In September this year, a group of students, teachers, and employees from Insper experienced an immersion in Silicon Valley, in the United States. The place, known as the cradle of entrepreneurship, provided days of visits to universities such as Santa Clara University, Stanford University and UC Berkeley, in addition to the possibility of visiting the facilities of companies such as Google and Apple. For participants, the experiences helped expand contacts with global innovation networks.

 

According to Carlos Caldeira, coordinator of the Insper Center for Business Studies, who accompanied the group to Silicon Valley, the trips that make up the Learning Journeys are part of the school’s internationalization strategy. “It is both a practical and academic experience. We think it’s important to balance them. While students were able to experience what it is like to take classes at Silicon Valley universities, they followed the evolution of startups and received valuable insights that they can use in their careers,” says Caldeira.

 

He says that almost all the North American professors who accompanied the group during the trip had already founded startups and were able to detail the so-called Silicon Valley culture. “In addition to the theory, they helped us understand, in practice, how startups validate ideas, raise money, and make a company grow. This is valuable information,” he says.

 

The group also visited innovation hubs, company headquarters and even cafés where entrepreneurs usually meet with venture capital investors for networking meetings. “The immersion also included contact with other ecosystem participants, such as one of the largest law firms that helps companies in large funding transactions. It was a complete and very positive experience,” says Caldeira.

 

The professor mentioned three highlights of the trip. “The first was a discussion about design thinking at Santa Clara University, which added a lot. The second highlight was learning about client discovery at Berkeley, which covered how to figure out the target audience for a new idea. And finally, one of the most impactful parts of the trip was watching quick speeches (called pitches) from dozens of entrepreneurs who had just three minutes to seek funding from 200 investors in the Plug’n Play accelerator.”

The event at the accelerator was mentioned as one of the highlights of the trip by most Learning Journey participants. For Fernanda Galhego, who has an Executive MBA from Insper and currently is the executive manager for the digital area at Fast Shop, the experience was surprising. “We clearly saw that innovating is a marathon worthy of much respect. It requires competent, courageous people with thick skin,” says Fernanda. “You definitely come back thinking differently after an experience like that. My idea about education and training of professionals changed, my understanding of entrepreneurship changed, my vision of the real work involved in the development of digital products changed. I changed.”

 

For her, the experience has already contributed to her career. “I started in this new position a few weeks ago and what I learned on the trip certainly helped me make the transition. Furthermore, I networked,” she says.

 

Students had the opportunity to delve into concepts and discussions about the history of the formation of Silicon Valley and the role of universities in building a mindset and culture that fosters innovation. They also received basic lessons on lean startup, a set of processes used by entrepreneurs to develop products and markets, combining agile software development, building a customer base, and existing software platforms. They learned to work on the conception of the business idea in a structured way, going through the validation of the problem until finding the Product Market Fit (product aligned with the demands of a specific market).

 

On the trip, the group learned more about the topic of venture capital, strategies, models, and the main differences between the North American and Brazilian markets. “We listed to inspiring stories from entrepreneurs about their journeys inside and outside Brazil. The lessons learned are valuing the search for knowledge, having the right people around you, letting go of perfectionism and pivoting whenever necessary,” says Fernanda.

 

An unprecedent experience

 

For Eduardo Carvalho, an International Executive MBA student at Insper, the trip to Silicon Valley was a unique experience. “I had intense contact with Brazilian professors and students, I got to know the campuses of large universities and the views of local professors on innovation, geopolitics, and the world economy. We met a vanguard with very privileged information, which we wouldn’t have access to if we weren’t there”, says Carvalho, who works as senior market and commercial strategy manager.

 

Júlia Lima de Souza Canuto, MBM (Master in Business Management) student at Insper, specializing in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, says that the trip was a turning point. Entrepreneur and founder of Spike&Co and Magnolli, for her the experience went beyond academic topics. “More than taking classes on site, we were able to visit companies that marked the history of Silicon Valley, such as Apple and Google. It’s impossible not to leave inspired by this collaborative, creative and diverse atmosphere”, says Júlia.

 

According to her, the immersion days provided connections for life. “We met entrepreneurial people, and this is an experience that I will recommend to everyone. I was positively surprised by the organization and the rich and complete agenda. I came back full of ideas,” she concludes.

 

What are Learning Journeys?

 

Learning Journeys are short-term academic trips that make up Insper’s International Executive MBA program. Annually, groups of students travel to destinations in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. “These trips are an excellent opportunity for students to get to know on site themes studied in the classroom, but from different cultural perspectives. When we think about the professionals we want to train for the future, they have global skills that enable them to navigate different scenarios and propose diplomatic solutions in an interconnected international system,” says João Fernandes, International Relations analyst at Insper.

 

He comments that the contemporary global scenario is characterized by challenges and opportunities that demand skills to learn, work and live together effectively considering our individual and collective peculiarities. “Achieving this feat requires professionals to understand the importance of embracing diversity in all its manifestations, a crucial skill in the context of the 21st century”, says João Fernandes.