Students on the MBA residential program from Chile visit the coworking firm Aticco
17 de December de 2018
17 de December de 2018
Welcoming international students who are taking residential programs from other countries is one of EAE key features. Within the framework of the School's Innovation and Entrepreneurship program,  a group of students on the Executive MBA of IEDE Business School, Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile, have taken part in the scheme at EAE's Barcelona Campus.
As well as attending classes, the students were in direct contact with Barcelona-base companies and entrepreneurs, with a visit to the coworking firm Aticco. Created almost by chance in May 2016 by two entrepreneurs who work in another shared workspace, the founders decide to embark on their own entrepreneurial venture and launch the same idea but in a more carefully designed way. The company's expansion was extremely fast and with an initial investment of 300,000 euros, Aticco unveiled its first workspace, at almost 1,000 square metres, right in the heart of Barcelona, on Ronda de Sant Pere.
In just a year and a half, they open other similar premises under the same brand at different spots around the city. They now have a community of more than 800 coworkers, working alongside each other in a creation, innovation and productivity centre.
The students from IEDE Business School had the opportunity to visit the workspaces and get an in-depth overview of the company's history from the founders themselves, true entrepreneurs who have managed to position themselves in a sector as profitable and growing as coworking currently is.
"We want our students to have an international experience, which is why we organize the residential program at EAE Barcelona", explained Alejandro Urzúa, General Director IEDE Business School. "This way, they get a close insight into the reality of the modern business world and the entrepreneurship in Europe beyond the theory they can read in books. This enriches their experience in all respects". Alejandro added that Chile is a country with sustainable economic growth with technological foundation that is also a great incubator for startups, but there is still a long road ahead. Over the course of the residential program, the group will also visit Wayra, Telefónica's business accelerator. Â
Talking about her experience at EAE, Macarena Pacheco, a student on the Executive MBA, explained that she has loved getting to know the city and see the different cultural customs and business approaches. "They have made us feel really welcome". Macarena emphasized that, in Barcelona, they are really promoting the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation, "and we need to develop this more in our country".
Meanwhile, Francisco Miranda, a student on the Executive MBA, said that he found it really interesting to see how the market niche of coworking spaces has grown at a fast pace in a short period of time, especially in comparison to Chile. Natalia Salmerón, a Spanish student on the Master in HR currently working in Chile, described her experience in Barcelona as spectacular. "In our company, Adecco, we use coworking spaces to present products and services and when we want to break away from the more traditional business world". In her opinion, the most important differences between Spain and Chile in terms of Human Resources are that, in Europe, employees are more open to working for development while, in Chile they have different needs and are looking for other things.