Doctoral thesis Maximilian Wagenknecht

What can start-ups do to ensure that risks do not threaten their existence?

In July 2026, Maximilian Wagenknecht successfully defended his doctoral thesis on ‘Lean Start-up Risk Management’ at the Institute. His research shows how start-ups can master the balancing act between major market opportunities and existential risks. It is clear that traditional control systems are too rigid for start-ups. Instead, start-ups need lean methods to develop a risk management system that grows with the business and becomes part of the management strategy. The findings make it clear that incorporating customer feedback, combined with a focus on limited resources, is the key to lean risk management. Although such a system works even with minimal resource input, many start-ups are still hesitant to implement it. This research paper examines in detail exactly what these barriers are, how such a scalable system should be structured in practice, and how it ultimately convinces investors.

https://pubdata.leuphana.de/entities/publication/bc2597c6-58ce-4433-a913-60a09e2d03d0