From November 5 to 7, the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit welcomed over 2,500 participants at the Smart City Expo World Congress, bringing together top experts, investors, and 40+ emerging startups to showcase groundbreaking technologies across industries. IESE Business School’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center led two plenary sessions on corporate venturing. In partnership with the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, IESE presented its latest study on corporate venturing squads (more in the Insights section!). The Summit concluded with the Best Deep Tech Startup Awards, with AEInnova taking top honors. IESE was proud to serve on the award jury.

EU-LAC Digital Accelerator’s recent Digital Connectors event in the Dominican Republic spotlighted open innovation and business growth. The two-day event provided corporations, startups, and innovators with tools to drive digital transformation. IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center led workshops on open innovation and corporate venturing, equipping Dominican tech firms with strategies for expanding into Europe and Latin America. Additionally, IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center’s Executive Director, Josemaria Siota, delivered a keynote at the Grupo Corripio Excellence Forum. 

We sat down with Professor Yuliya Snihur to learn about her journey and insights on entrepreneurship. Born in Ukraine and educated in France and the U.S., she began in corporate finance before moving into academia to study business model innovation. Professor Snihur highlights entrepreneurship’s power to drive social and economic change and sees exciting potential in AI for creating new business models. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? Embrace resilience, continuous learning, and humility. Read the full interview to discover more about Yuliya’s inspiring perspective and what drives her passion.

On November 12, IESE Business School participated in the International Entrepreneurship Research Meeting (EIIE) in Monterrey, Mexico. This year’s theme, “Corporate Venturing in Latin America: Dynamics, Challenges, and Opportunities,” highlighted the role of corporate venturing in driving innovation and business growth. IESE's Josemaria Siota delivered the keynote “Corporate Venturing: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for Latin America.” The EIIE gathers global experts to explore entrepreneurial education and regional development. Additionally, IESE took the opportunity to meet with alumni from the region, further strengthening ties with the IESE community in the area.

The University of Navarra Incubator celebrated its first Health Startup Forum, bringing together startups, investors, clinicians and experts in entrepreneurship and innovation to hear first-hand the innovative proposals that will be part of the University of Navarra Incubator. IESE’s Business Angels Network was honored to serve on the jury for Pitch Day, where startups presented their business ideas for validation and funding. Clinicians played a vital role, advising investors and entrepreneurs to help shape impactful businesses that improve people’s health. 

Now accepting applications for September 2025! Our MRes/PhD in Entrepreneurship offers rigorous training in advanced research techniques and key topics in entrepreneurship. Faculty in the Entrepreneurship department focus on pioneering entrepreneurship research, offering deep insights into how established firms and emerging ventures navigate and shape technological, institutional, and societal landscapes. This program is ideal for those seeking a world-class, interdisciplinary environment for independent thought. Interested? Start your application here – You could be earning your Entrepreneurship doctorate at IESE!

IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, in partnership with the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, has launched “Corporate Venturing Squads: Teaming Up with Other Corporations to Better Innovate with Start-Ups. Hands-on Guidance.” This visual guide highlights Corporate Venturing Squads (CVS), where corporations collaborate in multi-partner alliances to tackle shared challenges with startups. Designed as a tool for Chief Innovation Officers, the guide showcases key CVS benefits, including enhanced access to startups, shared resources, and reduced innovation costs. CVS alliances boost visibility and credibility, enabling ambitious, collaborative projects with higher success rates. 

Business model research has thrived at the intersection of strategy, innovation management, and entrepreneurship. Co-authored by Professor Yuliya Snihur, this research piece delves into the foundations and future directions of this dynamic field. Offering a comprehensive overview of business model literature, it serves as a valuable resource for both seasoned researchers and newcomers, addressing the evolution of business models amid digital disruption, platformization, and ecosystem shifts. It also highlights three promising areas for future research: business model portfolios, competitive dynamics, and sustainable business model design. More information here.