A group of IESE MBA students and professors travel to Silicon Valley March 25-31 for an in-depth look at the region, which will include visits to start-ups, investors and incubators.
The main goal of the visit is to give MBA students a deep understanding of entrepreneurial initiatives and how they are being led in one of the most world's top business hot spots through direct contact with firms and business leaders in the area. Students will also gain a comprehensive view of the entrepreneurial, business and investment panorama of the Valley.
IESE MBA students will learn keys for launching new ventures, specifically how to secure capital, avoid common entrepreneurial mistakes, resolve problems and conflicts, lead global business projects and create strong teams. In terms of large companies, students will analyze how they maintain an entrepreneurial culture, expanded internationally and interculturally and what they look for when identifying new companies for acquisition.
An investment case will is aimed at helping students understand the complexities of growing firms, evaluating new business ideas and investment opportunities. The exploration of incubators is designed to provide new knowledge on selection criteria for entrepreneurs and financial management in these organizations.
Also during the week, on March 28, IESE will host an Entrepreneurial Forum in San Francisco, with guest speaker Andrew Chung, partner of Khosla Ventures. He will give a talk entitled, "Inventing the Future." A panel discussion including entrepreneurs and venture capitalists will follow, moderated by Mike Rosenberg, IESE Professor of Strategic Management.
During the activity-packed visit, which is called "IESE Meets The Valley", students will visit approximately 20 organizations, including WhatsApp, Khosla Ventures, 500 Startups, Lemon, Dorsey & Whitney, Scale Venture Partners and Cisco Systems.