Last week, IESE alumni in Germany hosted panels in Munich and Berlin, focusing on entrepreneurship. As part of IESE Munich's Alumni Day activities and talks, Andrea Jaime (PMD’22), Institutional Business Developer at Isar Aerospace, moderated the panel ‘Entrepreneurship in Aeronautics and Space’. Meanwhile, in Berlin, co-founders Marc Schuhbauer (EMBA MUC'25) and Alexis Cramm of ALVA Energie led the panel ‘Entrepreneurship and Renewable Energy’. Their contributions strengthen the IESE entrepreneurship ecosystem, showcasing alumni expertise to broader audiences. We’ll keep you informed on more sessions like these!

Vikram Ahuja (MBA'10) is the Founder and Managing Director at ANSR, a company based in Bangalore helping helping Fortune 500 companies build global centers of excellence. He shares his insights on The Economist's ‘Money Talks’ podcast, as the discussion focuses on the rapidly growing $120B+ ‘global work’ industry: It is no secret that global companies from Amazon to Intel are relocating entire departments to developing countries, where they can tap into a rich seam of highly skilled workers at lower wages, to do everything from HR to microchip design. Dive into the discussion here.

Organized by IESE’s MiM and MBA Admissions, the representatives of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center travelled to Shenzhen, China, to participate in a series of events aimed at supporting alumni, and candidates who aim to create a company. IESE hosted a panel discussion where alumni entrepreneurs shared their experiences in the region. An Open Day offered prospective students insights into the entrepreneurship curriculum. Additionally, EIC representatives conducted mentoring sessions with alumni currently pursuing entrepreneurial ventures. Participants highlighted the value of shared experiences and guidance for their business projects, reinforcing the growing entrepreneurship network of IESE globally.

Announcing our latest working paper, 'Corporate Venturing: Preliminary Assessment for Start-Up Scouting', co-authored by Professor Mª Julia Prats with Josemaria Siota and Beatriz Camacho from IESE’s Open Innovation and Corporate Venturing Institute, in collaboration with InvestHK. This paper addresses challenges faced by Chief Innovation Officers (CINOs) in startup scouting and resource allocation. Based on 43 interviews and factsheets for China, Kenya, Mexico, and the UK, it presents a 4-layer checklist to enhance scouting precision and align corporate goals. Private investors and innovation agencies will also gain valuable insights. Stay tuned for further research updates!

Last week, the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center attended the 17th Private Equity Awards in Spain, celebrating key players in Venture Capital & Private Equity for their contributions to Spanish SMEs. Organized by SpainCap, Deloitte, and IESE, the event honored achievements in categories like ESG, middle market, capital expansion, impact, venture capital, and direct lending. These awards recognize entities for financial profitability and business milestones such as innovation, employment, and new market expansion. As a proud academic partner, IESE supports initiatives promoting businesses in the start-up and expansion phase. Congratulations to all the winners! Find out who they are here.

If you're a CEO or a Chief Innovation Officer of a Catalan company aiming to scale your open innovation strategy or adopt digital/emerging technologies through technology, you are eligible to join our group mentoring sessions. Hosted by IESE Business School as part of the Digital Innovation Hub of Catalunya (DIH4CAT) project, these sessions help companies build and scale open innovation strategies.
When? October 2024 to January 2025, online.
Topics covered: Innovation with emerging tech startups; optimizing open innovation teams; measuring innovation success; finding and evaluating tech startups.
Deadline: July 26th. Apply today!

Applying lean startup methods to business model design can significantly reduce market risk. Successful business ventures, whether startups or corporate projects, start by identifying and meeting consumer needs so companies can create business models that align with their specific goals and context. Inspired by Toyota’s lean manufacturing, the lean startup method emphasizes just-in-time principles, waste reduction, and thorough customer consultation before full-scale production. Professor Christoph Zott and Wharton’s Raphael Amit explore this synergy in their paper, 'Business Models and Lean Startup', suggesting that merging these approaches creates a robust framework for entrepreneurs and managers. Find out more here.

IESE Entrepreneurship Senior Lecturer Kandarp Mehta co-authors this study examining the spread of a controversial practice in football known as third-party ownership (TPO), where player ownership is shared among investors rather than solely held by football clubs. Using 20 years of archival data and interviews, the study reveals how conflicting judgments impact the adoption and abandonment of such practices, highlighting the clash between moral and economic arguments. It also shows that efforts to adjust the practice's perception depend heavily on its hidden benefits. 
Discover the research and check out the accompanying whiteboard video on the abstract here!