Lead Europe’s Next Transformation
Where next gen leaders master entrepreneurial strategy, leadership, and AI fluency and make transformation real
The Executive Master in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurial Leadership (EMDIEL) is Europe’s leading Executive Master for entrepreneurial leadership in digital and AI-powered transformation designed for ambitious professionals ready to drive innovation and long-term competitiveness in their organizations.
Why choose our digital transformation executive programme?
Across Europe, precision, engineering excellence, and industrial heritage are meeting a new frontier - software, data, and artificial intelligence. EMDIEL equips high-potential leaders and next-generation successors with the mindset and tools to turn this shift into real impact. Through a transformational journey spanning Berlin, Paris, Turin, Shanghai, and Silicon Valley, participants master three pillars of modern leadership:
- Entrepreneurial Strategy: sensing and seizing new opportunities to drive business transformation.
- Leadership Excellence: Lead with purpose and authenticity. Build the mindset, skills, and confidence to shape transformation in yourself and in others.
- AI Fluency: Harness the potential of data and AI to transform decisions, drive innovation, and redefine what’s possible.
Why Choose EMDIEL?
Learn to Lead Transformation, Not Just Manage It
EMDIEL gives you the mindset, methods, and confidence to turn digital change into tangible business results. You’ll master entrepreneurial strategy, leadership, and AI fluency to drive real impact across your organization.
Designed for Next Generation of Leaders
Tailored to emerging corporate leaders and family firm successors, the program helps you modernize without losing your legacy combining business renewal with purpose, responsibility, and innovation.
A Global Journey Across Five Innovation Hubs
Learn and network in Berlin, Paris, Turin, Shanghai, and Silicon Valley connecting Europe’s entrepreneurial tradition with the world’s leading technology ecosystems.
The Trusted Entrepreneurial Leader Model
Guided by ESCP’s research–practice–tech leadership team, EMDIEL integrates academic rigor, entrepreneurial experimentation, and AI insights to develop leaders who are trusted to innovate.
Learn by Doing Safely
Through your Personal Transformation Project, apply everything you learn to a live corporate challenge or venture prototype. Benefit from mentoring, review boards, and protected experimentation time that de-risk bold ideas and accelerate innovation.
Designed by a Unique Academic Directorship Team
Learn from a world-class team combining research, practice, and AI leadership:
- Prof. Dr. Christoph Seckler – Academic excellence in entrepreneurial strategy and the Four-I innovation framework.
- Dr. Stefan Groß-Selbeck – Industry authority, former Senior Partner at BCG and Managing Partner of BCG Digital Ventures, as well as CEO of XING AG
Together, they represent EMDIEL’s distinctive research–practice–tech DNA shaping a new breed of trusted entrepreneurial leaders.
What You Will Learn
Three pillars. One transformational journey.
Master entrepreneurial strategy, leadership, and AI fluency, the essential capabilities to lead transformation with confidence and purpose. EMDIEL leverages a unique experiential learning model to help you become the entrepreneurial leader you aspire to be.
Through an immersive blend of international modules, live transformation projects, and evidence-based leadership development, you’ll gain the tools, skills, and mindset to make transformation real for yourself, your organisation, and society at large.
What You’ll Gain from the EMDIEL Experience
Entrepreneurial Strategy
Develop the strategic insight and entrepreneurial courage to identify, seize, and scale opportunities in a fast-changing world.
- Sense new opportunities: Explore and define the future direction of your firm through deep scanning of technological, economic, and geopolitical shifts. Learn to anticipate change in the Age of AI and beyond.
- Seize opportunities: Build and manage a portfolio of innovation initiatives from intrapreneurship to corporate venturing to drive growth and renewal across business units.
- Transform the business: Adapt strategy, structures, and systems to embed innovation at the core of your organisation and ensure long-term competitiveness.
Leadership Skills
Master the real practice of leadership grounded in research, tested in the field, and focused on skills that make measurable impact.
- Lead yourself with awareness and resilience: Strengthen self-leadership, emotional intelligence, and stress-management using evidence-based methods proven to enhance clarity, confidence, and adaptability.
- Lead others through trust and influence: Apply research-validated approaches to communication, motivation, and conflict management to build teams that perform under pressure.
- Lead change with purpose and courage : Turn vision into execution through empowerment, delegation, and positive leadership fostering transformation that endures.
AI Fluency & Emerging Technologies
- Understand, apply, and lead with artificial intelligence and digital innovation not as a technical expert, but as a strategic leader.
- Understand and frame AI for strategic advantage: Build fluency in AI concepts and assess how data and algorithms can reshape business models, operations, and decision-making.
- Deploy AI-led innovation and transformation: Move from pilot projects to enterprise-scale impact by integrating AI into core processes and value creation.
Benefits
Make transformation happen at every level: personal, organizational, and societal.
EMDIEL empowers you to grow as a leader, drive impact in your organization, and contribute to Europe’s digital and entrepreneurial future.
1
For yourself: Lead with confidence and clarity: Master entrepreneurial strategy, leadership, and AI fluency to become the trusted leader who makes transformation real.
2
For your project: Turn ideas into impact: Apply what you learn through a live transformation project, combining bold experimentation with hands-on mentoring and AI-driven insight.
3
For your firm: Drive renewal and growth: Lead digital and cultural change that strengthens your company’s competitiveness and inspires teams to innovate with purpose.
4
For Europe: Shape the future of responsible innovation: Join a new generation of leaders uniting industrial excellence with digital intelligence to build a stronger, more entrepreneurial Europe.
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INSPIRE at ESCP Business School is dedicated to developing the most inspiring research ideas in innovation, transformation, and entrepreneurship.
A Transformational Learning Journey Across Europe and Beyond
The Executive Master in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurial Leadership (EMDIEL) combines academic excellence, practical application, and global exposure to help you lead transformation with confidence in the age of AI.
Through 7 interconnected modules delivered across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., you will explore the full arc of entrepreneurial leadership from sensing and seizing opportunities to transforming your organisation.
EMDIEL follows a carefully designed three-stage logic:
- Sensing opportunities: explore how AI, data, and global shifts are redefining markets and industries.
- Seizing opportunities: build and scale innovation initiatives that create real business value.
- Transforming the firm: lead structural and cultural renewal to ensure sustainable impact.
Immersive Executive Curriculum with 7 International Modules
Berlin - Paris - Turin - Shanghai - San Francisco
The Executive Master in Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership (EMDIEL) takes participants on a transformative learning journey across seven immersive modules. Each destination offers a vibrant context for exploring entrepreneurial leadership, digital transformation, and strategic innovation. Blending world-class faculty insights with real-world challenges, EMDIEL equips executives to reimagine business models, lead with vision, and create lasting impact across industries and geographies.
Core Modules in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Seven immersive weeks, one transformational journey
The EMDIEL experience unfolds across seven intensive in-person module weeks held in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. combining global exposure with deep experiential learning. Each week connects strategy, leadership, and AI fluency around a common goal: helping you sense new opportunities, seize innovation-driven growth, and transform your organisation for lasting impact.
Week 1: Paris (October 2026) Leading Strategic Transformation
Launch your EMDIEL journey in Paris with a shared induction week. Build community, align on purpose, and explore how to lead transformation in the digital and AI era. Experience immersive sessions, team challenges, and exposure to Europe’s innovation landscape that set the tone for your learning journey.
Week 2: Berlin (January 2027) Sensing Opportunities in the Age of AI
Understand how AI reshapes industries and value chains. Strengthen your ability to sense emerging trends, analyse competitive dynamics, and identify opportunities for renewal. Gain practical tools for strategy, innovation, and decision-making under uncertainty.
Week 3: Shanghai (March 2027) Sensing Opportunities in a New Geopolitical & Economic Reality
Explore Asia’s fast-moving ecosystems to understand how technological and geopolitical transformations create new growth arenas. Combine entrepreneurial opportunity sensing with cross-cultural leadership skills to navigate global complexity.
Week 4: Berlin / Paris (June 2027) Seizing Opportunities to Balance Today’s Business with Tomorrow’s Vision
Translate insights into impact. Learn to build and manage portfolios of innovation initiatives — from intrapreneurship to corporate venturing and venture clienting. Redesign business models and value propositions to scale entrepreneurial impact within your organisation.
Week 5: Turin (October 2027) Transforming Businesses for Sustainable Growth and Renewal
Learn to lead transformation that aligns strategy, culture, and purpose. Explore how to renew organizations through digital integration, governance excellence, and leadership continuity. Build the capabilities to balance tradition with innovation ensuring long-term resilience and growth across business contexts.
Week 6: San Francisco (March 2028) Transforming with Deep Tech and the Power of AI
Immerse yourself in Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Engage with founders, investors, and corporate innovators to explore how deep technologies especially AI are transforming strategy, business models, and leadership. Learn how to leverage technological breakthroughs to drive organizational transformation and shape the future of your industry.
Week 7: Berlin (June 2028) From the Entrepreneurial Leader to the Entrepreneurial Europe
In this final module, you connect individual and organizational transformation to a broader societal purpose. Reflect on your journey as an entrepreneurial leader and explore how your actions can strengthen Europe’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Collaborate with peers to envision new pathways for responsible growth, cross-border cooperation, and long-term impact advancing a more resilient and entrepreneurial Europe.
Discover our Programme
Blue Factory
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to the international development of their projects. Discover our three programmes: Start, Seed and Scale that
are made for every step of the entrepreneurial journey.
ESCP Innovation & Entrepreneurial Transformation Institute - Say Institute
At ESCP’s Say Institute we foster Innovation and Entrepreneurial Transformation. We are dedicated to creating the foundation for desirable futures by facilitating the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and uncertainty competence in current and future leaders.
INSPIRE: The European Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Entrepreneurship Research
INSPIRE at ESCP Business School is dedicated to developing the most inspiring research ideas in innovation, transformation, and entrepreneurship.
Redefine leadership for the age of AI
Graduates of the Executive Master in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurial Leadership (EMDIEL) step into strategic roles that drive transformation and renewal within their organizations. They lead digital, innovation, and AI initiatives, strengthen business units, and guide companies through change and succession. Many advance into positions such as Head of Transformation, Chief Innovation Officer, Strategy Director, or Managing Director within family enterprises. EMDIEL alumni stand out for their entrepreneurial mindset, strategic vision, and ability to turn transformation into lasting impact.
What our graduates say
"A perfect blend of theory and practice with expert professors in their respective field. Each module was thoughtfully organized for maximum benefit, and networking events allowed us to connect with alumni and influential figures from tech ecosystems.”
Hind Nadji
Finance Manager, Finance Digital Transformation
A Cohort Built for Innovation (pour les stats)
Average number of nationalities
Average age
Average years of work experience
Who You’ll Learn With: Your ESCP Executive Peers
Your peers are an integral part of your learning experience at ESCP. As a participant in the Executive Master in Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership, you will share your journey with a diverse group of professionals. We select participants from a variety of cultural and industry backgrounds, and with different career trajectories: from entrepreneurs to startup employees and corporate intrapreneurs. Through this mix, we ensure a rewarding environment with many different perspectives.
Where They Go Next: The EMDIEL Alumni Network
When you join the EMDIEL programme, you become part and a very diverse group of alumni - some working for large corporations or venture capital firms, others managing their own businesses - as well as the extensive ESCP network of startups, accelerators, incubators, and the ESCP Blue Factory.
Meet the Alumni: Founders, Innovators, Intrapreneurs
Networking & Alumni Benefits from the Entrepreneurship Master
As part of the ESCP Alumni, you’ll enjoy access to a truly global network of contacts: over 75,000 business leaders in more than 200 countries. The ESCP Alumni Association offers fun and exciting opportunities to plug into this international network via the national alumni associations, and organizes a range of events and regular reunions across the world.
Discover our Programme
Blue Factory
Blue Factory ESCP guides entrepreneurs, students and graduates from the initial idea
to the international development of their projects. Discover our three programmes: Start, Seed and Scale that
are made for every step of the entrepreneurial journey.
ESCP Innovation & Entrepreneurial Transformation Institute - Say Institute
At ESCP’s Say Institute we foster Innovation and Entrepreneurial Transformation. We are dedicated to creating the foundation for desirable futures by facilitating the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and uncertainty competence in current and future leaders.
INSPIRE: The European Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Entrepreneurship Research
INSPIRE at ESCP Business School is dedicated to developing the most inspiring research ideas in innovation, transformation, and entrepreneurship.
Admission Process for the Executive Master in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurial Leadership (EMDIEL)
Join Europe’s Executive Master for Transformational Leaders
Admission to EMDIEL is selective and designed for accomplished professionals ready to lead transformation in their
organizations and industries. Candidates should demonstrate strong intellectual curiosity, leadership potential, and
a commitment to driving entrepreneurial and digital renewal.
Admission Requirements
- A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree
- At least 3 years of professional experience
- Proficiency in English
- Foundational knowledge of business administration (recommended)
How to Apply: 3 Simple Steps
Our application and admission procedure has three steps.
Step 1: Online Submission
Submit your application through our online form, including:
- Submitted online application form
- Recent CV
- Copies of diplomas and full-grade transcripts
- A motivation letter
- 2 Reference letters
Please get in touch with the Programme Manager / Admissions Manager for guidance before applying.
Step 2: Admission Interview
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a personal interview to discuss their professional goals, leadership experience, and motivation for joining EMDIEL.
Step 3: Admission Decision
EMDIEL welcomes leaders from diverse sectors and geographies. A range of tuition funding and scholarship opportunities is available to ensure accessibility for outstanding candidates driving Europe’s entrepreneurial and digital transformation.
Discover our Programme
Blue Factory
Blue Factory ESCP guides entrepreneurs, students and graduates from the initial idea
to the international development of their projects. Discover our three programmes: Start, Seed and Scale that
are made for every step of the entrepreneurial journey.
ESCP Innovation & Entrepreneurial Transformation Institute - Say Institute
At ESCP’s Say Institute we foster Innovation and Entrepreneurial Transformation. We are dedicated to creating the foundation for desirable futures by facilitating the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and uncertainty competence in current and future leaders.
INSPIRE: The European Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Entrepreneurship Research
INSPIRE at ESCP Business School is dedicated to developing the most inspiring research ideas in innovation, transformation, and entrepreneurship.
Fees & Financing for the Executive Master in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurial Leadership (EMDIEL)
Invest in Your Future, Shape Europe’s Next Transformation
Transformation requires investment in yourself, your vision, and the impact you want to create. EMDIEL offers flexible financing and scholarship opportunities to ensure that exceptional leaders can take part in shaping Europe’s entrepreneurial future.
Invest in Your Transformation
Joining EMDIEL is an investment in your leadership, your organization, and Europe’s entrepreneurial renewal.
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are:
- €35,000 for the Certificate programme
- €38,000 for the Master of Science option
Fees include accommodation during the international immersion weeks in Shanghai and Silicon Valley, as well as networking events and programme materials.
Early Application Advantage
Participants who submit their online application by January 15th and are admitted to EMDIEL will receive a 15% Early Bird discount.
Scholarships & Financial Support
To ensure that outstanding leaders from diverse backgrounds can participate, EMDIEL offers a range of scholarships and financial support options, awarded on a case-by-case basis to admitted candidates.
Available Scholarships:
- Young Family Firm Successors: For next-generation leaders preparing to take on responsibility within family-owned enterprises. This scholarship supports candidates committed to renewing tradition through entrepreneurial strategy, innovation, and sustainable growth.
- Women in Leadership: For self-funding female professionals demonstrating exceptional leadership potential and a commitment to driving transformation within their organizations and industries.
- Profiles in NGO: For candidates from the nonprofit or NGO sector who have shown dedication to social innovation, community impact, and sustainable development.
- Diversity Scholarship: For self-funding candidates from emerging markets or underrepresented backgrounds whose perspectives enrich ESCP’s international learning environment.
Eligibility & Application
Scholarship consideration is available once applicants have been formally admitted to the programme.
Candidates must complete their application and admission process before applying for financial support.
For further information regarding eligibility and conditions, including other financing options, please get in touch with Alison Masse.
Discover our Programme
Blue Factory
Blue Factory ESCP guides entrepreneurs, students and graduates from the initial idea
to the international development of their projects. Discover our three programmes: Start, Seed and Scale that
are made for every step of the entrepreneurial journey.
ESCP Innovation & Entrepreneurial Transformation Institute - Say Institute
At ESCP’s Say Institute we foster Innovation and Entrepreneurial Transformation. We are dedicated to creating the foundation for desirable futures by facilitating the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and uncertainty competence in current and future leaders.
INSPIRE: The European Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Entrepreneurship Research
INSPIRE at ESCP Business School is dedicated to developing the most inspiring research ideas in innovation, transformation, and entrepreneurship.
Take the Next Step: Join the Executive Master in Digital Innovation & Leadership
Enroll in the Executive Master in Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurial Leadership at ESCP Business School and become a global leader in entrepreneurship, business innovation, and digital transformation.
Contact Our Admissions Team for More Information
Are you thinking about applying to ESCP’s EMDIEL and would like further information about the programme? Reach out to us!
Visit Our Berlin Campus
It's important to get a good feel for the right programme for you. If you live in or happen to be travelling to Berlin, we offer personalised visits to our Berlin Campus. Please reserve a time here or reach out to amasse@escp.eu for more information.
Meet our current cohort, faculty and alumni! Join us on ESCP’s Berlin campus on February 20th for pitches, chats, and drinks.
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Events
Online Info Sessions
News
Discover our Programme
Blue Factory
Blue Factory ESCP guides entrepreneurs, students and graduates from the initial idea
to the international development of their projects. Discover our three programmes: Start, Seed and Scale that
are made for every step of the entrepreneurial journey.
ESCP Innovation & Entrepreneurial Transformation Institute - Say Institute
At ESCP’s Say Institute we foster Innovation and Entrepreneurial Transformation. We are dedicated to creating the foundation for desirable futures by facilitating the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and uncertainty competence in current and future leaders.
INSPIRE: The European Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Entrepreneurship Research
INSPIRE at ESCP Business School is dedicated to developing the most inspiring research ideas in innovation, transformation, and entrepreneurship.