Is it possible to become a unicorn (a startup worth $1 billion) in 502 days? Or to build the new “Google of images”? If you are an IESE 40under40, the answer is “yes, it is”. They are successful IESE entrepreneurs under 40 years, selected by an international jury for their successful startup initiatives. Any insights?

Sira P. de la Coba is the founder of Shazura, which has been dubbed the Google of images due to its ability to process a visual search platform that offers instant image and video recognition, and can process billions of images in seconds. She explains that having a solid education complemented with hands-on experimentation improves the way you create new concepts. “My IESE education enabled me to combine business insights with my instinct for innovation." In her case, her light bulb moment came when she realized that our brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than words. So why don’t we provide visual intelligence fingerprints that mirror how the brain works.

In scaling your startup, Letgo’s cofounder and alum Enrique Linares says, “expanding a business at high speed is a constant, obstacle-filled adventure for any company.” He should know — Letgo’s valuation grew to over $1 billion in just two years. Additionally, the mobile app of this secondhand marketplace was downloaded over 75 million times. He says, “Hurdles are inevitable, so don't be discouraged or distracted by them. Instead, focus on empowering your team to identify them and find solutions long before they become urgent problems."

At IESE Business School we want to educate leaders to whom we can entrust the future of business and society. As the business school of the University of Navarra, our activities are centered around three management axes: a global mindset, a general management approach, and a people-centered vision, with the ethics and social responsibility that entails. We believe that companies are, above all, communities of people who work better in an atmosphere of respect and trust. For this, the school develops leaders who strive to have a deep, positive and lasting impact on people, companies and society through professional excellence, integrity and spirit of service.

Those aiming to undertake a similar endeavor can ask themselves how to provide a better and bigger positive impact in society? For example, IESE helped set up and developed one of the largest networks of associated business schools of 15, mainly in Latin America and Africa, but also in Europe and Asia. Together, these schools help drive the school’s mission worldwide, reaching more than 300,000 alumni and thousands of institutions on these continents. Some examples are: IPADE (Mexico city), UNIS (Guatemala city), IAE (Buenos Aires), PAD (Santiago de Chile), AESE (Lisbon), INALDE (Bogotá), IEEM (Montevideo), LBS (Lagos), IDE (Guayaquil), UA&P (Manila), ISE (Sao Paulo), ESE (Santiago de Chile), MDE (Abidjan), SBS (Nairobi), and TIMONEY (Dublin)

We aim to be the top business school in the world for purpose, inspiring leaders for whom everybody matters. By accompanying men and women on their journeys of lifelong learning, we bring a deeper meaning to doing business. We do this through global business programs and thought leadership based on relevant research.

Precisely, on entrepreneurship, the school has ambitious goals for 2030, in line with three of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Those are:
• Create 50,000 new jobs by supporting 5,000 entrepreneurs in building their startups and in raising at least €500 million in venture investment (UN Goal #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth)
• Impact 2,000 C-suite executives across the globe through IESE research and activities (UN Goal #17 Partnerships to Achieve the Goals)
• Release 200 new publications related to search funds, corporate venturing, technology transfer and angel investment, in order to foster innovation (UN Goal #9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)