Foundations of Scaling FoS.

The program supports founders in the transition from startup to scaleup. It is designed for founders in C-level positions of mature startups who want to lead their companies to the next level.

Your firm should have already found product-market fit and identified a scalable business model. It should also have a track record of fast growth and more than 30 employees when you join the program in September 2026.

We are especially excited to welcome founders of businesses that address important societal or environmental challenges to the program. These founders should be humble, ambitious learners with a strong desire to grow as leader.

Dates: September 2026 – June 2027*
Location: Barcelona, Madrid, Munich and Live online.
Format: 9-month part-time program, with 6 residential sprints and 4 live online sprints. The program will be delivered in English.
Residential modules: 6 residential sprints of 2-3 days each, delivered on IESE’s state-of-the-art campuses in Barcelona, Madrid and Munich.
Online modules: 4 half-day online sprints focused entirely on leadership and where your entire senior leadership team can join. ​

The curriculum comprises six parallel tracks delivered throughout the program.

Leadership & Management

• 360 Leadership Assessment (LCP)
• Self-awareness and Self-leadership
• The Journey from Founder to Leader
• Negotiation

People & Culture

• Building the People Function
• Shaping Cultures
• Building the Senior Leadership Team
• Getting Hiring Right
• Building & Managing Effective Boards

Vision & Strategy

• The Art & Science of Scaling
• Articulating and Implementing Strategy, Vision and Purpose
• Venturing with Corporates
• Maintaining a Founder’s Mentality

Finance & Funding

• Entrepreneurial Finance
• Funding and Valuations
• Protecting your Wealth
• Management Systems to Drive Alignment and Growth
• Understanding Your Economic Engine

System & Operations

• Building a Management System
• Designing an Organizational Structure
• Operations Playbooks
• The AI-powered Founder

Markets & Growth

• Value-based Pricing
• Go-to-Market Strategies and Geographical Expansion
• Building a Brand
• B2B Marketing & Sales Function

• +120 hours of carefully curated content, fully tailored to the needs of scaleups​
• Highly interactive lectures, case discussions and workshops​
• Peer Councils: Groups of six to eight founders to discuss your biggest challenges, guided by an experienced coach​
• Variety of peer learning dynamics​
• Ample time in class to apply frameworks and key lessons to your unique situation​
• 360º leadership assessment (the Leadership Circle Profile)

The Foundations of Scaling program will be led by world-class academics, thought leaders and highly successful entrepreneurs with broad experience and expertise in the realm of startups and scaleups. IESE Professors Thomas Klueter and Germán Loewe lead the initiative as academic directors.

Mathieu Carenzo, IESE Senior Lecturer of Entrepreneurship
Ignasi Costas, IESE Lecturer
Mireia Giné, IESE Professor of Finance
Sebastian Reiche, IESE Professor of Entrepreneurship
Edi Soler, IESE Professor of Accounting and Control
Conor Neill, IESE Senior Lecturer of Organizational Behavior
Sebastian Ross, IESE Director School of Founders

External Faculty:

Jerry Colonna, Co-founder of Reboot.io
Verne Harnish, Founder of Scaling Up
Maciej Kraus, Lecturer, Stanford University
Patty McCord, Author & Former Chief People Officer at Netflix
James Allen, Advisory Partner at Bain & Company

Scaleup Founders:

Elena Betés, Founder at Rastreator and Preminen
Timo Buetefisch, Co-Founder and CEO at Cooltra
Arjen Schouten, Co-Founder and former COO of Rituals
Didac Lee, Co-Founder Galdana Ventures & TradeInn and Former Board Member FC Barcelona
Oriol Vila, Board Member and former CEO at Holaluz, Co-founder at Conscious Capitalism Spain
Daniel Krauss, Co-Founder at Flixbus
Remco van Zanten, General Partner Dutch Founders Fund, CXO at Vinted, Booking, Zalando, Bol, BCG.
Alexandre Soncini, Co-Founder VTEX, Board Member Weni and GMP Harvard University
Maria del Pino, Founder at Unisono
Peter Komornik, Co-Founder and former CEO at Slido, IESE Foundations of Scaling Alumni
Avi Meir, Co-Founder at Perk, Co-Founder Hotel Ninjas & MBA IESE

Program fees*

General fee: €26,500
Co-founder fee: €23,500 

*Limited number for partial scholarships are available to broaden access and diversity

Apply online

The program fee includes approx. 120 hours of learning and sharing in class, six facilitated Peer Councils sessions, a 360º leadership assessment, academic materials, swag, most meals and the 2-day Founders Forum in June. Travel and accommodation expenses are not included. 

Our No Risk Impact Guarantee

If you don’t see tangible value by the end of Sprint 3 (Nov. 28th), we’ll refund your investment, (minus a nominal fee for food, material and the leadership assessment) — no questions asked. To ensure fairness and commitment you must attend all sessions in Sprints 1 to 3, complete all assignments and actively participate in class discussions and peer council sessions.

“First mover” advantage

If you apply before April 30th, 2026, you will benefit from a €4,000 discount on the general and the co-founder fee. And if you apply before June 30th, 2026, you will benefit from a €2,000 discount on the general and the co-founder fee.

Payment terms

Payment is required in three installments:

• €5,000 as a commitment fee upon acceptance
• 50% of the remaining fee by September 23, 2026
• 50% of the remaining fee by January, 2027

Admissions

Places are limited. An Admissions Committee thoroughly reviews every application. Places are limited. Due to class-size constraints and the need to ensure a balanced mix of participants, it is possible that even highly qualified applicants may not be admitted. Application deadline is September 15th, 2026.

Join with your co-founder

We strongly recommend you join the program with your co-founders as we offer a €3,000 discount to founders from the same company.