#1
in Open Executive Education in Belgium and #25 worldwide
390
former participants
4.7/5
for Learning Impact
Growing your business means constantly seeking out new opportunities. But identifying an idea is just the first step. Then you need to develop it, test it – and prove it can be profitable. New Business
Development empowers you to assess growth options, design and validate business models – and create a credible business plan that can create sustainable revenue.
Detailed programme
Through lectures, real-life cases, hands-on exercises and coaching, you’ll become skilled at strategic business development and disciplined execution. You’ll gain the confidence to pitch your idea and bring stakeholders on board. And you’ll discover how AI can support your decision-making.
By the end of this programme, you’ll turn a promising idea into a strategic, actionable business opportunity with clear revenue potential.
The New Business Development programme covers four modules:
Module 1: mapping and selecting growth opportunities
- Understand what new business development really means – and why it matters
- Discover strategic growth paths to boost revenue – and select those that are most relevant for you
- Translate ideas into clear value proposition
- Understand when and how to use partnerships to strengthen an opportunity
- Use practical tools, including AI, to structure and assess growth opportunities
Module 2: designing and validating your business model
- Design a comprehensive business model for a new business opportunity
- Explore alternative business model configurations
- Identify assumptions and prioritise which ones to test
- Apply lean start-up logic and entrepreneurial market research
- Use practical tools, including AI, to support validation and prototyping
Module 3: writing your business plan
- Stress-test your opportunity and underlying business model with a structured 360° assessment
- Understand the building blocks of a good business plan
- Map the financials of your business plan
- Use practical tools, including AI, to support planning
Module 4: organising for execution
- Discover how to generate internal buy-in for your idea
- Present your opportunity and business plan to Vlerick faculty and peers
- Understand how to organise, lead and mobilise a team that can move your idea forward
Why this programme
- Create an actionable business plan that you feel confident pitching to top management or investors
- Develop the ability to evaluate, explain and defend the revenue potential of a new business opportunity
- Take a strategic, entrepreneurial approach to business development for mature organisations
- Learn to use AI as a practical tool to support analysis, validation and decision-making
- Share perspectives with entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs from different industries
Who should attend
- Intrapreneurs, middle or senior-level business managers in mature organisations who are responsible for developing new business opportunities
- Entrepreneurs who are developing or refining their business plan and growing their business
- Business developers and managers of university spin-offs who want to bring inventions to the market
In previous editions, we had the pleasure of welcoming participants from companies like:
Fees and financing
Boost your impact – and your budget
Did you know you may be eligible for:
- Group discount: Register three participants from the same company at the same time and get 15% off
- KMO-portefeuille: Flemish SMEs can apply for funding to cover training costs
- Alumni discount: Vlerick alumni receive 10% off as a thank you for their loyalty to the Vlerick Business School
Check all our benefits and make the most of your investment.
Success stories
Yami Chuang
Turning innovation into business impact
Since completing the programme, I’ve shifted how I approach my work. I now integrate business thinking earlier in the development process and shape proposals with a clearer focus on outcomes. My ambitions have grown too, I’m thinking bigger, beyond products, towards systems and ecosystems. Read Yami's story here.
Ludo Dejaeghere
Engineering & Service Manager at Spiromatic
You learn how to work with very practical tools which you can apply to real life cases and to your own company. They help you deal with uncertainty and guide you through the various steps necessary in launching new products or services, or starting a new company. Based on practical evidence, you learn that to be successful, managers also need to be entrepreneurs. New Business Development is a programme that succeeds in linking theory to practice!
Faculty
Miguel Meuleman
Professor of Entrepreneurship
Miguel Meuleman is passionate about the process, people and investors behind new venture ideas.
Veroniek Collewaert
Professor of Entrepreneurship
Veroniek Collewaert explores – and improves – relationship dynamics between investors and entrepreneurs.
Cedric Donck
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship
Internet investor and independent board member Cedric Donck supports companies that combine profit and purpose.
Oli Mihalache
Professor of International Entrepreneurship
Oli Mihalache’s work explores how companies transform – and how entrepreneurs compete – in an increasingly digital, global world.
Bart De Roover
Guest speaker
Bart De Roover is an adjunct professor at INSEAD and an international executive with over 20 years of experience in telecom and IT. He specialises in corporate strategy, business development and post-merger integration. His expertise spans strategic partnerships, high-stakes negotiations and leading international teams to deliver sustainable growth and transformation.
Get in touch!
