Scale Yourself to Scale Your Company
Scale Yourself to Scale Your Company
A VERTICAL × TUM Masterclass at TUM Venture Labs
The problem no one names
Hard targets. Short runways. Demanding investors. Brutal pivots.
Most founders respond by working harder. Longer hours. More meetings. More caffeine. More willpower.
Here's what actually happens: the nervous system calibrated for a 5-person team is now running a 50-person operation. The hardware hasn't upgraded. The software has. That gap is where bad decisions, broken teams, and underalignment live.
The bottleneck isn't your strategy. It's the operating system you're leading from.
What this masterclass does
Not a lecture. A live operating system upgrade.
In 3.5 hours, you learn how to regulate your nervous system under pressure, access flow on demand, and lead from clarity instead of cortisol. No theory without practice. No inspiration without mechanism.
VERTICAL's methodology has been tested with over 1,500 leaders across 16+ countries — grounded in neuroscience research from Stanford and Harvard, performance protocols developed for Navy SEALs (DARPA), and operating principles refined by Silicon Valley CEOs. It runs in environments from Roche, Deutsche Börse, BioNTech, Breuninger, and tonies to fast-scaling fintechs, founder-led unicorns, and the next generation of European tech: 15+ founders from the Delta cohort, fast-growth Berlin scale-ups like Almedia, and deep-tech operators like Blackwave.
The results are measurable
+75% productivity — shorter work hours, weekends back
+150% deeper recovery — REM and deep sleep, measured via wearables
–59% daily stress — not managed, but structurally reduced
This isn't stress management. It's a capacity upgrade.
Agenda
09:00 — Arrival & Check-In
Arrive. Connect. Settle in for a high-density morning among founders and operators.
09:15 — The Founder's Operating System
Why scaling yourself is the prerequisite for scaling your company. The three layers of your Leadership OS — and where most founders hit a ceiling they can't see.
09:45 — Nervous System Regulation Under Pressure
How to stay calm, focused, and decisive when everything is on fire. The neuroscience of what happens when pressure rises — and how to interrupt the default pattern.
10:15 — Break
10:25 — Authentic Relating: Trust at Speed
Founder teams need trust. Fast. Not a trust fall — a structured practice for building relational precision under real conditions.
10:50 — The Power of Flow
Flow isn't mystical. It's a measurable state with specific triggers. The architecture of peak performance — where clarity, energy, and creativity converge.
11:15 — Flow on Demand (Breathwork)
Experience the shift from tension to flow in minutes. A guided practice you can use before investor calls, board meetings, or any high-stakes moment.
11:40 — Leadership Beyond Ego (Triads)
The shift from control to presence. From reactive to strategic. A structured triad exercise that changes how you show up — in real time.
12:05 — The Executive Athlete: Integration
Peak performance is a practice, not an event. How to integrate what you've learned into daily operating rhythms — without adding another thing to your plate.
12:20 — Close & Networking
Your trainer
Achim Feige — Founder & CEO of VERTICAL. Author of The Transformation Code. Former professional athlete. Transformation architect.
Achim has worked with over 1,500 leaders — C-suite executives, founders, and leadership teams — across 16 countries in the EU and USA. He built the VERTICAL System to help founders and leaders operate from altitude: with clarity, energy, and measurable flow.
Selected references
The work runs across the full spectrum — from listed corporates to early-stage tech:
Corporates: Roche, Deutsche Börse, BioNTech, Breuninger, tonies
Tech & scale-ups: 15+ founders from the Delta cohort, Almedia (Berlin, Europe's fastest-growing ad-tech), Blackwave (Munich, advanced materials for space and aerospace)
Plus: Fast-scaling fintechs and founder-led unicorns across DACH and beyond
The pattern is consistent. Different industries. Same bottleneck.
The science behind it
The VERTICAL methodology is built on three sources of evidence:
Academic neuroscience — research from Stanford and Harvard on stress physiology, prefrontal regulation, and adult development
Tactical performance protocols — practices originally developed for Navy SEALs and refined through DARPA-backed research on flow, recovery, and decision-making under extreme load
Silicon Valley operator practice — protocols stress-tested by founders and CEOs running high-velocity, high-stakes companies
What you learn isn't theory. It's what works when the consequences are real.
What's included
3.5-hour live masterclass with experiential exercises
Exclusive access to the VERTICAL methodology
Breathwork and nervous system regulation practices you keep
Non-alcoholic drinks and snacks
Optional follow-up: Leadership OS Upgrade Briefing (1:1)
Who this is for
Founders, CEOs, and leadership teams who are:
Scaling fast and leading under constant pressure
Building teams through rapid growth and transformation
Ready to multiply performance without multiplying stress
If you've optimized your product, your GTM, and your fundraise — but haven't upgraded the system you're operating from — this is where that work begins.
Event details
Date: June 18
Time: 09:00 – 12:30
Venue: Vorhölzer Forum, Technische Universität München
Arcisstr. 21, 80333 Munich
Room 5166, Main Building 0501, 5th floor
How to find us: Main TUM entrance → corridor on the left → stairs at the end of the corridor up to the 5th floor.
About VERTICAL
VERTICAL builds the inner infrastructure leaders need to operate at scale. Through Executive Inner Work — a methodology grounded in neuroscience, flow research, and vertical development — VERTICAL upgrades the operating system leaders lead from. Not more tools. Not more frameworks. A deeper capacity to hold complexity, make decisions, and lead teams through pressure.
Backed by neuroscience. Built for complexity.
About TUM Venture Labs
TUM Venture Labs is the entrepreneurship platform of the Technical University of Munich, supporting deep-tech and science-based startups with world-class resources, mentorship, and community.
VERTICAL — The Transformation Code
Executive Inner Work | Leadership from the inside out.