Stöbich Entrepreneurship Prize: Passion for starting a science that can be learned!

Stöbich Entrepreneurship Prize: Passion for starting a science that can be learned!

Last week, the Senate Hall of the Technical University of Braunschweig was entirely dedicated to entrepreneurial passion. On October 23, 2025, the Stöbich Entrepreneurship Promotion Prize was awarded there for the third time. This prize, which has been honoring outstanding dissertations in the field of entrepreneurship since 2021 in collaboration with Stöbich GmbH & Co. KG, was awarded this year to Dr. Mirjam Nicole Streeb from the University of Bayreuth. She convinced the jury with her remarkable work on the role of passion in the start-up context, which shows that this essential quality can be learned in entrepreneurial processes. 

With a brilliant endowment of 7,500 euros, the prize not only aims to recognize outstanding research, but also strengthen the connection between theory and practice in the field of innovative entrepreneurship. Professor Reza Asghari, chairman of the jury, praised the high scientific quality of Dr. Streeb's dissertation and emphasized its relevance for promoting entrepreneurial activity, especially in university contexts. The prize aims to disseminate academic knowledge and translate it into practice, which is of great importance in today's times when entrepreneurship plays a central role in economic growth.

Entrepreneurial passion is key

Dr. Streeb's research highlights how educational curricula and training programs can be developed to promote entrepreneurship among students and professionals. One aspect that was highlighted during the award ceremony by Alexander Dolipski from the Stöbich Group is the importance of authentic passion for employer branding – a “good hand” for recruiting entrepreneurial talent.

When presenting her dissertation at national and international conferences, Dr. Streeb also showed that psychological factors can be integrated into start-up support to support the well-being of founders. These findings are not only theoretically interesting, but also have practical implications in supporting and promoting startups and company formations.

Entrepreneurship in a global context

After taking a global look at the topic, it is clear that the definition of entrepreneurship goes far beyond starting companies. Rather, it is about the creation or extraction of economic value, often associated with risks that go beyond traditional business risks ( Wikipedia ). The role of entrepreneurs as innovators and sources of new ideas, goods and services is becoming increasingly important in an increasingly globalized economy. Social changes and sustainable developments are also triggered by entrepreneurial activity, which illustrates the need for an inter- and transdisciplinary perspective on entrepreneurship. Research at institutes like Institute for Development Policy in Bonn sheds light on this connection and examines how entrepreneurs can contribute to social transformation through their decisions and assertions.

Overall, the award ceremony to Dr. Mirjam Nicole Streeb not only explains how important entrepreneurial passion is for success, but also how research and practice can work closely together to inspire and support the future generation of entrepreneurs. Ultimately, the pursuit of innovation and economic progress is not just an individual task, but a task for society as a whole.