Vlerick Entrepreneurship Academy
Connect for growth
Entrepreneurship runs through our veins. It’s why growth-oriented entrepreneurs turn to us for challenge – and to find the confidence to scale and grow their businesses sustainably. The Vlerick Entrepreneurship Academy is a community of people at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey. It’s where we come together to co-create, inspire one another – and support every step of the journey to growth.
Lifelong learning for entrepreneurs
The Vlerick Entrepreneurship Academy empowers entrepreneurs and their teams to accelerate and professionalise their businesses. Our programmes are designed to address the challenges entrepreneurs face at different phases of growth. They give you a helicopter view of your business – and the strategic ability to plan next steps.
We also offer several programmes on specific topics, including SME transition, buyouts, venture capital and private equity, and M&A. You can explore these on the programme finder.
Start to grow
You kicked off your business and are now ready to take a leap? Prepare yourself and your business to embark on your first journey of growth.
Grow
Are you an SME owner who wants to tackle growing pains and professionalise so you can grow to the next level? This programme offers a mix of management skills and coaching to grow your business as well as yourself.
Scale
Scaling-up does not have to be a process of trial and error. Get the insights and best practices you need for successful and fast paced growth: make better decisions, create high-growth structure, hire top talent, expand internationally – and more.
Sustainable growth
Join a vibrant ecosystem of nearly 130 growth-oriented, owner-managed, and sometimes family-managed companies. Share insights and experiences with fellow medium-sized businesses – and get support on your path to growth.
Next steps for alumni entrepreneurs
All entrepreneurs and business-owner graduates of our programmes are welcomed into our entrepreneurial ecosystem. It means you have a way to stay connected to the latest thinking – and to fellow entrepreneurs. There are two ways to stay inspired.
V-LABS
In carefully selected peer groups, you’ll take part in lab sessions to tackle your professional and personal challenges. This is high-powered peer-to-peer learning that’s guided by expert academics, practitioners and coaches. And it gives you the inspiration to create action plans, leap forward and accelerate your business. All lab subscribers are automatically part of V-Entrepreneurs.
V-Entrepreneurs
This community connects you to thought leadership and pragmatic best practices through a series of inspirational sessions.
Entrepreneurship for Masters & MBA students
Entrepreneurship is at the heart of our curriculum for Masters and MBA students. Our programmes all feature a full course on entrepreneurship, as well as electives on subjects including social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurial buyouts and buy-ins and scaling up. There’s also a Silicon Valley disruption tour. And for students who want to dedicate themselves solely to entrepreneurship, we offer a specialised Masters in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Our students can also take part in entrepreneurship events, including:
- Pitch@Vlerick – which supports our students and alumni’s entrepreneurial ventures
- Social forum – matchmaking students with organisations that develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural and environmental challenges
- Inspirational talks in the V-Entrepreneurs community
Vlerick Entrepreneurship Academy ecosystem
Local and international entrepreneurs join forces with professionals, policy makers and academics in our entrepreneurial ecosystem. This creates a unique blend of knowledge and resources that empowers everyone who’s a part of it.
Entrepreneurs in Residence
These founders and managers are pivotal in allowing us to bridge theory and practice. They’re active in the investment ecosystem and have profound expertise in growing businesses. And they share this experience with students and participants – and act as sounding boards for faculty and researchers.
Business Coaching Network
For decades, our experienced coaches have helped entrepreneurs and owner-managers to grow their businesses. They play a key role in many programmes – acting as a sounding board, connecting people and sharing best practice. And all of them have a solid track record of managing and advising SMEs.
V-Entrepreneurs
Vlerick attracts entrepreneurs from across the Benelux – and the rest of the world. V-Entrepreneurs connects them to each other, and to our networks of academics, partners, policy makers and professionals. The result is a vibrant, productive community that’s deeply impactful.
Partners
Thought leadership on scaling & sustainable growth
To thrive in today’s fast-paced world, you need to keep growing your knowledge. The Vlerick Entrepreneurship Academy has everything you need to stay at the cutting edge and enhance your decision-making.
Research centres
Get support on specific questions and access a unique network of knowledge and activities in our research centres:
Academic research and cases
Be inspired by our complete archive of research on entrepreneurship. Search articles, books, cases and doctoral dissertations – all written by Vlerick faculty and researchers.
Monitors
Keep track of the impact of entrepreneurship on society with our monitors – that have all been developed by our research teams: