From 12 to 14 March 2024, IESE Business School's campus in Barcelona was home to 20 representatives of startups and SMEs taking part in the 'Bootcamp on adopting emerging technologies through open innovation', organized by IESE's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center as part of the DIH4CAT innovation ecosystem. Primarily aimed at senior management and innovation leaders of small and medium-sized companies with a certain degree of digitalization, the event offered an exclusive space to explore and debate best practices in adopting emerging technologies. Read more on our blog.

Bringing together investors, companies, and startups, South Summit is taking place in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 20 to 22 March 2024. IESE's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center Executive Director, Josemaria Siota, will participate in the discussion panel about 'Thriving together: Open innovation unleashed how in today's rapidly changing and highly competitive business environment'. Open innovation has emerged as a critical strategy for companies to stay ahead of the curve and uplift the ecosystem. Supporting the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator project, IESE's involvement at South Summit continues building bridges to accelerate digital transformation in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

On 20 March 2024, IESE joined the launch of the third edition of the KM ZERO Venturing program, aimed at empowering startups driving innovation in the food chain towards health, sustainability, and efficiency. Taking place at Alimentaria – the largest international professional trade show for food, beverage, and gastronomy – and supporting the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator project, this open innovation and strategic investment initiative involves startups, corporations, investment funds, and ecosystem stakeholders.

Bruno Lea (MBA'2018) is the President of Haas Automation, the largest machine tool builder in the western hemisphere. An entrepreneur at heart and a firm believer of purpose in entrepreneurship by acquisition, Lea believes that "We have to do more by using, bringing our energy, enthusiasm, creativity, innovative mind to serve society in general". In this IESE Alumni Series interview, Bruno talks about the challenges of entrepreneurship and what skills someone who wants to become an entrepreneur should acquire.

Quantum computing startup Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech was selected as winner after an on-stage pitching competition judged by a panel of experts from the investor community and a live audience of investors, business executives, entrepreneurs, government officials, and the general public. The deep-tech startup is developing quantum chips that are much more accurate than current ones in their calculations. Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech currently employs 45 people and is the only company competing in its sector in southern Europe. The startup was co-founded in 2019 by Jordi Blasco, IESE GMP 08, along with four other founders. Congratulations, team!

The next edition of Business Angels & Family Office Academy has opened its doors for registrations, offering a unique opportunity for investors, entrepreneurs, and professionals interested in supporting startups as business angels. This edition introduces a hybrid format, combining in-person sessions with online content delivery. Designed for investors keen on new technologies, entrepreneurs, and family offices interested in startup investment, the academy attracts executives, entrepreneurs, and teams from various innovation ecosystems. Sounds of interest? Find out more here.  

Business pitching is crucial for conveying your idea, product, or service effectively to potential investors, partners, or customers. Learn to start strong, use memorable numbers and branding, radiate warmth and smile, and don’t leave the room without a compelling call to action. Follow IESE's Senior Lecturer Mathieu Carenzo's advice in this short video to take your pitching game to the next level and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Corporate venturing, the collaborative framework between established corporations and innovative startups, continues to evolve. Consider this: sometimes it pays to expand the relationship and get more corporations on board — even those that might be competitors. Such counterintuitive collaborations, and the innovation benefits they can create, are detailed in Open Innovation: Corporate Venturing Squads, co-authored by Professor Mª Julia Prats with Josemaria Siota, Carla Bustamante, and Beatriz Camacho from IESE’s Entrepreneruship and Innovation Center, in collaboration with the firm Kapita.