Scientific analysis of customer experiences

2015-03-25

Management Center Innsbruck and Mohemian Ventures invest in the Innsbruck business startup ExperienceFellow

A good piece of news from Innsbruck and the Tyrol as a location for science and business: Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) and Mohemian Ventures (mohemian.com) have decided to invest in a young Innsbruck business startup by the name of ExperienceFellow. The company is offering an innovative digital system for recording and evaluating customer experiences. The focus is on authentic insights along the whole customer journey across all online and offline channels, generating new scope for the capture, analysis and optimization of customer experiences.

ExperienceFellow users can go to experiencefellow.com to set up and evaluate research projects. A free smartphone app is provided to consumers to enable them to keep a record of their experiences with a product or service. Emotional assessments, images, texts, videos and GPS positioning are additional sources of information. The organizer of such a research project can receive the data generated in real time and has a full range of tools available for the evaluation process.

The startup company was founded by Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider as an academic spin-off in 2013. It is the product of an extensive research project that was set up at the MCI back in 2008. The focus of the MCI Mobile Ethnography project was to provide a qualitative assessment of customer experiences with the help of digital tools. A first software version was developed and tested in large-scale trial projects. The research items range from perceived experiences in the context of major events and tourism destinations to assessments of software, malls and flagship stores. The list can be extended almost infinitely; practically every sector stands to benefit from access to the perceptions and thoughts of customers and users.

“Our investment in ExperienceFellow is a reflection of our mission as an Entrepreneurial School®. We are excited about the promising development of this young company,” says Andreas Altmann, Rector of Management Center Innsbruck. The MCI’s early support for the innovative idea has been decisive for the progress made with ExperienceFellow. Another investor is the Innsbruck product development company Mohemian Ventures: “We are delighted to have Mohemian Ventures, a progressive tech company with international experience, on board,” adds Marc Stickdorn, CEO of ExperienceFellow.

The software recently progressed from the free beta test phase to a professional paid version and is currently in the initial growth phase on the market. While preparing for this step, the company benefited from the professional support available from CAST Center for Academic Spin-offs Tirol and pre-seed funding provided by AWS Austria Wirtschaftsservice.

In an agile development environment, the team is continually implementing and testing new features and functions, and always in close collaboration with the user base. This co-creative development approach also has a prominent role in the international bestseller “This is Service Design Thinking” written by Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider in 2010. According to Stickdorn, the combination of work on the book and research at the MCI underscores the startup’s scientific commitment: “Qualitative research is not always based on professional data capture and documentation. That is our point of departure, in which we also fulfill our own practical needs.”

Innsbruck has repeatedly produced internationally successful tech startups. Now the exciting growth phase begins for ExperienceFellow in a highly mobile market: Will the concept be convincing enough for large-scale international dissemination? “The team is highly motivated and convinced of the merits of the product,” says Chief Designer Jakob Schneider, and he adds, “ExperienceFellow can do something no other software can. The demonstrable scientific background makes it almost impossible to copy.” We, too, are curious and also confident that the concept will take off!

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Sensational result for the MCI

FIBAA Premium Seal double for the Entrepreneurial School® In 2014, the MCI underwent the regular university audit and had an additional voluntary audit performed for institutional accreditation. In both cases, the impressive result was the award of the internationally recognized and highly prestigious Premium Seal. The two Premium Seals are convincing proof of academic quality at Management Center Innsbruck and show that the MCI maintains quality standards that are well above the international average. Brigitte Auer, as head of Quality Management at MCI, confirms the wisdom of the strategy pursued by the MCI from the very beginning: "Thanks to our consistent quality-first policy, Management Center Innsbruck was able to position itself with the leaders in the Austrian university education scene from the start. The two Premium Seals awarded are a mandate to continue to do everything possible to further develop our products and services and satisfy international quality requirements to the full.” The MCI’s Rector Dr. Andreas Altmann adds: “MCI Management Center Innsbruck was founded in 1995/96. In the meantime almost 3000 students, 1000 teachers, 200 partner universities and countless companies and graduates all over the world place their trust in the MCI. The two Premium Seals are a source of motivation and strengthen our resolve for our future work." The audits were carried out by the international FIBAA Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation, which has offices in Bonn and Zurich. {phocagallery view=category|categoryid=962}Press contacts and queries:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

MCI achieves success in medical engineering

Tyrolean Economic Chamber awards Science Prize for system to minimize radiation exposure of patients For the second time in a row the Science Prize of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber goes to two graduates of the master program in mechatronics. This year, Thomas Gabloner and Michael Marek have been able to impress the jury with their master project in the field of medical engineering: In cooperation with the Innsbruck Medical University, the graduates have developed an innovative system for radiofrequency ablation, which considerably reduces the radiation exposure of patients during the treatment of tumors.The method of radiofrequency ablation relies on thermal energy created through the application of radio frequency current to treat tumors. In order to destroy the tumor tissue, the RF current is delivered directly to the diseased cells via needle electrodes. The exact location where the electrodes need to be applied is determined by use of x-ray guidance. The surgeon manually places the electrodes in the predetermined location. This procedure, during which the patient is constantly exposed to radiation, takes approximately 21,2 seconds. A method for the automated placement of electrodes, as developed by the MCI graduates Gabloner and Marek, can significantly reduce the radiation exposure of the patients during the treatment. Precise placement of the electrodes moreover guarantees that healthy tissue does not get affected. The advancement of the procedure includes the automatic generation of four images via x-rays. Once the images have been obtained, the position of the electrodes is determined within approximately 4,8 seconds on the basis of control and image processing algorithms. Thus accelerating the process of placing the electrodes, the method substantially improves the effectiveness of tumor treatment.The Science Prize of the Tyrolean Economic Chamber is awarded to acknowledge exceptional diploma and master projects as well as dissertations which display a high degree of innovation, and present small and middle-sized enterprises with immediate application possibilities. For Andreas Mehrle, Head of the MCI Department for Mechatronics, the award confirms the success of the degree program in Mechatronics offered at MCI: “The rewarded projects represent the broad and promising range of opportunities opening up by the study of Mechatronics. I wish to congratulate Thomas Gabloner and Michael Marek on their exceptional achievement.”MCI Rector Andreas Altmann emphasizes: “MCI students are trained to become academic engineers, who demonstrate their ability to break down highly complex theories into practical requirements already during their studies. The award is encouragement to further develop and expand our study program in engineering in order to meet the requirements of practice.”Project Summary{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=1039}Presscontact{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}

MCI launches double degree program with Kingston University

MCI students will be able to obtain an additional Master of Laws degree at Kingston Law School in LondonThe Entrepreneurial School® has taken another big step forward in its internationalization efforts by signing a double degree agreement with the renowned Kingston University. MCI students from the “Strategic Management & Law” Master’s program can now obtain a “Master of Laws” (LL.M.) degree in addition to their “Master of Arts in Business” (MA) degree from MCI.The new cooperation allows students to receive two reputable and internationally recognized degrees and thus adds another exclusive double degree option at an attractive location to the MCI’s range of programs. MCI has been offering double degree programs with the Università Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC) and Edinburgh Napier University and has now created a third opportunity with Kingston University. Thanks to efficient transfer of credits and well-aligned curricula, students can earn two degrees in four semesters.Prof. Dr. Ralf Geymayer, program director of the “Strategic Management & Law” Master’s program, is very pleased with the cooperation: “With an additional title, optimized language skills and a treasure trove of experience our graduates will be able to distinguish themselves even more in the job market. Kingston University is an excellent new partner not only on a professional level but also in terms of its location. With its cosmopolitan urban setting and great cultural heritage London is the perfect place for a stay abroad.”Siri Harris, BA LLB LLM, senior lecturer at Kingston Law School: “With the launch of this double degree program, our students will benefit from an international spirit, a high-quality joint study program and the ties of friendship connecting our institutions. We are proud to be able to offer our students this great opportunity to receive degrees from two recognized universities.”{phocagallery view=category|categoryid=xxx}Pressekontakt und Rückfragen:{mcicontact view=presse|id=1}