Final year Executive MBA students taking Dr Nathaniel Massa’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation elective at the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy (FEMA), presented their start-up concepts to a panel of seasoned professionals active in the entrepreneurship scene at a recent GEW 2021 pitching event. Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is hosted nationally by the Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking & Innovation.
This event aligned with the MBA participants’ semester-long business start-up idea and feasibility analysis project, which forms an integral part of their elective.
The international MBA class presented their business concepts, ranging from personalised lifestyle apps and corporate skilling services; to tech-based financial solutions, health concepts, and consolidated ownership-management solutions – to a panel of professionals hailing from areas associated with early-stage mentoring, foresight and creativity, knowledge and IP management, crowdfunding, and new venture consulting.
The MBA pitch review panel was made up of: Dr Leonie Baldacchino (Director, Edward de Bono Institute, UM); Mr Matthew Caruana (Manager, ZAAR Crowdfunding, and Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurial Initiatives (FPEI)); Ing. Michelle Cortis (Manager, Corporate Research, Knowledge Transfer and Commercialisation, UM); and Mr Pier Massa (Director, COO and Regional Head - Europe at Pilot.Lite Ventures, London).
The opportunity provided the cohort of practising professionals on the Executive MBA programme useful insight and an extent of stress-testing towards further developing and validating pursuit of their business start-up ideas.
Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 8-14, 2021) will see some 10 million people in over 180 countries around the world involved in some 40,000 different events – stimulating and inspiring entrepreneurial activity in challenging times characterised by global uncertainty.
Dr Massa thanked all panel members and commended the collaborative initiatives undertaken by the local GEW organisers.
On completing their entrepreneurship elective, several of the Executive MBA participants will be looking into the prospects of taking their ideas further. In this regard, Dr Massa and the Faculty augur the students well on their enterprising initiatives.
About the MBA Executive programme at the Univsersity of Malta
Participants on the University of Malta’s FEMA Executive MBA programme are mostly professionals engaged in industry and various sectors, generally in management and executive positions. Their exposure and diverse experiential knowledge contributes to the applied learning environment fostered by FEMA on this part-time evening Masters programme.
The programme is tailored for practising professionals, managers, and others aspiring to higher positions of responsibility within their organisations – or those seeking a sound foundation and insight towards effectively running their own business in increasingly competitive environments.
More information about the programme can be viewed here.