IMD, as many people know, has the slogan “Real Learning, Real Impact”. During the third week of our MBA class, after intensive classes of Accounting, Finance, Strategy, Operations, Structured Thinking, Economics, and Case Analysis, we began our Start Up Projects.
In 2019, IMD held its 22nd annual startup competition. 42 Swiss ventures out of more than 100 were selected to collaborate with IMD in different forms, and 15 of those will work with us MBAs so we can to help them to solve business problems.
The companies cover various industries which include manufacturing, bio science, service, consulting, high-tech, finance, chemical, energy etc. During our first meeting with them, each company shared their motivation for entrepreneurship, business hurdles and their expectations, while we exchanged our expertise, skills, and potential ideas for collaboration.
IMD also assigned a dedicated professor to provide guidance and suggestions for each team. For example, our Professor gave us a lot of advice on how to identify the right questions and how to clarify the project cooperation.
I am very excited about the Startup Projects as entrepreneurship is an important capability in a future world which is becoming more uncertain and less predictable. In a way, the world is becoming… more like the world of entrepreneurs!
To gain that intimate knowledge about entrepreneurial processes, we will learn in class, “live the startup experience” and apply our new knowledge. We are really looking forward to it!
