Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation

What Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation does

The Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation is a 7-month postgraduate Master's program operated by POLI.design, the executive education institution of Politecnico di Milano, with which it has been continuously delivered since 2013. The program trains "Digital Transformers" — professionals capable of designing and leading digital transformation strategies that integrate Design Thinking and Management across business, marketing, and communication functions. Curriculum is structured around the Double Diamond methodology, organized into four teaching modules (Listening: Design for Managerial Sensemaking & Strategic Foresight; Strategy: Design for Business Transformation & Strategic Positioning; Design: Design for Strategic Experience & Meaning Creation; GTM: Design for Omnichannel Strategy Execution & Performance Management). The student experience is augmented by a gamified team-building exercise called Digital Transformer Squad (16 missions in 2050 scenarios), TrenDS roundtables with 20+ external professionals, project work with 50+ partner companies, Design Your Career coaching, the IT'S A MATCH! recruiting event (130+ matches to date), and curricular internship placement.

The program integrates AI tools (Midjourney text-to-image, Google AI for digital marketing campaigns, chatbot systems) into the Learning, Design, and GTM modules for hands-on practice. Partner companies for project work include Loro Piana, Estée Lauder, EOLO, Teva Pharmaceutical, ABB, Brembo, Bridgestone, Leroy Merlin, Novo Nordisk, Yamaha, Saint-Gobain, and Trenord. The program is delivered entirely in person at POLI.design's campus on Via Don Giovanni Verità 25, Milan, Monday to Friday; the next cohort runs October 19, 2026 through April 9, 2027.

Revenue is generated through tuition fees paid by individual students on a one-time basis (Master Universitari are VAT-exempt under Italian law art.10 dpr 633/72). The program operates under POLI.design's ISO 9001/2008 certification and Regione Lombardia accreditation, is part of the Politecnico di Milano academic structure, and is governed by a 5-person Direction team with a 12+ person faculty. Go-to-market is recruitment-led via the digitalstrategy.academy website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and a Spotify podcast channel, targeting multinational corporations, SMEs, start-ups, and public administration professionals in Italy.

Name

Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation

Legal name

POLI.design (Politecnico di Milano) - Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation

Website

https://digitalstrategy.academy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A 7-month postgraduate Master's program at Politecnico di Milano's POLI.design, training professionals in digital transformation strategy through Design Thinking and the Double Diamond methodology, with a 12-year operating history and a network of 50+ partner companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Education

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDABAAAO

Innovation Leadership & Leading Growth

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Leadership & Management Development

SECONDARYEDABAAAD

Change Management & Transformation Leadership

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Leadership & Management Development

SECONDARYEDAMAHAD

Innovation & Design Thinking Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

SECONDARYEDABAHAK

UX, Design Thinking & Customer Research for PMs

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Project, Program & Product Management Training

Keywords

• Professional education programs
• Digital transformation training
• Postgraduate business education
• Design thinking courses
• Innovation management programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano, Lombardia

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Revenue generated from tuition fees for the 7-month professional Master's program. Master Universitari are exempt from IVA (VAT) under art.10 dpr 633/72.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation is a 7-month intensive postgraduate Master's program delivered in-person at POLI.design within Politecnico di Milano. It trains Innovation Managers (Digital Transformers) to design and lead digital transformation strategies for business, marketing, and communication by integrating Design Thinking methodology with Management principles through a four-module Double Diamond curriculum (Listening, Strategy, Design, GTM), augmented with AI tools (Midjourney, Google AI, chatbots), real company project challenges, recruiting events, and career coaching.

Product overview

Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation is a single unified educational program: a 7-month postgraduate master at Politecnico di Milano managed by POLI.design. The program trains Digital Transformers through a structured curriculum comprising four teaching modules aligned with the Double Diamond methodology (Listening, Strategy, Design, GTM), supplemented by experiential components including Digital Transformer Squad team-building, TrenDS roundtables, Practice business transformation projects, Design Your Career workshops, IT'S A MATCH! recruiting events, and Curricular Internship placement. The program integrates AI tools including Midjourney, Google AI, and chatbot systems for hands-on learning in digital transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation A 7-month intensive postgraduate Master's program at Politecnico di Milano (managed by POLI.design) that trains professionals as Digital Transformers / Innovation Managers to design and lead digital transformation strategies for business, marketing, and communication. Curriculum integrates Design Thinking methodology with Management principles through four Double Diamond modules (Listening, Strategy, Design, GTM), AI tools (Midjourney, Google AI, chatbots), real company project work with 50+ partner organizations, recruiting events, and career coaching. Delivered entirely in-person Monday to Friday at the POLI.design campus in Milan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ successful professional matches with top companies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• POLI.designcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPOLI.design is the executive education institution within Politecnico di Milano that manages and delivers the Master program. Located on the Politecnico di Milano campus. ISO 9001/2008 certified and accredited by Regione Lombardia.
• Politecnico di MilanocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Master's program is affiliated with Politecnico di Milano, one of Italy's leading technical universities, providing academic credibility and institutional endorsement.
• GSOM (Graduate School of Management)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate School of Management partnership for academic collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• HEC Paris Executive Education: HEC Paris offers executive programs in strategy, innovation, and digital transformation for professionals and organizations. Its broad business-school model and corporate-cohort focus make it an established incumbent comparable.
• MIT Sloan Executive Education: MIT Sloan Executive Education offers programs spanning digital strategy, analytics, innovation, and organizational change. It is a broad incumbent comparable for senior professionals and corporate cohorts, with a wider portfolio and greater scale.
• INSEAD Executive Education: INSEAD provides global executive education in leadership, strategy, innovation, and digital transformation. It targets the same multinational and corporate audience and competes for international cohort enrollment.

Emerging players

• General Assembly: General Assembly provides practical digital, technology, and career-oriented training for individuals and employers. It overlaps on applied digital skills and employer connections, but its course format is generally shorter and less focused on management consulting and organizational transformation.
• IDEO U: IDEO U provides design-thinking and innovation education to professionals and organizations. Its focus on human-centered methods and practical innovation is directly comparable, although its courses are generally shorter and more online than a seven-month master's program.

Regional players

• SDA Bocconi School of Management: SDA Bocconi provides graduate and executive education in strategy, innovation, and digital transformation. It serves similar corporate and professional learners in Milan and competes for the same transformation-talent budgets.
• MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Management: MIP Politecnico di Milano is a Milan graduate business school with executive and master's education in innovation, strategy, and digital transformation. Its geography and professional audience make it a strong regional comparable for the anchor.

Direct peers

• Stanford d.school: Stanford d.school teaches design thinking and innovation through experiential, cross-disciplinary programs. Its methodology and project-based orientation are closely comparable, though its institutional scale and academic context are broader.
• Domus Academy: Domus Academy is a Milan-based postgraduate school combining design, business, and technology. It competes for design-minded professionals seeking project-based education, although it is more design-specialized than the anchor's digital strategy and management focus.
• Hyper Island: Hyper Island is a global learning provider focused on digital transformation, innovation, leadership, and collaborative problem-solving. Its applied, team-based programs for professionals and organizations are closely comparable to the anchor's transformation-skills offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/masterdesigndigitalstrategy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/masterdigitalstrategyandprocessesforinnovation
• Instagraminstagram.com/masterdigitalstrategy_polimi

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Master in Digital Strategy and Processes for Innovation