Entrepreneurial Mind in Action in the Digital Age

"The EMA course helped me turn my ideas into action and connect with peers from different countries who share the same drive for entrepreneurship."
Milena, 23

The international online program EMA – Entrepreneurial Mind in Action in the Digital Age fosters an entrepreneurial mindset in participants with the potential to become entrepreneurs in the near future. It is intended for students, pupils, alumni, young people interested in entrepreneurship, and young founders.  Private sector expertise, especially from the start-ups (and scale-ups) is essential for the programme's success. Entrepreneurs from three European ecosystems, Ruhr in Germany, Varna in Bulgaria and Slovenia, contribute as guests and give talks, for example, regarding their ventures’ history, how to acquire funding in different stages of growth, and how to get from an idea to an opportunity on the market. 

The course is organised entirley as an online experience for self-paced learning and is completely free of charge. The online (virtual) learning environment is hosted by DOBA Business School (BlackBoard Ultra).

EMA works well as a modular journey (three four-week modules), moving from foundations to creation and finally to sustainable business modelling:

• Module 1 – Seeds of Success: entrepreneurial fundamentals, competencies, market insight, legal and financial basics;
• Module 2 – From Concept to Creation: ideation, design thinking, prototyping, presentation;
• Module 3 – Blueprint for Sustainable Success: sustainable business models, value proposition, business planning, pitching.

Each module combines short videos from entrepreneurs in the three ecosystems on their journey, struggles, strategies to success or advise, with case studies on startup stories (Ecosys4you Biographies), basic entrepreneurship literature on the topic and live sessions with entrepreneurs, allowing for direct interaction and learning.

Join the course here: https://www.fakulteta.doba.si/raziskovanje/raziskovalno-razvojni-projekti/ecosys4you/ema-course-self-paced. 

During the project all partners crafted a dynamic suite of course materials—short videos, crisp texts and interactive activities—for the three‑module programme, while DOBA Business School built and hosted a sleek virtual learning environment. In two rapid pilots (March – May 2025 and November 2025 – January 2026, one month per module) we fine‑tuned the programme and emerged with a fully operational, peer‑tested online course that boosted learner engagement and laid a solid foundation for the cohorts to come. Across the two runs, 139 enthusiastic participants dove into the experience, 111 earned official certificates, 11 innovative startups joined as guest lecturers and mentors, and 6 bold ideas were pitched to the community—clear proof that the programme not only teaches a digital‑age mindset but also ignites real‑world innovation and helps shape tomorrow’s founders.