FIA in Silicon Valley

FIA in Silicon Valley

In September 2015, the “International MBA” undertook a pioneer study trip to Silicon Valley and Seattle, focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation, coordinated by prof. James Wright with partners from Vanderbilt University. One of the high points in this new project is the chance to compare these two distinct entrepreneurship ecosystems, as well as their respective business models.

Usually, when we think about entrepreneurship, Silicon Valley comes to mind as the main reference. However, by starting in Seattle and getting to know the important innovative business and technology movements as well as artistic movements, such as the grunge scene, brought an interesting contrast to this vision, where companies were born and florished, such as Boeing, Starbucks, Microsoft and Amazon.

In Seattle, our program began with visits to Starbucks and Amazon. The major highlight, synthesizing conversations with both companies, was the total focus on “user experience”. At Starbucks, this is taken so seriously to the point of building a central roaster along the lines of "Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory", so that consumers and employees can witness in a playful manner the entire coffee production process. At Amazon, another interesting point was the agile way each department gathers to create distinct solutions for customers, although based on a basic internet platform, and how managers defy all with the question "Are you thinking big enough?”.

Starbucks along the lines of "Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory"

Source: Profuturo Photo Archive

On our second day, we visited Microsoft, where we were acquainted with its vision of the future regarding new technologies in a fully connected world. Check out this video:(https://www.dropbox.com/s/iveaqz0ukitd1nd/Microsoft%20Futurist%20Movies.zip?dl=0)

Also in Seattle, we visited the Bezos Innovation Center, focusing on education and stimulating innovation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with a vision of business efficiency oriented towards inspiring projects of high social impact.

For the second part of the trip, in the vibrant Silicon Valley environment, the group enjoyed Innovation lectures with Vanderbilt University Professor, David Owens, who led students to reflect upon the different factors on which great innovation depends. Owens also accompanied students to Stanford University’s D. School and shared his experience of working at IDEO, the most recognized design thinking company in the world.

In Silicon Valley, we had contact with the world of startups during visits to Google and Coursera, witnessing the great effort made to create informal environments that stimulate innovation, as an extension of the university environment. In fact, all companies we visited in Silicon Valley have great relationships with local universities.

Concluding our visits at HP Labs (HP's development laboratory) and Intel, where we could discuss not only the companies’ business strategies and innovation processes,  but also promising areas for the development of new technologies. Additionally, we talked with the Intel investment fund manager, responsible for investments in startups from several countries, including Brazil.

In Silicon Valley, we had an integrated view of the innovation ecosystem, from the sum of different players’ perspectives, such as startups, major technology companies, universities, investors, and even students were able to add to all of these experiences and critical discussions.

In both environments, Seattle and Silicon Valley, we visited companies that excel in their fields and possess a few common denominators: innovation in their DNA, a "maker" culture that encourages the swift validation of new ideas and prototypes, obsession with user experience and valuing errors as a critical part of the learning process, repeating at all turns the mantra "fail fast"!  

In conclusion, this pioneer study trip by a Brazilian business school to Silicon Valley consolidates FIA’s position as an innovative school, aligned with global tendencies and providing its students with the opportunity to study and experience highly innovative environments and bring new global outlooks to their professional performance.

Article by Andrea Resernde

 Assistant Professor at Profuturo-FIA
Translated by Joseph Pavão
Profuturo-FIA International Admissions

Study trip photos:

Source: Profuturo photo archive 

Viagem de Estudos - Índia 2014

Incrível, fantástica, surpreendente, perturbadora, impressionante, contrastes profundos. Estas foram algumas das palavras e expressões que ouvi nas nossas conversas ao longo da viagem de estudos do MBA Executivo Internacional para a Índia, neste fevereiro de 2014. Concordo com todas elas, e acrescento a minha síntese pessoal: densa. Tudo na Índia me pareceu ter densidade imensurável. As muitas invasões, conquistas, e o comércio intenso por milênios forjaram um país com uma pluralidade que é evidente já num primeiro contato, mas em que esta característica fica ainda mais complexa quando se ultrapassa a primeira camada de impressões, e se vai descobrindo a história por traz de tudo. E tudo na Índia significa muito mesmo.

Das surpreendentes semelhanças com o Brasil do momento macroeconômico e político (crescimento em queda acentuada, hoje, menos da metade do que crescia poucos anos atrás, quando aproveitou o bom momento global para ampliar seu PIB de forma expressiva; que esta falta de crescimento traz sérias dúvidas ao mercado internacional, que nos classifica entre os “Fragile Five” das economias emergentes; que saiu de economia fechada para uma abertura ao comércio internacional no início dos anos 90; que tem problemas sérios de corrupção nas áreas pública e privada, e nas relações entre elas). Estas semelhanças quase chocam, se consideramos serem países com histórias quase opostas; um antigo, outro novo; um colonizado predominantemente por ingleses, outro por portugueses.

Mas também nas diferenças profundas na microeconomia e no tecido social (o papel particular da mulher na economia e na sociedade, os múltiplos idiomas e a religiões, as famílias estendidas, o grande contingente de pessoas vivendo do meio rural, os paladares e o senso estético tão particulares), faz também ser curioso constatar como podem ser tão distintos países com situações macroeconômicas tão semelhantes.

Como administradores e gestores, nosso papel é o de entender as lições do lado macro, mas saber traduzir o lado micro em produtos e serviços úteis e desejados em cada mercado. E esta viagem de estudos proporcionou uma oportunidade excepcional para entendermos melhor como isso se dá. De acordo com o que me disseram dois dos nossos mais experientes alunos no grupo, “esta viagem mudou completamente a minha cabeça em relação à Índia; mas também a minha visão do mundo”. Quem poderia esperar mais de uma viagem de estudos?

Por Prof. Leandro Fraga, Pesquisador e Consultor do Profuturo que acompanhou o grupo da viagem à Índia na viagem em Fev. de 2014 para Bangalore, New Delhi e Agra juntamente com o Professor James Wright, Coordenador dos Cursos MBA Executivo, International e Americas MBA e Diretor do Profuturo FIA.

“O Profuturo FIA tem a satisfação de ter proporcionado esta experiência internacional aos alunos dos seus cursos, e continuará a se esforçar para ampliar cada vez mais a visão global dos nossos Executivos e aproximar os povos das diferentes regiões do mundo.” – Prof. James Wright