Entrepreneurship
and Innovation
Center
Issue #3
22 February 2024
 
 

 
 


In this edition, we're thrilled to share news about some of our exciting initiatives within the entrepreneurial ecosystem at IESE: from the Summer Entrepreneurship Experience for MBA students, to the transformative Foundations of Scaling program for seasoned entrepreneurs! Join us as we celebrate the achievements of our alumni and delve into elevated entrepreneurship with IESE professors Christoph Zott and Anneloes Raes.

We hope you enjoy it!

The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center team.  
Stories.

 
 
 
startups.
 
Getting ready for IESE's Summer Entrepreneurship Experience

On 27 February 2024, professors Mauricio Prieto and Mathieu Carenzo will be hosting IESE's Summer Entrepreneurship Experience (SEE) Information Session, and registrations will open on that day. This initiative gives IESE MBA students a chance to kickstart their entrepreneurial journey through real-world, hands-on learning on what it’s like to turn an idea into a business. Students will engage with industry experts, hone practical skills, and network with fellow innovators in this immersive learning opportunity. Learn more about this initiative and discover testimonials from IESE alumni and their SEE journeys.

SCALEUPS.
IESE Foundations of Scaling: Applications open 

Inviting experienced entrepreneurs to embark on a transformative journey, the IESE School of Founders (SoF) has opened inscriptions for the 3rd edition of their Foundations of Scaling program, starting in October 2024. With its focus on scaling, the purpose of the program is to equip founders with the skills, knowledge and mindset needed to build their startup into a large and purpose-driven company.
IESE launched the School of Founders in 2022 to foster the development of fast-growing startups and their founders through educational programs and community building.

tech transfer.
 
EuroTeQ hackathon: Connecting European engineers with entrepreneurs

Students from the six European partnering universities of the European project EuroTeQ are getting ready to enter the next EuroTeQaThon to get a spot in one of the four IESE entrepreneurship bootcamps for engineering students. Students will be tasked with creating data-based solutions to address technology-driven sustainability challenges.
As part of the university alliance EuroTeQ, IESE has embarked on a four-year project to further enhance collaboration between elite engineering institutions and leading business schools. The alliance's objective is to help promote the successful market implementation of pioneering technology research. Read more about this innovative European Commission-funded project on the EuroTeQ website

startups.
IESE alum-founded Bonocart amongst ‘Poets and Quants 2023 Most Disruptive MBA Startups’

Providing editorial coverage of business schools and MBA degrees and education, Poets and Quants has published its 5th annual 'Most Disruptive MBA Startups.' Kofi Acquah (IESE MBA’23) has gained a coveted spot on the list with Bonocart, an AI-powered SaaS offering brands solutions to elevate social impact and drive significant customer loyalty. In this Poets and Quants interview, Acquah highlights how IESE’s MBA provided “invaluable value as a supportive and low-risk testing ground for starting a startup” and allowed him to test and refine his founder-ability through startup competitions, VC introductions, and the many activities organised by the Startup & Entrepreneurship Club.
Read the full 'Most Disruptive MBA Startups' by Poets and Quants list here.

tech transfer.
 
IESE at the Growth50 Europe Summit 2024

Bringing together over 180 growth investors, scaleups, and experts, the Growth50 Europe Summit 2024 took place in Paris on 8 February 2024. IESE moderated the workshop 'Go-to-Market Strategy', as part of the workstream of the EU Innovation Council’s Scaling Club, an initiative that aims to support 100 deep-tech companies in their path to unicorn. Organized by TechTour and hosted at BPI France, the summit showcased collaborative efforts shaping Europe’s tech landscape, fostering innovation and growth in deep-tech startups.

scaLEUPS.
Are you crazy enough? Go for impact

Gregoire de Hemptine (MBA’17 and IESE 40under40), co-founded the startup Shayp to help real-estate owners reduce their water consumption in buildings and most importantly save water for future generations. Did you know over 30% of clean water is lost during its distribution causing the loss of a precious resource, and also causing damage to infiltration? As an entrepreneur, Gregoire has felt the urge to put his technical and business skills at the service of a sustainable transition toward a resilient world. 
Watch his full TED Talk video to learn more about Gregoire and his drive for impact.

Insights.

 
ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP.
 FrFre
 
Busting the myths

What is entrepreneurship? Often misconceived as innate talent, research shows that it is a learnable skill accessible to all. In this eye-opening article, IESE professors Christoph Zott and Anneloes Raes debunk three persistent myths surrounding entrepreneurship that research shows to be false, and invite us to reflect on the following: If we disabuse ourselves of these false notions, what will it take for us to engage with the entrepreneurial process? What is the larger, nobler purpose of your entrepreneurial endeavors? Forget the myths about entrepreneurship: Here’s what it really takes to raise your game.

ENTREPRENEURIAL FINANCE.
Private equity investors are catalysts for strategic change

Companies typically adjust strategies when performance lags behind, but resist change when they outperform. However, with private equity investors generally seeking high returns within five years, they often have ambitious goals and aspirations for firms in their portfolios. IESE Professor Jeroen Neckebrouck, alongside co-author colleagues, tracks the results of such an approach in the paper 'Same owner, different impact: How responses to performance feedback differ across a private equity investor’s portfolio firms.' Read the IESE Insight piece to learn more and access the research paper.  

Agenda.
 

 
 
 
22 February WeStart and Business Angels Network networking session
22 February WeGrow Kick-off
26 - 29 February EU-LAC Digital Accelerator presenting at 4YFN
28 February Entrepreneurship onboarding for PDG-A participants
 
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