Contacts
University

Innovation in California: on the road with SDA Bocconi

, by Tomaso Eridani
In July, from LA to San Francisco to Silicon Valley, a seven-day study tour organized by SDA Bocconi to experience first-hand the best practices in innovation and entrepreneurship, including visits to Google, Rand and Oracle

Responsible for 1 in 4 patents in the US, attracting half of all venture capital in the US and providing 20% of all US technology jobs, California is a world leader in innovation and entrepreneurship and thus a showcase for the best practices in value creation and growth. With this in mind SDA Bocconi has organized a study tour based on company visits to give participants direct exposure to some of the world's most innovative organizations.

The California Innovation and Entrepreneurship Study Tour will take place from July 18-24 and in seven days will travel from Los Angeles up to San Francisco and the Silicon Valley before returning to LA. The paramount feature of the tour is the blending of theory with on-site company visits to give participants a first-hand vision and experience of innovation and entrepreneurial forces at work, with insights into core processes and corporate culture.

The tour will take in visits to global leaders like Rand, Google, Amgen and Oracle and also insights into niche operators like pharmaceutical market research consultancy AlphaDetail, knowledge management software provider Inquira and videogame developer Electronic Arts. The closing stages of the tour will also take in the vineyards of Paso Robles.

This new initiative by SDA Bocconi is aimed at young professionals and graduates with an interest for fields such as entrepreneurship, venture finance and innovation and technology management and who wish to experience and incorporate the know-how on show in California.

"The tour program will give participants direct on-site exposure and insight to the inner workings of these innovative organizations and allow them to incorporate this know-how into their own organization or as a foundation for a new endeavor," explains program director Thanos Papadimitriou, professor of Operations and Technology Management at SDA Bocconi. "These companies have become leaders not just because of their technological excellence but also because of their unique corporate culture which gives them an edge. And this culture cannot be taught but must be experienced."

Enrollment is now open and the course fee is 4,200 euro. For further info visit: www.sdabocconi.it/cies

University