This week, IESE participated in Mobile World Congress and 4YFN, contributing to discussions on scaling innovation across industries and sectors. At “From Innovation Pilots to Execution at Scale,” co-hosted by IESE with GSMA Foundation and United Nations Industrial Development Organization, participants explored how to move beyond pilots toward large-scale deployment. At 4YFN, Josemaria Siota, Executive Director of IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, moderated “Lost in Translation: From Science to Scale,” on turning scientific breakthroughs into industrial champions. Beyond the events, IESE and Deloitte’s 27Pilots also co-hosted a Corporate Venturing Dinner, convening leaders advancing business impact through startup collaboration globally.

This month, IESE’s School of Founders brought 20 scaleup entrepreneurs to Lagos as part of the Keep Scaling program. This study tour immersed founders in one of Africa’s most dynamic and complex business ecosystems. Under the theme “Learning from Africa: Leadership, Business and Life Lessons from the Continent’s Past and Future,” participants explored how culture shapes the way companies scale: from authority and trust to time, loyalty, and decision-making. Through company visits, conversations with Nigerian founders, and deep cultural encounters, the experience challenged assumptions and expanded perspectives. For many, it brought a shift in mindset about Africa and leadership itself. Are you a founder ready to scale with a broader lens? Discover IESE’s School of Founders.

Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Management II immerses IESE MBA students in a hackathon-based venture creation journey. Led by professors Liinus Hietaniemi, Jeroen Neckebrouck and Sandra Sieber, participants work in teams to move from trend identification and problem discovery to prototype development, validation, and final pitch. The course integrates AI tools to enhance ideation, prototyping, and storytelling, while emphasizing evidence-based decision-making and disciplined iteration. Through structured feedback, pivot frameworks, and live pitch sessions, students build and test real ventures; culminating in a school-wide Pitch Day which will showcase the most promising projects on March 25. Stay tuned!

On March 17, the IESE MBA Startup & Entrepreneurship Club will host Founders Day: From Zero to One – The Journey of Entrepreneurship. The event features keynotes by Timo Buetefisch (MBA’04), co-founder and CEO of Cooltra, and Alexandre Nucci Soncini, co-founder of VTEX. A founder deep dive, moderated by IESE's Mathieu Carenzo, will bring together Carlota Pi (EMBA’09), co-founder of Holaluz, and Ivan Rodriguez (EMBA’11), founder of Modelia. The agenda also includes an AI panel led by professors Liinus Hietaniemi and Sampsa Samila with Elisenda Bou-Balust (Cala AI), followed by a School of Founders session and curated networking. Haven't got your ticket yet? Check out the full agenda and register here.

The inaugural IESE Search Fund Competition, organized by IESE's MBA Search Fund Student Club, brought together teams from IESE, London Business School, INSEAD, HEC Paris, IMD, and Esade. Students stepped into the driver’s seat of a live acquisition simulation, assuming the role of searchers to analyze targets, conduct due diligence, negotiate LOIs, and pitch their investment theses to experienced investors. The exercise tested judgment, negotiation skills, and strategic thinking. Congratulations to the winning teams from IESE and IMD. 

The IESE MBA Startup & Entrepreneurship Club is excited to launch the 2026 Startup Advisory Sprint, a pro bono consultancy initiative for startups. IESE MBA students will contribute 20 hours of hands-on strategic support over 4–6 weeks (10 hours per week), working on a clearly defined business challenge aligned with your company’s priorities. Projects will begin on April 8 with a dedicated kick-off call between the startup and the assigned student. Would your startup benefit from focused strategic input this spring? Apply by March 9.​​​​​​ 

IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center has published a new technical note codifying the Start-up Scouting Process as a company-governed, problem-driven system for engaging start-ups through corporate venturing. The note formalizes a three-phase framework—identification, selection, and assessment—supported by decision tools, governance options, and practitioner templates. Grounded in large-scale empirical evidence, it offers a rigorous yet accessible blueprint. Particularly valuable for corporate innovation teams, the framework can be implemented, taught, and audited across varying levels of expertise. Find it here.

In a recent two-part publication, Professor Jan Simon examines common pitfalls in the search fund model. The first analyzes post-acquisition challenges such as seller involvement and leadership gaps, highlighting governance and board support as key levers for value creation. The second explores risks including customer concentration, market disruption, and regulatory exposure, offering structured approaches to due diligence and mitigation. Together, the studies provide a rigorous yet practical guide for investors, operators, and students navigating entrepreneurial acquisitions.