In these days, financing rounds are an incremental part of the annual business of emerging and global start-ups.  A distinction is often made between the type of investor (e.g., business angel, accelerator, or venture capitalist) and the financing stage (e.g., pre-seed, seed, Series A, B, etc.).

Depending on the business model of the startup and the investor involved, the maturity requirements that a startup should meet in the various financing stages differ. For instance, while pre-seed investments are often made solely based on belief in the idea and the founding team, in the later stages (Series A, B, etc.) hard requirements and key metrics (e.g., ARR, CAC, etc.) often form the basis for an investment decision.

Goal of this thesis: Development of a maturity model for startups that shows them which requirements and key metrics are expected by investors in the different financing stages.

Methodology & approach: Conduct 25 to 30 interviews with investors and startups of all stages and other stakeholders to identify specific requirements and key metrics for an investment decision.

Output of this thesis: A maturity model for startups to (1) assess their current maturity level and (2) identify “weak spots” they need to improve.

This thesis can be written in German or Englisch on both Bachelor- and Master level.

Please apply with your CV, transcript of records, and a timeline. ()

Sources:

[1] https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/102015/series-b-c-funding-what-it-all-means-and-how-it-works.asp

[2] https://www.vestbee.com/blog/articles/types-of-startup-funding-rounds

[3] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-5957.2012.02284.x

[4] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11365-019-00588-3

Bei der Umsetzung von KI-Projekten spielt Bias eine grosse Rolle.

Unter Bias versteht man eine systematische Abweichung der Ergebnisse eines Algorithmus von den gewünschten Ergebnissen. Dadurch können KI-Projekte langfristig Schaden nehmen und Vertrauen in die KI-Lösung verspielt werden. Verschiedene Bias können in jeder Phase des Projektes auftreten, weshalb es wichtig ist, sich in jeder Phase des Projektes der möglichen Bias bewusst zu sein. Ist ein Bias identifiziert, kann er mit speziellen, auf den jeweiligen Bias angepassten Mitigation Strategys behandelt werden.

Für die Entwicklung eines Risk Management Tools, das Projektleitern hilft, strukturiert gegen Bias vorzugehen, suchen wir einen Masteranden/ eine Masterandin.