In a recent IESE Global Leadership Series session, Lord Irvine Laidlaw joined Professor Franz Heukamp, Dean of IESE, to share insights from his extraordinary journey as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and elite sportsman. Lord Laidlaw reflected on scaling businesses across sectors, diversifying with agility, and aligning profit with lasting purpose. He also discussed building Europe’s leading MBA scholarship program for women. His message was clear: lead with passion, adapt fearlessly, and make things happen. A masterclass in resilience, strategic thinking, and meaningful impact from one of the UK’s most dynamic figures.

IESE returns to the 2025 Barcelona Deep Tech Summit from November 4–6 as an ecosystem partner and, starting with this edition, as a member of the advisory board. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center will contribute insights on corporate venturing and tech transfer, including the session “Corporate Venture into Deep Tech” on November 4 at 5:00 pm. Join Mariana Costa, Marta Antúnez, and moderator Josemaria Siota, Executive Director of IESE’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, for a timely discussion on CVCs and Europe’s deep-tech future. Find out more and secure your free pass. 

On October 24, IESE and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology co-hosted the HKUST–IESE ETA Summit in Hong Kong, spotlighting the growing relevance of Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA), or search funds, in the Asia-Pacific region and globally. Professor Jan Simon delivered the keynote "Global ETA Trends – Exploring Opportunities in APAC", while Juan Naranjo of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center gave the closing remarks of the event. The summit brought together entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and SME owners to continue to explore the transformative potential of search funds.

IESE’s Business Angels Network joined over 40 countries at the European Angel Investment Summit 2025, held in Brussels on October 28–29. Organized by EBAN with InvestEU and the European Commission, the summit convened early-stage investors, VCs, corporates, and startups to strengthen Europe’s innovation ecosystem. As the leading platform for dialogue between EU institutions and early-stage finance, the event focused on actionable solutions and policy co-creation to make Europe the best place to launch and scale high-impact ventures.

After a career at Unilever and a food start-up, Martijn Ruding (MBA ’06) now leads partnerships at Tiny Miracles, a certified B Corp empowering over 500 women in Mumbai through fair, dignified work. By co-designing products with clients like Heineken, Rituals and Tony’s Chocolonely, the organization turns responsible sourcing into scalable impact. Martijn shares how his IESE experience shaped his journey into social entrepreneurship, the vital role of partnerships in driving systemic change, and his advice for anyone seeking to align business with purpose. Read the full interview.

Professor Jeroen Neckebrouck has been honored with the Outstanding Reviewer Award by the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (SEJ), one of the top journals in the fields of strategy and entrepreneurship. The award recognizes his exceptional contributions to the peer review process—ensuring academic rigor, constructive feedback, and research excellence. His work supports the advancement of knowledge in strategic management, entrepreneurial finance, and the broader entrepreneurship research community. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

A new IESE case by Professor Sandra Sieber examines how UK-based Brompton Bicycle balances tradition with innovation through a phased digital transformation. Facing global competition and rising customer expectations, the company enhanced its digital presence and began retrofitting legacy manufacturing systems with connected technology. The case challenges students to assess whether incremental upgrades or a full systems overhaul better supports long-term growth. It offers rich insights for courses on innovation, digital strategy, and operations in heritage-driven industries. Find it here.

A new case by Professor Yuliya Snihur examines how AFEX, one of Africa’s fastest-growing startups, launched the continent’s first private commodity exchange in Nigeria by merging finance, technology, and agriculture. The case traces AFEX’s early journey (2014–19), its 2019 financing crisis, and the decision to split into three entities to simplify management. It explores challenges like scaling novel models in developing markets, aligning diverse stakeholder interests, and capturing value in fragmented value chains—ideal for teaching innovation in emerging economies. Access the case here.