Real Estate Entrepreneurship & PropTech Development

Developing ideas for a real estate start-up, writing a business plan and pitching to investors — this is what students learn in the new ‘Real Estate Entrepreneurship & PropTech Development’ elective, which has been offered to students on the Bachelor of Science programmes at Frankfurt School since January 2025. On 4 March, the first graduates of the elective impressively demonstrated how forward-looking their visions for the real estate industry are.

Innovative teaching methods and practice-oriented

Headed by Professor Kerstin Hennig, Professor of Management Practice in Real Estate, students learn not only the theoretical basics but also how to put their knowledge directly into practice. The students develop viable business plans, create marketing and financing strategies and formulate investment proposals. At the end of the elective, participants work in small groups to work out ideas for start-ups with a focus on sustainability, digitalisation or artificial intelligence in order to find innovative solutions for the future of the real estate industry. In addition to academic expertise, the elective is rounded off with expert lectures and an excursion to the Tech Quartier Frankfurt to give students an insight into the PropTech ecosystem.

Final presentations and award ceremony

The first ‘Real Estate Entrepreneurship & PropTech Development’ elective came to a successful conclusion with the presentation of the results on 4 March 2025. The students presented their business ideas to a jury of industry experts, investors and professors. Three teams were honoured for their outstanding ideas:

In the category Best PropTech Idea “Now” - for an immediately realisable business idea, students Guido Banach, Frederic Crainic, Magdalena Czubkowska, Nikola Pandov and David Wrobel won with their business idea PROPERLY, an “End-to-End Platform for Global Real Estate Investing”. The prize, sponsored by Real I.S. AG, was presented by Giulia Peretti , Head of Sustainability, Real I.S. AG: “The creativity, commitment and high quality of the presentations delivered by the students with excellent teamwork is impressive. It is encouraging to see how fresh ideas, innovative approaches and the ability to identify market needs and develop pragmatic solutions can revolutionise the real estate industry.”

FS student Frederic Crainic summarised his experience: “The opportunity to present our ideas in front of a jury of experts was a unique experience. It not only taught us how to create a business plan, but also how to communicate our visions in a convincing way.”

The students Nina Gauer, Victoria Hasterok, Benjamin Koch, Fabio Poci and Matthew Sodhi won first place in the Best PropTech Idea “Next” category with their business idea Pure Air Hub, a sustainable “Smart Green Technology” - for their forward-looking innovation with long-term potential. The award was sponsored by MOMENI Ventures and handed over by David Nadge, Managing Director, MOMENI Ventures and Realyze Ventures: "The ideas presented here show that the next generation of potential founders is ready to transform the industry with new perspectives and sustainable solutions."

In the True Entrepreneurs category, Conrad Peto-Madew, Programme Manager THE MISSION Construction, FUTURY, presented the first prize to students Stefan Cames, Stella Holzbecher, Luis Reindlmeier, Lina Schmitt and Lucas Winter for the professional presentation of their business idea PLANAHEAD.

The winning teams also received VIP tickets to the renowned PropTech conference in Hanover, sponsored by blackprintpartners GmbH and presented by Sarah Schlesinger, Managing Partner, which will offer the students valuable networking opportunities.