Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Socio-political Trends & Emerging Technologies

• Sustainability and Innovation
  • The fundamentals and evolution of sustainability
  • The current context and the need for action
  • Innovating with purpose and impact
  • How to integrate sustainability: case studies and processes

• Geopolitics of Innovation and Technology
  

  • Technology as an instrument of geopolitical power

  • Technology value chains and digital sovereignty

  • Regulation, standards and the platform war

  • Impact on businesses and innovation strategies

• Systems Thinking and Methodologies
  
  • Systems Thinking applied to innovation and organisations
  • Lean, Agile and Design Thinking in practice
  • Six Sigma and data-driven continuous improvement
  • Hybrid frameworks for implementation (Agile + Six Sigma)

• AI for Business
  
  • Fundamentals of AI for Entrepreneurs
  • Identifying AI Opportunities: Generative AI for Entrepreneurs
  • Strategic Implementation of AI
  • Applications with Use Cases
• Blockchain, Digital Assets and Decentralized Finance
  

  • Fundamentals of blockchain and decentralised architecture

  • Digital assets and new economic models

  • Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and emerging financial infrastructures

  • Business use cases, regulation and adoption

• Smart Tech and IoT
  

  • Fundamentals of smart technologies applied to business: IoT, sensors, connectivity (5G), edge computing and integration with enterprise systems.

  • Use cases and business models based on IoT, smart cities, Industry 4.0, logistics, energy and telecoms

  • Simplified architecture and integration with legacy systems

  • How to connect IoT to existing systems (ERP, CRM, data platforms) with a focus on interoperability and scalability.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Tools

• Design Thinking for Innovation
  
  • Design Thinking for customer-centred innovation, the development of new services and business models, and the resolution of ambiguous strategic problems
  • Design Thinking for Innovation as a decision-making tool: 
    

    • Innovation, Uncertainty and Design Thinking

    • Empathy and Customer Understanding

    • Problem Definition

    • Ideation and Generating Alternatives

    • Integration with Strategy and Business

• Enterprise Innovation and Business Experimentation
  

  • Frameworks de inovação em contexto corporativo

  • Como grandes empresas estruturam inovação (ex: venture building, innovation labs, partnerships, open innovation)

  • Experimentação de modelos de negócio e validação de mercado

  • Aplicação prática de Lean Startup: hipóteses, MVPs, testes com clientes e métricas de validação

  • Go-to-market e scaling de iniciativas inovadoras

  • Como levar um piloto a produção: adoption interna, stakeholders, funding e integração no core business

  • Casos reais e execution playbooks (Cisco & indústria)

  • Análise de iniciativas reais de inovação em empresas globais e construção de um plano aplicado pelos alunos

• Strategic Communication
  

  • Innovation frameworks in a corporate context

  • How large companies structure innovation (e.g. venture building, innovation labs, partnerships, open innovation)

  • Experimenting with business models and market validation

  • Practical application of the Lean Startup methodology: hypotheses, MVPs, customer testing and validation metrics

  • Go-to-market and scaling innovative initiatives

  • How to take a pilot to production: internal adoption, stakeholders, funding and integration into the core business

  • Real-world case studies and execution playbooks (Cisco & industry)

  • Analysis of real innovation initiatives in global companies and development of a plan implemented by the students

• Corporate Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation
  

  • Strategy: leadership, vision, objectives and value creation

  • Innovation: models, ecosystem management and partnerships

  • Execution: team, operations, governance, incentives and metrics

  • Practical application and emerging trends

• Startup Funding and Venture Capital
  

  • How startups raise funds, funding rounds, investors, term sheets and valuations

  • Growth strategy and expansion of operations

  • Business models and unit economics

  • How startups generate revenue, manage costs, CAC, LTV, margins and profitability

  • Exit strategies and returns for investors

  • IPOs, acquisitions, secondary sales and how investors generate returns

• Creative Leadership
  

  • Leadership in complex contexts

  • Systemic intelligence

  • Influence and power

  • Leadership and well-being

Innovation Action Lab

A practical and immersive module that challenges students to apply the knowledge they have acquired through three real-world innovation challenges, developed in collaboration with leading partner companies such as Accenture, Cisco and Microsoft, amongst others.