IESE creates an entrepreneurs' school with the founders of Privalia, Cooltra, and HolaLuz

In the consolidation of Barcelona as a reference entrepreneurial ecosystem and its growing power to attract international talent, the city's business schools have played a key role. With the aim of promoting the professionalization and growth of startups, IESE has made a move with the creation of School of Founders, an initiative that aims to be a pioneer in Europe and has the support of several of the most successful digital company founders in the Catalan capital.

According to the business school, the objective of School of Founders is "to foster the development of company founders and their teams in high-growth small and medium-sized enterprises." The idea is to help emerging companies scale their business models so that they stop being micro-enterprises and become large companies. According to the academic directors of the School of Founders, Thomas Klueter and Juan Roure, only 7% of companies in the European Union employ more than 9 people, which is why it is necessary to create training tools that contribute to increasing the size of companies.

"If starting a company is difficult, scaling it is even more demanding, as most new companies struggle in this crucial transition stage. However, by bringing together peers who are at the same stage and providing high-impact training that specifically addresses the unique challenges founders face when scaling their business, the School of Founders will help entrepreneurs multiply their chances of success," explain the professors.

The initiative is framed as a new business unit within IESE's Executive Education division and counts among its advisors prominent entrepreneurs such as Lucas Carné, co-founder of Privalia and 011h; Elena Betés, international general director of RVU; Timo Buetefisch, founder and CEO of Cooltra; Jerry Colonna, renowned coach of many Silicon Valley startup founders and co-founder of the coaching firm Reboot.io; Oriol Vila, co-founder and advisor of Holaluz; Raj Sisodia, co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism movement and Verne Harnish, founder of Entrepreneurs' Organization and author of Scaling Up. All of them will act as mentors and professors alongside the IESE faculty.

School of Founders will develop various projects in the world of entrepreneurship, but its first action will be the launch of the executive training program  Foundations of Scaling, which will begin in July 2022. The twelve-month course will be similar to PADE ---the most recognized and veteran senior management program at IESE--- and is aimed at founders of European companies transitioning from startup to scale-up with between 25 and 250 employees and will combine in-person and online sessions at the business school's different campuses.  The curriculum will provide practical information on how to build a senior leadership team, how to create a strong culture, how to expand internationally, or how to find strategically aligned investors and many other challenges of this exciting entrepreneurial journey.

IESE is present in Barcelona, Madrid, Munich, New York, and Sâo Paulo and since 1958 has trained more than 50,000 entrepreneurs and executives.