On May 12, 2026, IESE will honor 40 standout entrepreneurs and innovators under 40 from across its 60,000-strong global alumni network. The IESE 40under40 celebrates bold founders creating lasting impact and leading ventures with purpose. This upcoming edition will be held on the Barcelona campus and will also include four special awards: Outstanding Female Entrepreneur, Most Innovative Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur with the Most Social Impact, and Entrepreneur with the Best Growth Track. Nominate now – and help us celebrate the future of entrepreneurship.

NextRise—the largest startup fair in Asia and a premier event for innovation and entrepreneurship—took place June 26–27 at COEX, Seoul, gathering 1,100+ startups, 500+ corporates, and 3,600+ 1:1 meetings from 28 countries. On June 26, Josemaria Siota, Executive Director of IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, moderated a panel at NextRise Seoul on how corporates in media and energy are co-innovating with startups. Joined by EMBA'12 Carlos Solana (Mediapro) and PDD'19 Emilio Martínez (Enagás), the discussion explored how to optimize speed, cost, and governance in corporate–startup collaboration. Explore NextRise.

IESE 40under40 2022 awardee Cristina Aleixendri (EMBA'22) is transforming the maritime industry with bound4blue, the startup she co-founded to bring wind back to shipping. Her suction sail system reduces fuel costs and emissions by up to 40%, offering a practical solution for sustainability and regulatory compliance.
An aeronautical engineer by training, Aleixendri entered the sector to solve a complex challenge—and stayed to build impact. Her advice: “Live with purpose, align your actions with your values, and persevere through challenges.” Read her story on IESE’s Entrepreneurship blog.

Mexican fintech Klar has raised $190 million in Series C funding, bringing its valuation to $800 million. The round was led by General Atlantic, with participation from Prosus Ventures, Acrew, and others. IESE 40under40 2022 awardee Stefan Möller (MBA’14), Klar’s co-founder and CEO, is driving the company’s mission to expand access to financial services for Mexico’s underbanked population. Klar currently offers credit, payment, and savings products—and now plans to scale operations, grow its customer base, and prepare for a potential IPO in 2026. Read more on Bloomberg. 

From June 14–16, EuroTeQathon 2025 brought together 24 student teams at TU Eindhoven to tackle real-world challenges in sustainability, technology, and entrepreneurship. Winners included GoodMetal (EPFL), BioThermoBox (TUM), Beetle Juice (TU/e), and public-choice BlueRack (DTU). IESE joined as an academic partner, supporting entrepreneurial learning and technology transfer among Europe’s next generation of innovators. Next stop: the IESE EuroTeQ Ignite Bootcamp in Barcelona later this month, where seven teams will take part. Find out more.  

The European Innovation Council Scaling Club is now accepting expressions of interest to join its exclusive community of 100 top deep-tech scale-ups, investors, corporates, and innovation leaders across Europe. Members benefit from access to curated market opportunities, co-investment prospects, strategic networking, and direct dialogue with EU policymakers. Participation is open to investors, corporations, innovation agencies, sovereign funds, and tech-focused media. Register your interest and help shape the future of European tech.

A new study in Journal of Business Venturing co-authored by Professor Jeroen Neckebrouck examines 34,000 UK and Belgian private firms to explore how board governance and owner-management influence strategic investment decisions. Firms with strong board oversight align investment changes more closely with performance—expanding when underperforming and pulling back when ahead—as predicted by behavioral theory. Conversely, firms run solely by owner-managers tend to cut back during downturns but continue investing even when performance is high. These insights highlight the critical role boards play in balancing risk preferences and promoting collective decision-making.

Why do established firms often choose familiar technologies when sourcing externally, even when aiming for innovation? This research article co-authored by Professor Thomas Klueter explores this question in the context of the biopharmaceutical industry. Published in the Strategic Management Journal, the research shows that in-house R&D teams tend to steer decisions toward known technologies. However, when top management focuses attention or when unexpected market failures occur, firms are more likely to pursue novel, high-risk solutions.