The second Innovation Quest challenges a hundred students from around the world to present their innovative projects at ESADE
October 3, 2011
A hundred students from some of the best business schools in Europe have participated these last few days in the second edition of Innovation Quest held at ESADECREAPOLIS. Innovation Quest is an international innovation and entrepreneurial event organised by e-Joventut, a not-for-profit association of ESADE Business School students.
In last year’s edition, over 100 students from 28 different countries took part (Australia, France, Belgium, Germany, India, Latvia, Lebanon, Great Britain, Peru, Denmark, South Korea, Norway, Sri Lanka, Finland, Venezuela, Russia, Israel, Colombia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Holland, United States and Spain). Students came from a wide variety of universities and business schools such as ESADE, Bocconi, HEC Paris and Rotterdam University.
Renew the SEAT Ibiza and surpass Pep
This year, participants had to resolve challenges presented by SEAT, Banc Sabadell, Gallina Blanca Star and Novartis in varied areas ranging from concrete products to business plans, marketing strategies, etc.
SEAT asked Innovation Quest 2011 participants to find innovative solutions to renew its consolidated SEAT Ibiza, the car manufacturer’s sales leader aimed at young people. For its part, Banc Sabadell needed innovative ideas to completely renew its global marketing campaign, exceeding its recent campaign starring Josep ("Pep") Guardiola, Barcelona Football Club’s coach, while still focusing on the core values the bank wants to transmit, values such as passion, rigour and professionalism.
Antoni Freixa, Director of SEAT‘s University-Company Management – R&D area underscored that "companies and universities have to work together more and learn from each other, contributing to the country’s development." For Ramon Domènech, Marketing Director at Banc Sabadell, events such as this one demonstrate that "young people provide us with a different perspective we can’t even find in market studies."
Participants were divided into seven teams of 4 students each for the SEAT and Banc Sabadell challenges, while six teams of 4 students were dedicated to Novartis and Gallina Blanca Star, all with only 8 hours to provide their solutions.
Innovation Quest was created in 2010 with the aim of encouraging relationships between students from all over Europe, providing them direct contact with the business community and favouring innovation. The more than 100 participants spent three days in Barcelona, attending various workshops and presentations by innovation experts such as Pau García Milà, founder of eyeOs, Jordi Pont, Director General of the DoubleYou advertising agency, and Pablo Villalba, founder of the Teambox platform.
