Novembre 24, 2025 | NEWS, OPEN DAY
The Boldbrain Startup Challenge 2025 has entered its final stage. After three months of acceleration, coaching, and pitching, the Regional Jury has selected ten finalist projects that will take the stage at the Award Ceremony on Wednesday, 3 December 2025, at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano.
Boldbrain—organised by Fondazione Agire in collaboration with the USI Startup Centre—is Ticino’s leading accelerator for early-stage startups, designed to turn innovative ideas into scalable businesses through workshops, tailored coaching, and direct exposure to investors and the regional innovation ecosystem.
The ten Boldbrain 2025 finalists
Selected on the basis of innovation, market potential, sustainability, and entrepreneurial capability, the finalists (alphabetical order) are:
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Alceberg
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CC Cardio
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Green Targets
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MethyIX
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OOVIE Studios
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POWSH
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SwissVeritas
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Tellus GreenTech
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Vocalhum
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WindtracX
These ten teams will pitch live in front of an audience of entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and innovation enthusiasts. The evening will also include an Audience Award, voted by participants in the room.
The USI EMBA Full Scholarship: awarded to the Boldbrain winner
One of the most prestigious in-kind prizes of Boldbrain is the full scholarship to the USI Executive MBA. The scholarship is granted to the overall winner of the Boldbrain Startup Challenge, as a way to support founders who are ready to accelerate not only their startup, but also their leadership and business skills.
Our USI EMBA is an 18-month, part-time international programme for executives and entrepreneurs. It combines strategic management foundations, electives, hands-on workshops, and a study tour, giving founders the tools to scale their ventures with confidence and clarity.
Join the Award Ceremony
The Boldbrain 2025 Award Ceremony is open to the public, free of charge, with mandatory registration. It’s a unique chance to discover the best emerging startup ideas in Ticino, network with founders and partners, and witness the announcement of this year’s winners—including the startup that will receive the USI EMBA full scholarship.
Novembre 18, 2025 | NEWS, OPEN DAY
The fourteenth edition of the Executive MBA of the Faculty of Economics at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) officially started on 14 November, opening a new chapter in the University’s long-standing commitment to developing responsible, future-ready leaders. The new cohort was welcomed during a rich and engaging Orientation Day, followed by the first days of the Leadership module, creating an atmosphere filled with curiosity, ambition, and a desire for transformation.
Orientation Day
Led by Professor Paulo Gonçalves, the Orientation Day encouraged participants to introduce themselves through creative storytelling using images, symbols, and personal narratives.Participants shared visual metaphors of their professional and personal journey revealing the motivations, values, and ambitions they bring to the EMBA. These first exchanges set the tone for a programme that is not only academically rigorous but also profoundly personal, reflective, and connected to the real experience of leadership.
Learning from Experience: Keynote Speeches by EMBA Alumni
A special highlight of the inaugural day was the session with two distinguished EMBA alumni, whose testimonies offered participants a vivid insight into how the USI Executive MBA shapes careers, mindsets, and leadership trajectories.
Nicola Roberto Tettamanti (EMBA8),
CEO of Tecnopinz SA and President of Swissmechanic,
shared how the EMBA equipped him with strategic thinking, confidence in decision-making, and the ability to steer organisational innovation. He emphasised how the programme strengthened his capacity to guide teams through change and fostered a more structured approach to leadership challenges.
Karolina Frischkopf (EMBA1),
CEO at HEKS/EPER (Swiss Church Aid),
offered a powerful reflection on how the EMBA supported her transition toward executive responsibility in the humanitarian sector. She highlighted the programme’s impact on her leadership identity, her ability to navigate complex, multicultural environments, and her commitment to ethical and sustainable organisational development.
Their stories provided an inspiring introduction to the transformative potential of the EMBA experience, resonating strongly with the aspirations of the EMBA14 class.
A Diverse and International Cohort
The EMBA14 class brings together 11 professionals with significant work experience and diverse roles across industries such as business, technology, public service, non-profit organisations, and international development.This heterogeneous group enriches the programme by fostering a dynamic exchange of perspectives, generating fertile ground for peer learning, and cultivating a collaborative mindset essential in today’s interconnected world. Participants share a common objective: developing advanced organisational and leadership capabilities while embracing innovative tools to navigate a global market undergoing continuous transformation.
A Swiss Perspective with a Global Outlook
The programme maintains a strong connection to the Swiss economic landscape and its values—precision, reliability, sustainability—while offering an international perspective that broadens professional horizons. Lugano serves as both a familiar reference point for local professionals and an international gateway for participants joining from abroad.This blend of local grounding and global exposure is a defining feature of USI’s Executive MBA.
Commitment to Ethics, Sustainability, and Responsible Leadership
As in previous years, the EMBA continues to strengthen its focus on ethics, sustainability, and responsible leadership. The programme seeks to develop leaders who can generate positive impact, combine analytical rigor with strategic vision, and guide organisations with integrity. This commitment is expressed through an international faculty, personalised teaching methods, and learning experiences that integrate theory with real-world application.
Ottobre 28, 2025 | NEWS, OPEN DAY
Transform Your Leadership Journey with Switzerland’s Premier Executive MBA Program
The countdown has begun. On November 14, 2025, Università della Svizzera italiana will welcome a select cohort of ambitious professionals into the USI EMBA 14—an 18-month transformative journey designed to shape the next generation of ethical global business leaders. With only a handful of places remaining, this is your final opportunity to secure your spot in one of Europe’s most prestigious executive education programs.
USI EMBA understands the reality of executive life. The innovative hybrid format combines one day of self-study with two intensive on-site days in Lugano (Saturday and Sunday) each month—allowing you to advance your career without pressing pause on it.
Starting this November, you’ll embark on a carefully structured curriculum that balances rigorous academic excellence with immediate practical application. The program runs through May 2027, delivering 60 ECTS credits across 15 meticulously designed courses, including 11 core modules, 3 electives, and an unforgettable international study tour to Boston.
What Sets USI EMBA Apart
World-Class International Faculty
Learn from professors who bridge theory and practice, drawn from top business schools and leading consulting firms worldwide. This exceptional faculty brings cutting-edge research and real-world expertise directly to your learning experience.
The Swiss Advantage
Based in thriving Lugano, Switzerland, you’ll benefit from the legendary Swiss commitment to quality and excellence. The location provides proximity to Europe’s major business and cultural hubs while offering the perfect environment for focused, intensive learning.
Ethics at the Core
At a time when responsible leadership matters more than ever, the USI EMBA places unwavering emphasis on ethics, sustainability, and positive global impact. This isn’t just about business success—it’s about becoming a leader who drives meaningful, transformative change.
The Boston Experience
In July, travel to one of the world’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems for an intensive six-day study tour. Engage with groundbreaking thinking at MIT, Harvard, and Tufts University, exploring system dynamics, sustainable finance, design thinking, and circular economy models that are reshaping global business.
A Curriculum Built for Impact
The program’s strategic architecture addresses every dimension of modern business leadership:
Strategic Foundations: Master strategic decision-making, business strategy, and entrepreneurship to think at the highest organizational levels.
Operational Excellence: Dive deep into operations management, human resources, and marketing to understand how great strategies become reality.
Analytical Mastery: Build quantitative capabilities through business analytics, finance, financial performance measurement, and economics.
Leadership Integration: Develop through courses in business dynamics, leadership, and negotiation—the skills that separate good managers from transformational leaders.
The journey culminates in a comprehensive Final Project where you’ll apply everything you’ve learned to real organizational challenges under expert faculty supervision.
Small Class, Big Impact
With deliberately limited enrollment, the USI EMBA offers something increasingly rare in executive education: a genuinely personalized approach. Small class sizes ensure close interaction with faculty, tailored support, and an intimate learning environment where every participant’s unique goals and career trajectory shape the experience. This personalization extends beyond academics. The diverse cohort—bringing together professionals from various industries, countries, and backgrounds—creates an intellectually stimulating environment where meaningful relationships and diverse perspectives fuel constant growth.
The Final Call
The USI EMBA 14 represents more than an academic credential. It’s an investment in becoming the leader your organization—and the world—needs. It’s about joining a community of ethical, visionary professionals committed to excellence and positive change.
The program begins November 14, 2025. The final places are filling now.
If you’ve been considering an executive MBA, if you’re ready to accelerate your leadership capabilities, if you want to be part of a program that values intellectual honesty, critical thinking, and ethical leadership as much as strategic excellence—this is your moment.
Don’t wait for the next cohort. The leaders who will shape business in 2027 and beyond are making their decision today.
Ready to transform your leadership journey?
Contact the USI EMBA team now to secure one of the remaining places in the November 14 cohort. Your future as an ethical global business leader starts here: emba@usi.ch
Ottobre 14, 2025 | NEWS, OPEN DAY
The application period for EMBA14 is drawing to a close. With the program commencing in November 2025, this final Open Day represents your last opportunity to explore how the USI EMBA can advance your executive career.
Program Structure and Highlights
The USI EMBA offers a comprehensive 18-month curriculum designed for today’s business leaders. The program features 12 intensive core courses plus 1 specialized elective, providing both breadth and depth in contemporary management practices. A signature Boston Study Tour offers direct exposure to global innovation ecosystems and leading business practices.
Program Format:
- One asynchronous learning day per month for flexible engagement
- Weekend intensive sessions for deep immersion in course material
- Two-month capstone projects with real-world business applications
Academic Leadership
Prof. Paulo Gonçalves, Ph.D. MIT Sloan
Academic Director
Professor Gonçalves brings distinguished expertise from MIT Sloan, specializing in behavioral science, strategic decision-making, and system dynamics. His research in humanitarian operations and complex business systems informs a rigorous, practice-oriented pedagogical approach that bridges analytical excellence with leadership development.
Conscious Leadership Framework
The USI EMBA integrates ethical leadership and stakeholder value creation throughout its curriculum. In an environment increasingly defined by ESG considerations and diverse stakeholder expectations, our program prepares leaders to navigate complexity while maintaining strategic clarity and organizational integrity.
Our Vision:
To develop global leaders capable of driving ethical transformation across industries and sectors.
Our Mission:
To deliver excellence in executive education through practical innovation, strategic rigor, and unwavering commitment to professional integrity.
October 22, 6 PM – In-Person Open Day
This concluding information session provides prospective candidates with comprehensive program insights and direct access to key stakeholders on campus:
Attendee Benefits:
- Access to scholarship opportunities totaling in financial aid
- Priority consideration in the admissions process
- In-person networking with faculty, alumni, and fellow candidates
- Campus tour and facilities experience
The intimate, on-campus format facilitates substantive dialogue about program fit, career objectives, and the distinctive value proposition of the USI EMBA.
Applications close following this final session.
📧 Registration Required: emba@usi.ch
Strategic leadership development begins with informed decision-making.
Ottobre 14, 2025 | NEWS
Choosing between an Executive MBA (EMBA) and a full-time MBA is one of the most significant decisions in your professional development journey. While both credentials can accelerate your career, they’re designed for different professionals at distinct career stages. However, for established professionals seeking growth without career disruption, the EMBA path offers compelling advantages.
Experience Requirements: Where You Stand Matters
The most fundamental distinction between these programs lies in the experience prerequisites. Full-time MBA programs typically accept candidates with 2-5 years of professional experience, welcoming young professionals ready to pivot or accelerate their careers. In contrast, EMBA programs require substantial leadership experience, usually 7-15 years, targeting mid-to-senior level executives already established in their fields.
This experience gap shapes everything from classroom discussions to career outcomes. EMBA cohorts bring real-world leadership challenges to the table, creating richer, more nuanced discussions based on actual executive decision-making rather than theoretical scenarios.
Program Format: The Weekend Advantage
Full-time MBA programs demand your complete attention. Students typically leave their jobs for two years, immersing themselves in academic life, internships, and career exploration. This format requires significant opportunity cost—lost salary, foregone promotions, and career momentum.
EMBA programs offer a superior alternative for working professionals. Classes typically meet on weekends or during intensive modules, allowing you to maintain your current position and income. Weekend formats—such as Friday evenings and Saturdays, or alternating weekends—let you apply concepts immediately in your workplace on Monday morning. This creates a dynamic learning loop where theory meets practice in real-time.
You’re not just learning about change management—you’re implementing it. You’re not studying financial strategy in isolation—you’re applying it to actual business challenges. This immediate application reinforces learning and demonstrates ROI to both you and your employer.
Learning Methodology: Applied Practice Over Theory
While both programs cover core business fundamentals, the EMBA pedagogical approach delivers more immediate value. Full-time MBAs emphasize foundational business theory and case studies from companies you’ve never worked at, solving problems you haven’t faced yet.
EMBA programs leverage your existing expertise, focusing on strategic decision-making, executive leadership, and advanced topics that matter at your level. Discussions draw heavily from participants’ current organizational challenges—actual problems requiring real solutions. The curriculum assumes business fluency and builds sophisticated frameworks on top of your practical knowledge.
Rather than spending months on basic accounting or marketing principles you may already understand, EMBAs accelerate into strategic-level thinking: how to lead transformations, navigate board dynamics, optimize capital structure, or drive innovation at scale.
Networking: Executive-Level Connections
Networking dynamics vary considerably between programs, and here the EMBA advantage becomes clear. Full-time MBA students build relationships with other early-career professionals—valuable peers, certainly, but with limited decision-making authority or resources.
EMBA networking connects you with established executives and decision-makers. Your classmates are CTOs, VPs, directors, and entrepreneurs who can become strategic partners, clients, board members, or valuable advisors. These aren’t future leaders—they’re current leaders with budgets, hiring authority, and influence.
Weekend cohorts often develop particularly strong bonds. Spending intensive time together outside normal work hours, away from daily pressures, creates authentic relationships. These connections frequently lead to business partnerships, career opportunities, and advisory relationships that wouldn’t exist through traditional networking.
Financial and Career Momentum
The EMBA model protects your financial stability and career trajectory. You continue earning your salary, potentially receiving tuition support from your employer, and remain eligible for promotions and bonuses. Many companies sponsor EMBA candidates precisely because they value retaining and developing their talent.
Stepping away for two years in a full-time program means sacrificing 24 months of salary, missing promotion cycles, and potentially losing momentum in your current organization. For established professionals, this trade-off rarely makes sense.
The Strategic Choice for Experienced Professionals
The EMBA path is ideal when you:
- Have established your career foundation and seek senior leadership roles
- Want to enhance your credentials without career interruption
- Value immediate application of learning to real business challenges
- Prefer networking with fellow executives and decision-makers
- Need to maintain income and career momentum
- Can leverage weekend or modular formats to balance life commitments
The weekend EMBA format, in particular, represents the optimal blend of flexibility and rigor. You invest your weekends in transformative education while maintaining your professional identity and income throughout the week. By Monday morning, you’re implementing what you learned on Saturday—a level of practical integration that full-time programs simply cannot match.
The Bottom Line
For professionals with significant experience, the Executive MBA—particularly weekend formats—offers superior value. You gain advanced business education, executive-level networking, and career acceleration without the disruption and opportunity cost of leaving the workforce. The immediate application of learning, combined with peer connections at your professional level, creates ROI that begins immediately rather than after a two-year pause.
The right choice depends on your career stage. If you’re early in your journey, a full-time MBA might make sense. But if you’re an established professional seeking the next level of leadership capability, the EMBA path—especially with weekend classes—delivers education that enhances your career without interrupting it.
Ottobre 7, 2025 | NEWS, OPEN DAY
Entrepreneurship for Executives – Turn Ideas into Impact
Entrepreneurship – From Idea to Impact
When: 11 October, 08:30- 12:30
Where: USI Executive Center, Lugano
Professors: Paulo Gonçalves
Turn Ideas into Action
Entrepreneurship is about more than having a great idea—it’s about turning that idea into a viable, impactful venture. The Entrepreneurship module of the USI EMBA gives executives the mindset, tools, and confidence to move from concept to execution.
Across two immersive days, participants will work hands-on on the Workhorse case, developing a business idea step-by-step: from testing customer needs to designing a business model, planning financials, and pitching the final concept.
Learn by Doing
Participants will:
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Discover how to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and apply the Customer Development process.
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Use the Business Model Canvas to map and validate their ideas.
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Build financial projections to assess the feasibility and attractiveness of a new venture.
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Practice pitching ideas convincingly and confidently in front of peers and faculty.
The course combines workshops, case discussions, and interactive sessions led by three of USI’s leading professors, blending theory and practice to create a powerful learning experience.
Meet the Faculty
Prof. Paulo Gonçalves
Professor of System Dynamics and Management, and Director of the USI EMBA, Prof. Gonçalves brings expertise from MIT and Cambridge Judge Business School. His work focuses on managerial decision-making, humanitarian operations, and sustainability.
Prof. Laurent Frésard
Professor of Finance at USI and Senior Chair of the Swiss Finance Institute, Prof. Frésard’s research explores the intersection of finance, markets, and innovation. He has taught at HEC Paris and the University of Maryland.
Prof. Suzanne Suggs
Full Professor of Social Marketing at USI and Vice-President of the Swiss School of Public Health, Prof. Suggs is an expert in communication and behavior change, with deep experience in teaching, research, and public engagement.
Experience the EMBA Classroom
Join us at the USI Executive Center for two dynamic days dedicated to entrepreneurial thinking and action.
Learn how to transform ideas into sustainable ventures and get a taste of the EMBA learning journey.
