Startup Treks.

Learning about Europe (or Brazil) through the lens of innovation, policy, culture and startup ecosystems

These programs are designed as multi-city academic treks where professors and students travel together through major innovation hubs. Each program is anchored by a core accredited course — such as Introduction to the European Union: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Single Market or Introduction to Brazil: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets — that provides the academic foundation for transferable credit.

Professional site visits and cultural experiences are fully embedded into the curriculum. Each city we visit functions as a unique case study, with guided debrief sessions ensuring that what students observe in startups, policy institutions, or community organizations is directly tied to course outcomes.

The design is deliberately two-phased:

• University-based foundation: intensive coursework at a partner university, establishing regional context.

• Travel phase: the classroom moves across cities, integrating professional visits and cultural immersion that illustrate how innovation is shaped by history, regulation, and society.

By the end of a trek, students earn recognized university credit and gain comparative insight into how innovation systems operate in different contexts — from scaling challenges in Europe’s Single Market to resilience and inclusion in Brazil’s emerging economy.

For example:

➔ Europe Route: Prague · Berlin · Paris · Barcelona · Athens
“From innovation hubs to cultural capitals”
Explore how Europe’s most dynamic cities foster creativity, entrepreneurship, and cross-border collaboration.

• Visit startups, innovation labs, and established companies to see how ideas are developed and adapted across cultures.

• Meet with business leaders, policy experts, and creative professionals shaping Europe’s economic and social future.

• Compare how local culture, history, and regional integration influence the way organizations grow and collaborate.

[View Europe Route Details ➔]

➔ Brazil Route: São Paulo · Rio de Janeiro · Paraty
“Emerging markets in motion.”

Step inside Brazil’s vibrant innovation scene, where creative problem-solving meets one of the world’s most diverse cultural backdrops.

• Discover how startups, social enterprises, and multinationals tackle challenges in energy, mobility, and social impact.

• Meet founders, designers, and engineers building solutions for a fast-changing market.

• Explore how Brazil’s cultural diversity fuels new ideas — and how those ideas adapt to global opportunities.

[View Brazil Route Details ➔]

Program Highlights:

• Transferable academic credit: Courses are designed to align with common political science, sociology, communication, and general education requirements, making approval straightforward.

• Distinctive appeal for STEM students: Programs provide a pathway for CS and engineering majors to go abroad without delaying graduation, meeting a persistent need for many universities.

• Professor-led, academically rigorous design: Faculty guide both classroom learning and daily debrief sessions, ensuring that travel is structured and academically integrated.

• Multi-city model: Students gain comparative insight across different innovation hubs rather than being limited to a single location.

• Professional visits embedded in curriculum: Site visits to startups, labs, and policy institutions are not add-ons but assessed components of the coursework.

• Prestigious University Partners: Programs are run in collaboration with accredited universities abroad, ensuring academic standards.

Join us in preparing students for the future — where success depends on understanding the interplay of policy, business, and culture, and the ability to adapt in teams that span continents and perspectives.

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