Chair of Entrepreneurship

Prof. Dr. Dennis Steininger

Prof. Dr. Dennis Steininger is professor and chair of entrepreneurship at RPTU. He is also Managing Director of the Business + Innovation Center Kaiserslautern, which is one of the four start-up and technology centers in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. 

In 2021, he declined offers from the Technical University of Darmstadt as well as the Clausthal University of Technology. Previously, he was the interim head of the department for "Management of Digital Transformation" at Clausthal University of Technology, assistant professor at the University of Augsburg, and co-founder and managing director of the Augsburg Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE).

Dennis Steininger studied business administration (Major in Information Systems) at the University of Mannheim (and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)), where he received his PhD in 2016. At the University of Mannheim and Mannheim Business School, he also regularly taught and is teaching as Adjunct Faculty in the fields of entrepreneurship and digital transformation. Before and during his academic career, he founded, supported, and advised numerous start-ups. He also invests into selected companies.

The focus of his research is mainly on crossroads of entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and AI. His academic work has been published in leading international journals such as the Journal of Management Information Systems, the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, the Information Systems Journal, the Journal of Small Business Management, or Technological Forecasting and Social Change.

Dennis Steininger is an Associate Editor of the Information Systems Journal, regularly serves as a Track Chair and Associate Editor for several conferences, and reviews for numerous journals (e.g., MIS Quarterly, Journal of Management Information Systems) and conferences. In this context, he has received several Best Reviewer Awards. In July 2021, he received the Viermetz Science Award. In 2026, he was also honored with the UNIPRENEURS Award, Germany’s highest distinction for outstanding commitment to fostering entrepreneurship at universities.

Background

Academic Career
since 2021       Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship: School of Business and Economics, RPTU
since 2017Adjunct Faculty: Mannheim Business School (several MBA programs)
since 2016Research Fellow: Institute for SME Research (ifm), University of Mannheim
2021Offer declined: Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Business and Economics
Offer declined: Technical University of Darmstadt, Department of Law and Economics
2020-2021Interim Head: Dept. of Management of the Digital Transformation, Clausthal University of Technology
2017-2021Associated Member: Digital Transformation Research Center, University of Goettingen
2017-2021Assistant Professor: University of Augsburg, Faculty of Business and Economics
2016-2021Managing Director and co-founder: Augsburg Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE)
2019Visiting scholar: Ionian University, Corfu
2018Visiting scholar: Deusto Business School, Bilbao
2012-2016PhD, University of Mannheim, Business School

 

Practical and Entrepreneurial Background
since 2024Managing Director: Business + Innovation Center Kaiserslautern GmbH (bic)
since 2024Investor: AS Mintos Marketplace
since 2023       Advisory Board Member und Angel Investor: VAVisual Abstract GmbH
since 2021       Platform Speaker: Platform Entrepreneurship of the Science and Innovation Alliance Kaiserslautern (SIAK)
seit 2007       Founder and owner of SteiningerGroup: Holding company for investments, start-up projects, 
and consulting in the field of digital innovation and business models
2019-2021Advisory Board: IHK CoworkingCampus, Augsburg
1999-2007Managing partner and founder of Nortys: Development of digital platforms and business models.
Equity sale of the company at the beginning of 2007
1996-1999Founder and owner: CA Business Solutions as predecessor of Nortys

Awards

2026         UNIPRENEURS Award: Germany’s highest distinction for outstanding commitment to fostering entrepreneurship at universities, awarded by the Stifterverband under the joint patronage of the Federal Ministry of Research and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs
2022Best Paper Award of the "5th International Family Business Research Forum", together with Baris Istipliler, Jan-Philipp Ahrens, Michael Woywode
2021Viermetz Science Award of the Kurt und Felicitas Viermetz Foundation
2021Best Reviewer Award of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS)
2020Zertifikat „Most Read Paper 2018-2019“ for the paper "Linking Information Systems and Entrepreneurship: A Review and Agenda for IT-Associated and Digital Entrepreneurship Research, Information Systems Journal
2019Best Reviewer Award of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS)
2012Funding by the Julius Paul Stiegler Memorial Foundation

Further Information

Articles in Refereed Journals

Istipliler, B., Ahrens, J.-P., Hauer, A., Steininger, D., & Woywode, M. (2024). Heroes of the Green Room – How Able Successors Revitalize and Reinvent Family Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 62(3), 1604–1651. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2022.2161554

Bruckner, M. T., Steininger, D. M., Thatcher, J. B., & Veit, D. J. (2023). The Effect of Lockup and Persuasion on Online Investment Decisions: An Experimental Study in ICOs. Electronic Markets, 33(1), Article 31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-023-00648-1

Haag, S., Chase, C., Miczaika, G., Möslein, K., Steininger, D., Zarnekow, R., & van Bohemen, J. (2023). How Can the BISE Community Promote Tech Startups? Business & Information Systems Engineering, 65(4), 475–482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-023-00814-x

Steininger, D. M., Mikalef, P., Pateli, A., & Ortiz-de-Guinea, A. (2022). Dynamic Capabilities in Information Systems Research: A Critical Review, Synthesis of Current Knowledge, and Recommendations for Future Research. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 23(2), 447–490. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00736

Buesching, F., Steininger, D. M., & Veit, D. (2022). Governing Digital Crisis Responses: Platform Standards and the Dilemma of COVID-19 Contact Tracing. Journal of Business Economics, 93, 267–323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-022-01118-4

Steininger, D. M., Brohman, K., & Block, J. H. (2022). Digital Entrepreneurship: What is New if Anything? Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-021-00741-9

Steininger, D. M. (2022). Interview with Frank Petry on “Digital Entrepreneurship: Opportunities, Challenges, and Impacts.” Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64(1), 111–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-021-00738-4

Bruckner, M. T., Steininger, D. M., Bertleff, M., & Veit, D. J. (2022). Crowdfunding and Entrepreneurial Failure: Why Do Overfunded Startups Collapse? International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, 14(4/5), 602–644. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEV.2022.10051910

Block, J. H., Brohman, K., & Steininger, D. M. (2020). Digital Entrepreneurship: Opportunities, Challenges, and Impacts. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 62(4), 397–399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-020-00651-2

Steininger, D. M. (2019). Linking Information Systems and Entrepreneurship: A Review and Agenda for IT-Associated and Digital Entrepreneurship Research. Information Systems Journal, 29(2), 363–407. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12206

Steininger, D. M., & Gatzemeier, S. (2019). Digitally Forecasting New Music Product Success via Active Crowdsourcing. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 146, 167–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.04.016

Hoegen, A., Steininger, D. M., & Veit, D. (2018). How Do Investors Decide? An Interdisciplinary Review of Decision-Making in Crowdfunding. Electronic Markets, 28(3), 339–365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-017-0269-y

Berger, B., Matt, C., Steininger, D. M., & Hess, T. (2015). It Is Not Just About Competition with “Free”: Differences Between Content Formats in Consumer Preferences and Willingness to Pay. Journal of Management Information Systems, 32(3), 105–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2015.1095038

Veit, D., Clemons, E., Benlian, A., Buxmann, P., Hess, T., Kundisch, D., Leimeister, J. M., Loos, P., & Spann, M. (2014). Business Models: An Information Systems Research Agenda. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 6(1), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-013-0308-y

Huntgeburth, J., Steininger, D. M., Parasie, N., & Veit, D. (2012). Increasing the Adoption of E-Procurement Services at the Municipal Level. E-Service Journal, 8(3), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.2979/eservicej.8.3.3

 

Conference and Workshop Articles

Govorusic, A., Wunderlich, P., & Steininger, D. M. (2026). Blame the Prompt: How Experts Attribute AI Errors in Hybrid Teams. ICIS 2026 Proceedings.

Erber, L., Ortiz de Guinea, A., & Steininger, D. M. (2026). From Knowledge Loss to Knowledge Leverage: How GenAI Affordances Transform Post-Merger IS Integration. ECIS 2026 Proceedings, 1–17.

Weber, K., Vial, G., & Steininger, D. M. (2026). Navigating AI Choices: A Taxonomy of Decision Factors on AI Use Case Selection. ECIS 2026 Proceedings, 1–9.

Weber, K., & Steininger, D. M. (2026). A Multiple-Case Study of AI Transformation in SMEs through Startup Collaboration. ICIS 2026 TREOs Proceedings.

Steininger, D. M. (2026). Rethinking Success in Digital Business Models: Engagement-Impact Tensions in Youth Smartphone Use. IIS-Pre-ECIS Workshop-Proceedings 2026. Impact-Oriented Information Systems Workshop. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20219439

Zaggl, M., Steininger, D. M., & Isaak, A. J. (2025). Motivation by Status vs Reputation for Voluntary Contributions in Online Knowledge Exchange Communities. ECIS 2025 Proceedings, 1–16.

Ciavarrella, G., & Steininger, D. M. (2024). From IT Buzz to Startup Bucks: Foundations of Technological Hype Management. ECIS 2024 TREOs, 83. https://aisel.aisnet.org/treos_ecis2024/83

Ahrens, J.-P., Isaak, A. J., Istipliler, B., & Steininger, D. M. (2019). The Star Citizen Phenomenon & the “Ultimate Dream Management” Technique in Crowdfunding. Proceedings of the 40th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), 1–9.

Bradel, M., Steininger, D. M., & Veit, D. (2019). How can Digital Start-Ups Successfully Recruit IT Professionals? ECIS 2019 Proceedings, 1–11.

Steininger, D. M., Glas, T., & Veit, D. (2018). Mitigating the Negative Impacts of Social Media Firestorms – An Experimental Study. Proceedings of JAIS TDW Pre-ICIS Workshop, 1–30.

Steininger, D. M., Wermann, S., & Veit, D. (2018). How Investors can Ruin Your Startup: Studying the Failure of a Software Venture. G-Forum, 1–5.

Hoegen, A., Steininger, D. M., & Veit, D. (2017). An Interdisciplinary Review of Investor Decision-Making in Crowdfunding. WI 2017 Proceedings.

Hoegen, A., Steininger, D. M., & Veit, D. (2016). An Interdisciplinary Review of Crowdfunding Investment Decisions. Pre-ICIS Cognitive Research Exchange 2016 Proceedings.

Berger, B., Matt, C., Steininger, D. M., & Hess, T. (2015). Paper or Screen – Differences in Customer Preferences and Willingness to Pay between Traditional and Digital Content Services. HICSS 2015 Proceedings, 3384–3393. http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/HICSS.2015.408

Steininger, D. M., Lorch, M., & Veit, D. (2014). The bandwagon effect in digital environments: An experimental study on Kickstarter.com. MKWI 2014 Proceedings, 546–556.

Steininger, D. M., Wagenfuehrer, T., & Veit, D. (2014, February 28). Predicting Repayment Success in IT-Mediated Peer-to-Peer Lending: The Value of Soft Information. MKWI 2014 Proceedings.

Steininger, D. M., & Gatzemeier, S. (2013). Using the wisdom of the crowd to predict popular music chart success. Proceedings of the 21st European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2013), 1–12.

Steininger, D. M., Wunderlich, P., & Pohl, F. (2013). Exploring Competitive Advantage of Social Networking Sites: A Business Model Perspective. ECIS 2013 Proceedings, 1–12.

Steininger, D. M., Trenz, M., & Veit, D. (2013). Building Taxonomies in IS and Management—A Systematic Approach Based on Content Analysis. Wirtschaftsinformatik 2013 Proceedings, 1–15. http://udoo.uni-muenster.de/downloads/publications/2471.pdf

Huntgeburth, J., Steininger, D. M., Trenz, M., & Veit, D. (2012). Cloud Computing Innovation: Schritte in Richtung einer Forschungsagenda. Wirtschaftsinformatik 2012 Proceedings, 677–688.

Steininger, D. M., Hölz, J., & Veit, D. (2012). Comparing Traditional and Electronic Business Models of the Music Industry: A Content Analytical Approach. In N. Grove & A. Sunyaev (Eds.), Proceedings of ConLife Academic Conference 2012 (pp. 1–10).

Veit, D., & Steininger, D. M. (2012). Geschäftsmodelle als Thema der WI: Grundlagen, Begriffswelten und terminologische Diffusion (in German). In T. Hess (Ed.), Geschäftsmodelle als Thema der Wirtschaftsinformatik, Arbeitsbericht No. 1/12, Workshop at the Multikonferenz Wirtschaftsinformatik (MKWI).

Steininger, D. M., Huntgeburth, J. C., & Veit, D. (2011). A Systemizing Research Framework for Web 2.0. ECIS 2011 Proceedings.

Steininger, D. M., Huntgeburth, J. C., & Veit, D. (2011). Conceptualizing Business Models for Competitive Advantage Research by Integrating the Resource and Market-Based Views. AMCIS 2011 Proceedings, 1–12.

 

Contribution to Edited Books

Steininger, D. M., and Budrevich, A. 2015. “Wie Werden Service-Geschäftsmodelle von Start-Ups Skalierbar? Eine Fallstudie Zur Digitalen Transformation von Web-Dienstleistern (in German),” in Entrepreneurship Heute : Unternehmerisches Denken Angesichts Der Herausforderungen Einer Vernetzten Wirtschaft, F. Keuper and M. Schomann (eds.), Berlin: Logos, pp. 85–114.

Veit, D., and Steininger, D. 2012. “Geschäftsmodelle als Thema der Wirtschaftsinformatik: Grundlagen, Begriffswelten und terminologische Diffusion,” in Working papers / Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Institut für Wirtschaftsinformatik und Neue Medien (Vol. 1), T. Hess (ed.), München: Univ., pp. 5–8.

 

Monographs

Steininger, D. M. 2016. Digital Entrepreneurship: Definitions, Business Models, and Network Externalities, Mannheim: Dissertation, University of Mannheim. (https://ub-madoc.bib.uni-mannheim.de/41856/)

 

Other Publications

Metzger, F., Steininger, D. M., Di Bella, J., Hofmann, M.-K., and Woywode, M. 2015. “Junior Accelerator Baden-Württemberg : Der Turbo Für Junge Gründungstalente,” Mannheim. (https://ub-madoc.bib.uni-mannheim.de/39654/)

Steininger, D. M. 2015. “Von Der Geschäftsidee Zum Start-up in 5 Schritten,” ForUM (2015:2), p. 25.

Steininger, D. M. 2014. “Finanzierung von Existenzgründungen - Und Möglichkeiten in Der Metropolregion,” Z-MRN (2014:1), pp. 38–40.

Steininger, D. M. 2014. “Finanzierung Innovativer Geschäftsmodelle: So Kommen IT-Start-Ups an Geld,” ITF-Gründerzeitung (2014:1), pp. 3–5.

Veit, D., and Steininger, D. 2012. “Geschäftsmodelle Als Thema Der WI: Grundlagen, Begriffswelten Und Terminologische Diffusion,” in Geschäftsmodelle Als Thema Der Wirtschaftsinformatik, Arbeitsbericht No. 1/12, Workshop at the Multikonferenz Wirtschaftsinformatik (MKWI), T. Hess (ed.), Braunschweig, Germany.

  • Associate Editor, Information Systems Journal, since 01/2023
  • Editorial Board Member, Electronic Markets, since 06/2026
  • Editorial Board Member, Management Review Quarterly, since 03/2022
  • Guest Associate Editor, Special Issue “Dark Side of Analytics and Artificial Intelligence”, European Journal of Information Systems, 2022
  • Guest Editor, Special Issue “Digital Entrepreneurship”, Business & Information Systems Engineering, 2022
  • Track Chair, 6th International Research Forum on Mittelstand 2020, Digital Entrepreneurship, Mannheim, Germany
  • Track Chair, ECIS 2019, Business Models and the Value of IS in a Digital World, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Associate Editor, ICIS 2026, Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Associate Editor, ICIS 2025, Digital Innovation, Transformation, and Entrepreneurship, Tennessee, USA
  • Associate Editor, ICIS 2023, Governance, Digital Strategy, and Value, Hyderabad, India
  • Associate Editor, ICIS 2019, Business Models and Digital Transformation, Munich, Germany (Best Reviewer Award)
  • Associate Editor, ECIS 2024, IS Strategy, Governance and Sourcing in the Digital Age, Paphos, Cyprus
  • Associate Editor, ECIS 2023, Business Models and Digital Transformation, Kristiansand, Norway
  • Associate Editor, ECIS 2022, Business Models and Digital Transformation, Timișoara, Romania
  • Associate Editor, ECIS 2021, Business Models and Digital Transformation, Marrakesh, Morocco
  • Associate Editor, ECIS 2018, Business Models in the Digital World, Portsmouth, UK
  • Associate Editor, ECIS 2017, Business Models in a Digitized World, Guimarães, Portugal
  • Associate Editor, WI 2024, Digital Finance, Würzburg, Germany
  • Associate Editor, WI 2023, Business Models, Digital Transformation & Entrepreneurship, Paderborn, Germany
  • Associate Editor, WI 2023, Digital Innovation, Adoption, and Use, Paderborn, Germany
  • Associate Editor, WI 2022, Digital Business Models and Digital Entrepreneurship, Nuremberg, Germany
  • Associate Editor, WI 2021, Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Essen, Germany
  • Associate Editor, WI 2021, Digital Transformation & Business Models, Essen, Germany
  • Associate Editor, WI 2020, Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Potsdam, Germany
  • Associate Editor, WI 2019, Business Models and Digital Entrepreneurship, Siegen, Germany

Third-Party Funding:

  • German Research Foundation (DFG)
  • Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
  • Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities / Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt)
  • Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt)


Journals:

  • Asian Academy of Management Journal (AAMJ)
  • Business & Information Systems Engineering Journal (BISE)
  • Electronic Markets Journal (EM)
  • European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS)
  • Information & Organization (I&O)
  • Information and Management Journal (I&M)
  • Information Systems Journal (ISJ)
  • International Journal of Electronic Commerce (IJEC)
  • International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research (IJEBR)
  • International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing (IJEV)
  • International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making (IJITDM)
  • International Journal of Innovation Science (IJIS)
  • Internet Research (IR)
  • Journal of Business Economics (JBE)
  • Journal of Business Research (JBR)
  • Journal of Competences, Strategy & Management (JCSM)
  • Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE)
  • Journal of Family Business Strategy (JFBS)
  • Journal of Information Technology (JIT)
  • Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS)
  • Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research (SBUR)
  • Journal of Small Business Management (JSBM)
  • Journal of Strategic Information Systems (JSIS)
  • Journal of Systems and Software (JSS)
  • Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS)
  • Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research (JTAECR)
  • Management International Review (MIR)
  • Management Review Quarterly (MRQ)
  • MIS Quarterly (MISQ)
  • Several conferences such as AoM Annual Meeting, IFIP, International Conference on Information Systems, European Conference on Information Systems, G-Forum, Int. Tagung Wirtschaftsinf., VHB-Jahrestagungen
  • Association for Information Systems (AIS)
  • Entrepreneurship Club
  • FGF, scientific association for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Mittelstand
  • German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB)
  • German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (DHV)
  • German Informatics Society / Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI)
  • Institute for Digitization Research e.V. (founding member)
  • Interessenverband Deutsches Internet e.V. (I.D.I)
  • Startup Westpfalz e.V.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Dennis Steininger

Gottlieb-Daimler-Str. 42
Building 42, Room 306
67663 Kaiserslautern

Office hours: on appointment

Office

LinkedIn

ResearchGate