Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship Knows No Limits

Most people think of entrepreneurs as those who start a company and make a quick fortune. But for the adventurous MBAs who would call themselves entrepreneurs, start-ups are only one part of the equation, and they’re not all in it for the money. Prof. Rama Velamuri is keen to expand the definition of what it means to be an entrepreneur today.

Danilo Orlando, from Italy, was working in banking when he decided he wanted to change his career path. Rüdiger Schmidt, from Germany, was working in engineering when he, too, decided that he wanted to do something different. They both pursued MBAs at IESE, graduating in 2000 with a new mindset and a desire to start their own business Four years later, Orlando and Schmidt have taken the seed of an idea planted in Orlando’s head during the IESE MBA and have grown it into a new business venture called Barcelona Gusto, which they launched in October. The concept is to bring together consumers – mainly young professionals between 25 and 45 who like to go out but may have limited funds – with the restaurant and leisure businesses, which may have a hard time filling their establishments during certain nights of the week. By purchasing a Barcelona Gusto card, customers can obtain discounts of 50 percent in the restaurants, cafés and cinemas that pay to participate in the scheme. Both parties are happy, but none more so than Orlando and Schmidt.

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