ecla Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Latin America www.eclaprogram.com
About ecla Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Latin America (ECLA) is an executive program created by Columbia Business School for entrepreneurs of mid-sized Latin American companies who seek specialized education to compete in today s changing global environment. The 13 months program (a combination of in-classroom training and distant learning) provides the participants with the skills and direction necessary to implement and lead change within their organizations and prepares them for success across borders. Divided in 2 phases: improving efficiency and business growth planning, the program is designed to put learning into immediate practical application. Each company is required to complete a project for each phase where, in conjunction with an advisor (Columbia faculty) they identify an issue, develop and implement a solution and show the results to the rest of the ECLA class. In addition, as part of the curriculum, participants go on a study tour to a country with strong entrepreneurial activity (South Korea in 2011, Israel in 2013).
Program overview Program Objectives Equip participants with the educational foundation, tools, and resources to grow their enterprises and conduct crossborder transactions. Develop and hone participants' macroeconomic skills and global mindset, enabling them to capture opportunities and recognize challenges of entering new markets. Expose participants to the business and entrepreneurship culture of a country outside the region. Enable participants to develop and implement a company improvement project with measurable results and impact. Bridge theory with practice, utilizing case discussions, guest speakers, industry coaches and the diversity of experiences inherent in the faculty and student community. Establish a network of Latin American entrepreneurs, industry coaches, academics, and business leaders. Profile of ECLA participants 2 per company : CEO/Founder and right hand person Bachelor s degree, or the equivalent Proficient English speaking and writing skills Entrepreneurial initiative. The entrepreneur demonstrates the vision, persistence, passion, and drive to take their business to the next level. Intellectual curiosity. The entrepreneur has the desire to receive education and training in functional areas and apply new knowledge to his/her business setting. Global mindset. The entrepreneur has an interest in learning about successful entrepreneurship models in other parts of the world and applying insights in order to make his/her business more competitive in the global market.
Curriculum Phase I: Improving Efficiency Module I: Foundations of International Business and Problem Definition (New York) The program kicks off at Columbia Business School with two weeks of core classes in all business areas, with an emphasis on performance improvement. With the support of a faculty advisor, participants will prepare a proposal for a Process Improvement Project that responds to a pressing issue in their company. Module II: Process Improvement Methodology (Online) Online lectures and case studies focused on processimprovement methodology will enable students to make their businesses more efficient and competitive. With the support of a faculty advisor, students will spend 10 weeks working on their Process Improvement Projects followed by approximately 18 weeks implementing and analyzing the impact of their projects on their companies. Module III: Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Study tour) A week-long study trip will permit students to learn firsthand how high-growth entrepreneurs have made their companies successful across borders.
Phase II: Business Growth Planning Module IV: Global Expansion and Value Creation A week-long module in New York will offer classes that examine current trends in global business. Students will also present the findings of their Process Improvement Projects to faculty, who will evaluate the success of the projects. Applying the skills and knowledge acquired from Module IV, students will develop a Business Growth Plan that prepares their companies for global expansion and value creation. Module V: Business Growth Applications (Online) Online lectures and case studies on business-growth applications will help students identify the opportunities and challenges of cross border expansion. With the support of a faculty advisor, students will spend four months developing their growth plans. Module VI: Challenges of Growth and Presentations and Graduation(New York) Participants will present their Business Growth Plans to Columbia Business School faculty and guests. At the graduation ceremony, students will receive a certificate from Columbia Business School s Chazen Institute.
Testimonials Pamela Chavez, Founder Aguamarina - Chile The program allowed me to convert the laboratory into a processing unit, into a productive entity, and to design a growth plan. The firm needed a corporative organization and governability. As a result of ECLA, I was able to structure the firm, manage it properly and make it grow. Javier Arredondo, Founder Editoriales Mapas - Mexico Our business would have continued to work as it had done for the last 12 years, and it would have grown by inertia probably. But now that we participated in ECLA, we know how to achieve what we want, how to grow in a safe and sustainable way. Ivan Barchese, owner and CEO Mextra - Brazil The program is one of the best things I have ever done. I studied with a lot of interesting people and the professors were excellent and helped us enormously. It is much more than a theoretical course and enabled me to put procedures and techniques into practice in my company here in Brazil. I have an MBA from another school but on the ECLA program we worked much more as a team, and it was very beneficial. Martin Schrimpff Founder and Business Development Director Pagosonline (PayU Latam) ECLA provided us with a space to think and exchange experiences with other fellow entrepreneurs. We learnt from the best business professors in Columbia to think big and understand the importance of process improvement in our organizations. If you want to take your company to the next level and want to learn from other people s mistakes rather than committing them yourself, this is the course for you.
Program Information Dates Module I January 6 th 17 th 2014 Module III March 16 th 22 nd 2014 Module IV August 24 th 29 th 2014 Module VI January 11th 16 th 2015 Modules II and V are distant learning, online classes once a month Application Deadline for ECLA 15: October 31 st 2013 Contact For more information, please contact: Angela Quintero aq2163@columbia.edu Maggie Hopkins mh3370@columbia.edu or visit www.eclaprogram.com Cost * $30 000 The fee covers the tuition for 2 participants from the same company, books, case materials and 5 weeks of accommodation (New York and Israel). It does not include air travel. (*) We are able to offer this subsidized cost thanks to our sponsors:
ECLA Class 2013 Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness in Latin America Columbia Business School New York, NY Tel: +1 212 854 1122 Email: ecla@gsb.columbia.edu www.eclaprogram.com