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Entrepreneurship at IE University

We foster a culture of entrepreneurship so that our students can lead the way, wherever they go.

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Our Purpose at IE University
Entrepreneurship at IE University

What does it mean to us?

At IE University, we believe that entrepreneurship is a mindset. It’s about inspiring through ideas, sparking change and embracing uncertainty.

Enterprise creation has been an integral part of our identity since we were founded in 1973 by a group of ambitious entrepreneurs. Today, approximately 25% of our alumni go on to launch their own companies after they graduate.

Our purpose is to shape positive change through education, research and innovation. With that in mind, we train responsible people who can go out into the world and make a real impact.

R ead their success stories here!

Discover our purpose

As a transformative educational institution, we empower students to make their mark on the world.

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How do we inspire our community?

We offer an ecosystem that brings ideas to life so that the entrepreneurial mindset can flourish. In addition to integrating elements of business creation into every degree program, we actively endeavor to inspire our wider community through outreach, thought leadership, academic research, practitioner conferences and more.

Inside the classroom

Students benefit from an applied approach to entrepreneurship thanks to our faculty who fuse real-life experience with academics. We help learners build up their toolkit so that they can launch their own projects, and we champion business leaders and startups through guidance, resources and connections.

All undergraduate students take part in the IE Impact program, which consists of courses in the humanities (6 ECTS), technology (3 ECTS) and entrepreneurship (6 ECTS). IE Impact culminates in the IE Challenge where students work in diverse teams as innovation consultants, collaborating with participating organizations and helping them to amplify or scale the positive impact of their sustainability-driven missions.

What’s more, we’ve created several programs that help founders take their projects one step further. This includes the Venture Capital program, the Business Families 4.0 program, and the Building Business from Sciences to Tech program.

Entrepreneurship initiatives outside the classroom

IE Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center

The IE Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center offers support to aspiring founders through training workshops and clinics, and mentorship by established entrepreneurs, industry coaches and investors.

Thanks to 50 years of experience, we can provide promising thought leaders with the resources, advice and network needed to thrive in the startup world.

IE Venture Lab

Our startup accelerator is the IE Venture Lab , which helps teams create ready-to-launch startup projects. It’s open to all our students and alumni and offered as an elective within the International MBA program.

Area 31

Area 31 is at the heart of all entrepreneurial activity. Not only is it home to IE Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, but it’s also where the Venture Lab takes place, as well as the weekly Venture Networks events.

The IE Startup Lab

Designed for students who want to get their ideas off the ground, the IE Startup Lab provides seminars and training in areas including marketing, funding, strategy and the legal aspects of starting a business. Participants are required to bring a well-prepared business plan to the table, then they undergo training to launch the plan, ultimately pitching it to angel investors at the end.

International entrepreneurship events

South Summit

Since it was founded in 2012, South Summit has grown into a leading annual entrepreneurship event that attracts startups and investors from all over the world. The aim is to shape the future through innovation.

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Venture Days

These international events take place in cities across the world, connecting the best startups, investors, corporations, accelerators and inspiring minds. Each Venture Day features keynote speakers, panel discussions and a startup competition.

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LegalTech Venture Days

The legal sector is being reinvented, and new players have emerged on the scene to provide powerful solutions and innovative opportunities for law firms, corporations and both private and public organizations. In response to this change, IE Law School , LexisNexis and the Law Schools Global League have teamed up to form the Global Legal Tech Venture Day.

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Tech4democracy Venture Days

In early 2022, we formed the Tech4Democracy initiative in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State. The aim is to identify entrepreneurs who are focused on developing innovative digital technologies that contribute to the advancement of democracy across the globe. Part of Tech4Democracy is the Global Entrepreneurship Challenge, which is composed of five Venture Day competitions across five continents.

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