Foundations of Scaling

Grow your venture into an iconic and purpose-driven firm

A learning and development experience for founders of scale-ups

Barcelona, Madrid, and Munich, July 2022 - June 2023

Part-time, face-to-face and live online
At IESE, the spotlight
is on scaling
IESE, the world’s #1 business school for executive education
according to the Financial Times, launches the School of
Founders (SoF) to foster the development of founders of
small fast-growing companies and their firms. The School
operates a Founders Club and offers high-impact classroom
learning for members of the Club and others.

Foundations of Scaling, is the SoF’s first education program, supporting founders in the transition from
startup to scale-up with mission-critical knowledge, enriching peer groups, and a powerful mentoring
network.

Foundations of Scaling Program

Core Program Peer Councils

Four compulsory two-and-a-half-day Peer coaching groups (six to eight founders)
Classroom learning

residential sprints on IESE campuses. for connection and reflection, facilitated by an

Founders Club

▪ JUL. 2022 · IESE Barcelona experienced business coach.

▪ SEP. 2022 · IESE Madrid
Seven residential sessions (four hours each),
▪ OCT. 2022 · IESE Munich scheduled back-to-back with the residential
▪ NOV. 2022 · IESE Barcelona education sprints of the Foundations of Scaling
program.
Elective Program
Six elective residential and online sprints, with
Mentor Network
a range of highly specific scaling topics to Personalized advice from highly successful
choose from (January - June 2023). scale-up entrepreneurs and experts.
Is your venture scaling or stalling?
The critical period of transition Does this sound familiar?
If starting a company is hard, scaling it is even more demanding.
▪ “Revenues are growing, but it’s
Most ventures do not overcome the “entrepreneurial crisis” at the getting harder to find new customers.
transition from startup to scaleup and end up stalling. The Cash and profits are hurting.”
numbers say it all: only 7% of European Union firms employ more
than nine people. ▪ “We throw people at problems and our
culture is getting lost along the way. I
When scaling their businesses, founders face radically different dread adding another employee or
customer.”
challenges. All too often, founders lose ground during the scaling
process and end up on the sidelines of their own ventures. For a ▪ “Communication is breaking down.
company to grow, its leaders must grow too. Leadership Our people are not aligned and are
development is a key success factor in the scaling process. pulling in different directions.”

▪ “We have way more people, but

everything takes a lot longer now.”

▪ “We need proper processes and

systems. We constantly wing it and
end up reinventing the wheel.”

▪ “We need to add professionals to the

team. People who can share their
firsthand experiences.”

▪ “I’m drowning in the day-to-day. I have

no time to think, let alone plan.”

▪ “I’m feeling overwhelmed and burned

out. I don’t think I’m cut out for this
and it’s a matter of time until others
realize the same thing.”
Foundations of Scaling
Prepare for an exciting journey
The Foundations of Scaling program will equip you with the insights and abilities to grow your
venture into an iconic, purpose-driven firm. Explicitly designed for founders, this program gathers
entrepreneurs, mentors and world-class faculty experts, forging an invigorating learning
environment. Over 12 high-impact months, you will experience a stimulating blend of theory and
practice and acquire mission-critical skills to successfully scale your business.

Program profile
Target Format
Ambitious purpose-driven founders of innovative 12-month part-time program, with 7 on-campus
and fast-growing firms in the transition from residential sprints and 3 online sprints · Six weeks
start-up to scale-up. in between sprints to implement what has been
learned.

Core Program Elective Program

Four intensive two-and-a-half days Three optional residential sprints to dig deeper
residential sprints on six key knowledge into each track plus three online workshops where
tracks delivered on IESE’s state-of-the-art founders and their senior leadership teams can
campuses in Barcelona, Madrid and work on the implementation of crucial scaling
“In times of change,
Munich. practices. learners inherit the
earth; while the learned
Peer Councils Methodology find themselves
Groups of six to eight founders guided by an Highly interactive lectures and workshops and beautifully equipped to
experienced coach with vast business expertise · exercises featuring 120-plus hours of curated deal with a world that
Seven four-hour sessions on IESE campuses · content and sufficient time to apply frameworks
Peer learning and leadership development and key lessons to your unique situation. no longer exists.”
exercises · Scheduled back-to-back with
residential sprints. Eric Hoffer
Tangible outcomes to bring your business
to full speed
Benefits for your firm Benefits for you
▪ Cohesive and aligned leadership ▪ Deep understanding of your Learn from the best
team and a clear vision of the clients and the economic engine Learn from successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders, who will equip you
roles you will need to fill moving behind growth and profitability. with innovative frameworks, perspectives and tools to take your business to
forward. new heights.
▪ Realistic financial models that
▪ Clear-cut strategy that sets your allow agile projections of revenue,
firm apart and creates differential margins and cash needs. Connect with high-caliber peers
avenues for growth. Share your trials and tribulations with fellow entrepreneurs and forge rich
▪ Clearly-defined funding strategy connections and a powerful support network for your learning journey and
▪ Firmly established meeting and and a well-structured cap table. beyond.
communication routines that
facilitate decision making. ▪ Powerful board that offers
insight, guidance and moral
▪ Clearly articulated culture and support. Decide with confidence
the processes to protect and Sharpen your decision-making skills and acquire tools to grow your
develop it. business exponentially while preserving its vision and culture.

▪ Organizational structure and

systems that enable fast and
Develop critical leadership skills
efficient execution.
Enhance your ability to lead and self-awareness by identifying facets of
your life trajectory, personality and leadership style that might be impeding
your success.

Join an energizing community of

peers and mentors to acquire the
insight, tools and support you need
to build a robust, purpose-driven
business.
An intense yet flexible program
adapted to challenging agendas
Impact and flexibility are the cornerstones of the Foundations of Scaling journey. The program
comprises 10 learning sprints across a yearlong span, with at least 6 weeks between residential
modules, giving you time to assimilate and implement its core lessons. The first 4 modules, common to
all participants, cover the foundational aspects of company scaling, while a diverse variety of electives
allow you to delve deeper into the areas that matter the most to you. All Peer Council meetings are held
during the residential sprints to optimize travel time and costs.

Core Program. July – November 2022

Sprint #1 Sprint #2 Sprint #3 Sprint #4

Organization, Strategy,
The Scaling Leadership
Finance & Markets &
Journey & Talent
Governance Impact
6 weeks 6 weeks 6 weeks
IESE Barcelona IESE Madrid IESE Munich IESE Barcelona

Jul 6-9, 2022 Sep 1-3, 2022 Oct 13-15, 2022 Nov 24-26, 2022
3 days 2.5 days 2.5 days 2.5 days

Peer Council meetings Peer Council meetings Peer Council meetings Peer Council meetings

Elective Program. January – June 2023

Highly interactive,
Sprint #5 Sprint #6 Sprint #7 Sprint #8 Sprint #9 Sprint #10
and practical sessions
Leadership Leadership Leadership
Elective
Team
Elective
Team
Elective
Team that teach applicable
sessions sessions sessions
Workshop Workshop Workshop frameworks, facilitate
2 weeks

6 weeks

2 weeks

6 weeks

2 weeks

IESE Madrid Live online IESE Munich Live online IESE Barcelona Live online peer learning and allow
Jan 19-20, ‘23 Feb 8, 2023 Mar 23-24, 2023 Apr 12, 2023 May 25-26, 2023 Jun 7, 2023 you to work on your
2 days (1/2 day) 2 days (1/2 day) 2 days (1/2 day)
own challenges.
Peer Council Peer Council Peer Council
meetings meetings meetings
Content fully tailored
to the needs of scale-ups
The curriculum comprises eight parallel tracks delivered throughout the program. Participants gain
foundational knowledge in core sprints and tailor their learning journey through a range of electives*.
All sessions are highly interactive to deepen the learning impact and encourage peer learning and
interaction. In this program, you will learn as much from peers as from professors:

#1 Leadership #2 Talent #3 Organization #4 Strategy

“From Founder to Leader” “First Who, Then What” “Structure and Discipline” “Gaining Clarity”

▪ From Founder to Leader ▪ Articulating Culture ▪ Building a Management ▪ The Scaling Phenomenon
▪ Building Your Senior ▪ Shaping Culture Through System ▪ Market and Competitive
Core

Leadership Team Leadership and Processes ▪ Designing an Organizational Analysis

▪ “Rich or King”: the Personal ▪ Hiring Top Talent Structure ▪ Understanding and
Consequences of Scaling ▪ The People Function and ▪ Metrics and Dashboards Communicating Strategy
Role of the CPO ▪ Running Effective Meetings ▪ Devising Corporate Strategy

▪ The CEO Position ▪ Internal Communication ▪ Non-Hierarchical ▪ Business Model Innovation

Organization Design and Pivoting
Elective*

▪ Hiring a CEO and Employee Feedback

▪ Building a Middle Management ▪ Performance Management ▪ Designing Systems and ▪ Strategy for Service
▪ Processes Businesses
▪ Negotiation Compensation
▪ ▪ Organizing Customer Service ▪ Building an Evergreen
▪ Communication Choosing the Optimal HR
Companies
System ▪ The Operations Function and
▪ Forging a Leadership Role of the COO
Development Program

#5 Markets #6 Impact #7 Finance #8 Governance

“Growing Beyond Borders” “Doing Good, Doing well” “Fueling the Business” “Ownership Structure” A comprehensive
▪ Strategic Marketing: UVP, ▪ Articulating and ▪ Entrepreneurial Finance ▪ Building and Managing an curriculum with insights
Segmentation and Positioning Implementing Purpose ▪ Understanding Your Advisory Board
Core

and Vision
▪ Understanding Your Customer
▪ Creating Value for
Economic Engine ▪ Equity Split and Co-
Founder Relationships
on how to find great talent,
▪ Building a Brand ▪ The Finance Function and
Diverse Stakeholders ▪
▪ Building the Marketing &
▪ Measuring Impact
Role of the CFO Negotiating Investments,
Valuations and Term Sheet
profitable customers,
Sales Function
aligned investors and loyal
▪ Strategic Pricing ▪ Building Partnerships and ▪ Funding Needs, Options ▪ Building and Managing a
Elective*

▪ Geographical Expansion, Ecosystems and Strategies Governance Board stakeholders who support
▪ Getting the Most Out of PR ▪ Starting a Movement ▪ Preparing for an IPO ▪ Managing Intellectual
▪ How to Build a Personal ▪ Conscious Contracts ▪ Debt Financing
▪
Property
Preparing the Exit
you on your scaling
Network ▪ The Circular Economy ▪ Growing Through an M&A
▪ Broad Employee
Ownership
journey.
*Electives might suffer variations and depend on demand.
A faculty second to none
The Foundations of Scaling program will be led by world-
Sandra María Julia
class academics, thought leaders and highly successful Sieber Prats
entrepreneurs with broad experience and expertise in the
IESE Professor of Information IESE Professor of Entrepreneurship and
realm of start-ups and scale-ups. Systems · Digital transformation Academic Director of the Entrepreneurship
expert · Visiting professor at and Innovation Center · Bertrán Foundation
Massachusettts Institute of Chair of Entrepreneurship · Expert at World
Technology · PhD in Management, Economic Forum · PhD in Business
IESE faculty members: IESE. Administration, Harvard University

Luis
Martín Ignasi Yih-Teen Anneloes
Juan
Cabiedes Costas Lee Raes
Roure
IESE Senior Lecturer of Recognized Venture Capital and M&A IESE Professor of Organizational IESE Associate Professor of Managing
Academic Director, Entrepreneurship · Renowned Attorney · Founder of RDC Law · IESE Behavior · Expert in leadership People and Puig Chair of Global Leadership
School of Founders and business angel with investments in Lecturer · Master of Law, UC-Davis and cross-cultural management · Development · Coach to numerous start-up
+120 internet start-ups including and post-graduate studies in UCLA, PhD in Management, HEC, founders · PhD in Organizational Behavior,
IESE Professor of Privalia, Trovit, BlaBlaCar and Kantox UC-Berkeley and Harvard UniversitéLausanne Universiteit Maastricht.
Entrepreneurship ·
Investor · Founder of
IESE’S Business Angel
Network · Advisor to
investment firms · PhD Mathieu Mireia Germán Pedro
in Management, Carenzo Giné Loewe Nueno
Stanford University
IESE Senior Lecturer of IESE Professor of Finance and Visiting IESE Senior Lecturer of Decision IESE Emeritus Professor of
Entrepreneurship and former head of Scholar at MIT and Wharton · Banco Sciences · Founder of Netquest Entrepreneurship · Founder and
IESE’s Entrepreneurship Center · Sabadell Board Member · Co-Founder of and Shalion · Investor and advisor Honorary President of the China
Entrepreneur and business angel with Wharton Research Data Services · Expert to start-ups · PhD in Economics, Europe International Business School
investments in numerous start-ups Expert at World Economic Forum · PhD in University of Barcelona (CEIBS) · PhD in Management,
Thomas and scale-ups · MBA, IESE. Economics, Universitat de Barcelona Harvard University
Klueter

Academic Director,
School of Founders
Mario Fabrizio Conor Antonio
and IESE Professor
Capizzani Ferraro Neil Dávila
of Entrepreneurship ·
PhD in Management, IESE Senior Lecturer of Marketing · IESE Professor of Strategic IESE Senior Lecturer of Organizational IESE Professor of Entrepreneurship
University of Investor and board member in Management at IESE · PhD in Behavior · President of Vistage Spain · and Accounting · Seat Chair of
Pennsylvania technology start-ups · Former Management Science, Stanford Serial entrepreneur and start-up Innovation · Visiting professor at
associate at McKinsey · PhD in University, M.Sc. in Sociology, investor · Communication consultant Stanford and Harvard University ·
Marketing, UC Berkeley. Stanford University, and frequent guest speaker at global PhD in Business Administration,
events Harvard University
Practitioners with a wealth of experience
Selected entrepreneurs and thought leaders teaching in the program

Mauricio
Prieto Maciej Elena Philipp
Kraus Betés Hillenbrand

Co-Founder and CMO of eDreams Managing Partner at Movens Advisory International CEO of RVU Partner at McKinsey & Company ·
until its IPO · Investor and advisor to · Expert in pricing · Lecturer Stanford International · Serial entrepreneur · Expert · Former VP Venture
start-ups and scaleups · Lecturer of University · Start-up investor and Founder at Rastreator and Development at Rocket Internet ·
Entrepreneurship, IESE · MBA UC advisor · PhD in Management, Preminen · MBA, IESE. Founder of campsy.com · Advisor to
Berkeley, Warsaw School of Economics. Delivery Hero.

Raj Dave Carlota Susanna

Sisodia Whorton Pi Kislenko
more to come …
Professor at Babson College and Founder of Tugboat Institute and the Co-Founder and Executive Expert on founder leadership ·
Technológico de Monterrey, Co- Evergreen movement · Serial President Holaluz · Multiple prizes Research Fellow Saïd Business
Founder of the Conscious Capitalism entrepreneur (Drugstore.com) · as Executive of the Year · MSc in School University of Oxford · PhD in
movement, author of Conscious Former investor and partner at Engineering Universitat Politècnica Organizational Behavior, IESE
Capitalism, Firms of Endearment, and Kleiner Perkins (Google, Amazon) de Catalunya · MBA, IESE.
The Healing Organization.

To be confirmed
Jerry Verne Tom Oriol
Colonna Harnish Gardner Vila

Legendary coach to several Silicon Thought leader in the scale-up space · Co-Founder and CEO at The Entrepreneur · Investor ·
Valley start-up founders · Co-Founder Author of Scaling Up · Founder of Motley Fool · Author and speaker · Advisor to start-ups founders ·
of coaching and training firm Reboot.io Scaling Up, a global executive B.A, Brown University · Honorary Board Member and former
· Author of Reboot · Former start-up education and coaching company and PhD from Strayer University CEO of Holaluz · Co-founder
investor and partner of Fred Wilson of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) of Conscious Capitalism Spain
(Union Square Ventures)
The Founders Club – Join a Selected members of the
Founders Club and mentors
community of exceptional ▪ Alan Poensgen, Westwing
▪ Elena Betés, Rastreator
entrepreneurs ▪ Gerry Heydenreich, BuyVIP
▪ Germán Loewe, Netquest
Mission ▪ Henrik Agrell, TMC
IESE’S Founders Club is a community of international entrepreneurs who come to
together to learn and grow. The Club’s mission is to help entrepreneurs build a better ▪ Ignasi Costas, RCD
world. ▪ Lucas Carné, Privalia
▪ Marc Subirats, Advanced Medical
Members
▪ Mauricio Prieto, eDreams
Members are entrepreneurs who lead fast-growing, small and medium-sized firms.
Participants in the Foundations of Scaling program are automatically admitted and earn ▪ Oriol Vila, Holaluz
a one-year membership in the Club.
▪ Pau Sabrià, Olapic
▪ Pepe Agell, Chartboost
Member benefits
The Club offers diverse resources for entrepreneurs and their teams: ▪ Pep, Viladomat, Heywood & Sons
▪ Philipp Hillenbrand, Rocket Internet
▪ Peer Councils ꟷ Peer coaching groups of six to eight founders for connection
▪ Roger Casals, PasswordBank
and reflection, facilitated by an experienced business coach
▪ Timo Buetefisch, Cooltra
▪ Mentor network ꟷ Access to the advice of highly successful scale-up
entrepreneurs and experts ▪ ….
▪ Concierge service ꟷ A personalized concierge service delivered by the SoF
Team to help you find the resources you need to scale your businesses
▪ Online community ꟷ Tools for networking and knowledge sharing
▪ Events - Expert talks and social events
▪ Co-founder status ꟷ All participants of the first Foundations of Scaling program
gain co-founder status of the Founders Club and are invited to participate in its
governance.
It is lonely at the top. Peer Councils
provide support and friendship
For entrepreneurs, learning from peers with similar challenges is one of the most valuable
sources of knowledge and inspiration. The SoF’s Peer Councils offer you the emotional and
practical support you need on your demanding scaling journey.

▪ Small groups – Six to eight participants of the Foundations of Scaling program form a Peer
Council that meets every six weeks during the length of the program. These facilitated
sessions take three to four hours and are highly structured. All meetings are in person and
coincide with the program’s residential sprints, reducing travel time and cost.
▪ Deep sharing – Peer Councils provide the space for founders to present their biggest
challenges or opportunities and learn from the experience of others. Conversations happen in
an atmosphere of deep trust and are fully confidential.
▪ Experienced facilitators – Our facilitators are certified coaches with robust business
experience. They plan and guide the conversations, challenge you in your thinking, and
prepare you for your presentations.
▪ Leadership development – Peer Councils are also a space for introspection and
reflection. Facilitators guide you through exercises and discussions that challenge your
thinking and make you a better leader.
▪ Open ended – IESE’s Founders Club organizes the Peer Councils as a regular service.
Upon termination of the Foundations of Scaling program, participants are invited to continue
meeting in their Peer Council groups. “The regular meetings in my
peer group of high-growth
entrepreneurs was the most
Benefits
▪ Share what’s troubling you in a safe space. valuable thing I did during my
▪ Find answers to your toughest questions. scaling journey”
▪ Learn from the experience of others and avoid the mistakes they made Pau Sabrià
▪ Forge deep and lifelong friendships Co-Founder of Olapic
Foundations of Scaling:
Three options for maximum flexibility

The Foundations of Scaling program

comes in three options to adapt to your
Foundations of Scaling - Subscription Options
business needs and learning objectives.
Features Fees
Core Edition
The Core Edition features 70 hours of ▪ One-year membership in IESE’s Founders Club
learning in the four Core sprints, a ▪ 7 facilitated Peer Council sessions
leadership assessment, McKinsey’s ▪ Online community and knowledge sharing tool
Leap Quotient organization assessment, ▪ Concierge service
plus all the benefits of the Founders ▪ Co-founder status in IESE’s Founders Club
Core Unlimited Team
Club. ▪ Leadership competencies assessment Edition Edition Edition
360° questionnaire, extensive report, individual
de-brief session with a certified coach Investment Investment Investment
Unlimited Edition €10.500 €14.500 €19.500
The Unlimited Edition offers access to ▪ McKinsey’s Leap Quotient Assessment
all sprints, all Founders Club Indicates where capabilities need to be developed to
accelerate scaling
membership benefits, and five
mentoring sessions with the Club’s ▪ Access to 4 Core residential Sprints
Jul – Nov 2022, 70 hours of content
mentors.
▪ Access to additional 6 elective Sprints
Team Edition Jan – Jun 2023, 50 additional hours of content (120 in total)
The Team Edition offers all benefits of
▪ Five mentoring sessions
the Unlimited Edition, plus the option of with members of the SoF’s Mentor Network
bringing an additional co-founder of your
firm for only a reduced additional fee.
▪ Bring a Co-Founder
Learn as a team, bring your co-founder at a 65% discount rate
Sign up for Europe’s premier scale-up program
Is this program for you?
Scale-up founders Purpose-driven
Founders of companies with market- Companies that aspire to address important
validated and scalable business models. societal or environmental challenges and want all The School Sebastian
stakeholders – including the planet – to thrive. of Founders Ross
Program
Team Director

Executive role Growth mindset

Top-level leaders with substantial Visionary and ambitious learners who Thomas
Juan Roure Klueter
responsibility for people and strategy in also espouse humility and a desire to
Academic Academic
their organizations. grow as leaders. Director Director

Solid track record Open-mindedness Germán Oriol

Loewe Vila
Leaders with a solid reputation for growth, Ready to embark on an adventure, share
Co-Chairman Co-Chairman
enthusiastic clients and more than 25 experiences with peers and faculty, exchange Founders Club Founders Club
employees when you join the program. insights, and give and receive genuine feedback.

In partnership with:
Application Admissions
Please apply at www.iese.edu/SoF An Admissions Committee thoroughly
or contact us at: reviews every application. Due to
class-size constraints and the need to
Sebastian Ross ensure a balanced mix of participants,
Director School of Founders Program it is possible that even highly qualified
Email: sross@iese.edu applicants may not be admitted.
Tel. +34 619 217 916
IESE’s
mission Excellence
is a mindset
Transforming
the business world, We believe in excellence in all
our activities, from teaching
one leader at a time and knowledge development to
campus experience, career
guidance and our lifelong
Since 1958, our mission has been committed relationships with participants.
to developing leaders who strive to have a
deep, positive and lasting impact on people, Not surprisingly, IESE is
companies and society through professional consistently ranked among the
excellence, integrity and spirit of service. best business schools in the
world.
Over the last 6 decades, our reach has
expanded dramatically, today encompassing
5 global campuses, academic alliances on
every continent and a vast alumni community
of more than 50,000 graduates. #1 in the world
IESE’s faculty reflects this global dimension,
with professors from more than 30 countries for Executive
who hold advanced degrees from top-tier Education & for
institutions. As experts in their fields, they Custom Programs
bring their frontline collaboration with the 2015/2016/2017/
world’s leading firms to IESE classrooms, 2018/2019 /2020
research centers and projects.
IESE is among the Financial Times
world’s leading
IESE programs offer a journey of business schools,
transformation. A way to learn. A mark to dedicated to helping for Full-time
make. A world to change. MBA
people make a
positive impact. 2021
The Economist
www.iese.edu
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Madrid
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