from all academic fields to complement their primary studies with practical courses in technology and management. Supporting offerings include a Doctoral Program for advanced research and Events/Workshops featuring keynote sessions on innovation topics. The program fosters applied innovation skills, leadership experience, and a close-knit community of innovators, with over 1000 innovators educated and 250+ startups founded.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technology Management Study Program (Munich)
• Technology Management Study Program (Valencia)
• CDTM Doctoral Program
• CDTM Events and Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ startups founded by CDTM alumni
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcKinsey is listed as an industry partner with which students collaborate in a wide range of course formats. The consulting firm provides practical project experience and industry insights for CDTM students.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCG is listed as an industry partner with which students collaborate in course formats, providing consulting and strategy project experience.
• AdidascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdidas is listed as an industry partner collaborating with CDTM students in various course formats, offering practical innovation and technology project experience.
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle is listed as an industry partner with which students collaborate in course formats, providing technology and innovation project opportunities.
• AllianzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllianz is listed as an industry partner collaborating with CDTM students in course formats, offering insurance and technology project experience.
• AirbuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirbus is listed as an industry partner with which students collaborate in course formats, providing aerospace and technology project experience.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT is listed as an international exchange partner institution. CDTM students spend a semester studying or researching abroad at MIT as part of their program.
• University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCambridge is listed as an international exchange partner institution where CDTM students can spend a semester studying or researching abroad.
• Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard is listed as an international exchange partner institution for CDTM students to study or research abroad.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford is listed as an international exchange partner institution for CDTM students to study or research abroad.
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Berkeley is listed as an international exchange partner institution for CDTM students to study or research abroad.
• Tsinghua UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTsinghua University is listed as an international exchange partner institution for CDTM students to study or research abroad.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTUM is the primary university partner offering the CDTM Munich program. As a founding institutional partner, TUM provides academic framework, faculty support, and student enrollment pipeline for the CDTM program.
• Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLMU is a co-offering university partner for the CDTM Munich program alongside TUM, providing academic framework and student enrollment.
• Technical University of Valencia (UPV)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPV is the primary university partner offering the CDTM Valencia program, providing academic framework and student enrollment pipeline.
• University of ValenciaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Valencia is a co-offering university partner for the CDTM Valencia program alongside UPV, providing academic framework and student enrollment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• TUM School of Management: The management school of CDTM's own flagship partner TUM — comparable as a broader, more traditional tech-management degree program offered by the same institution.
• MIT Sloan School of Management: Top global business school with explicit technology management focus and deep corporate partner network; CDTM students exchange at MIT, positioning Sloan as both upstream feeder and benchmarking peer.
• INSEAD: Global business school with a strong technology management and entrepreneurship offering; broad incumbent peer given its consulting/tech industry partnerships that overlap with CDTM's McKinsey/BCG/Google-style network.
• Cambridge Judge Business School: Cambridge University's business school with a focus on innovation and technology ventures — comparator through CDTM's exchange partnership with the University of Cambridge.
• ETH Zurich Department of Management, Technology, and Economics (D-MTEC): Swiss elite technical university's cross-disciplinary economics/management/technology unit — closest large-scale European peer for the technology-management academic category CDTM occupies.

Direct peers

• Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) / HPI School of Design Thinking: German elite institute at University of Potsdam offering interdisciplinary technology and design thinking programs with strong industry partner network — most direct functional analog to CDTM's Munich-based tech/management format.
• Stanford d.school (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design): Stanford's interdisciplinary design/innovation program that combines technology, business, and human-centered design — mirrors CDTM's interdisciplinary tech-management pedagogy and leadership-by-project ethos.
• Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP): Stanford's flagship entrepreneurship and technology management education program — directly comparable as a university-anchored tech+management program that emphasizes founder output (akin to CDTM's 250+ startups).
• Aalto University Design Factory: Aalto's interdisciplinary, project-based learning environment for technology, business, and design — a frequently cited European model that CDTM emulates in structure (small cohorts, industry projects, exchange partnerships).

Regional players

• IE Business School / IE University: Madrid-based business school with strong tech-management curriculum and corporate partnerships in Spain — natural regional peer for CDTM Valencia given shared Ibero-European market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cdtm_munich
• Facebookfacebook.com/cdtm.munich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-digital-technology-and-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Digital Technology and Management, CDTM