Breakthrough Technologies and Digital Disruption US style
LBS students immerse themselves in innovation ecosystems in Austin and San Francisco
London Business School (LBS) students travelled to two of the world’s leading innovation hubs as part of the School’s Global Experiences programme this year, gaining first-hand insight into entrepreneurship, venture capital and the future of AI.
Across Austin, students met founders, investors, academics and corporate leaders, exploring how breakthrough technologies move from idea to impact. In San Francisco, the focus was on digital disruption. The week-long, experiential courses combined company visits, guest lectures, startup pitches and debates, giving participants the opportunity to compare classroom theory against real-world business challenges.
In San Francisco, students visited organisations including Plug and Play, CoreWeave and Google X’s Moonshot Factory. Sessions focused on experimentation, embracing failure and building cultures that reward bold thinking.
At Plug and Play, founder and CEO Saeed Amidi described the company’s role in connecting startups, corporates and universities to accelerate innovation, while discussions with executives highlighted the enduring importance of human connection and strong teams in building successful businesses.
Students also heard from London Business School alumnus Paw Andersen, who reflected on his career journey from London to Silicon Valley and his experiences at Uber during the company’s rapid growth. He spoke candidly about leadership, risk-taking and the realities of scaling technology businesses, while also sharing insights into the pace of AI development and the importance of working closely with customers to solve meaningful problems.
A highlight of the San Francisco Global Experience was a startup pitch session, where LBS students presented ventures spanning fintech, recruitment, dating technology and financial services. Judges from Plug and Play challenged founders to focus on team strength, market differentiation and execution, reinforcing the realities of pitching to investors in highly competitive sectors.
LBS alumnus and Stanford professor Ilya Strebulaev, author of The Venture Mindset, shared lessons from venture capital, encouraging students to think beyond incremental gains and embrace long-term, high-impact opportunities.
At the end of the week, S. Alex Yang, Professor of Management Science and Operations and Farhan Lalji, Teaching Fellow of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, who led the San Francisco course, drew out key learnings about digital disruption, with students highlighting the importance of balancing technological advancement with human-centred leadership.
Meanwhile in Austin, students on the Breakthrough Technologies course led by Casidhe Troyer, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at LBS, explored the city’s rapidly growing technology ecosystem. They heard how universities, government and private capital have helped transform the region into one of the fastest-growing innovation centres in the US.
Sessions at the University of Texas at Austin and the Austin Technology Incubator demonstrated how academic research is commercialised into startups, with examples ranging from medical devices for premature babies to AI-powered robotics and cancer therapies.
Industry leaders repeatedly stressed the value of proximity, collaboration and experimentation. Entrepreneurs and investors at Capital Factory emphasised that successful startups are built not just on ideas, but on execution, adaptability and solving genuine customer problems.
Enabling students to engage directly with organisations and leaders shaping the future of business and technology brings invaluable knowledge. Henrik Rettedal Skjaeveland (GMiM2027) shared the key learnings he took from Austin in a ‘Fridays from the Frontline’ article for Clear Admit, while Arsalan Barmand, who recently graduated from LBS’s Executive MBA programme, shared his highlights of the San Francisco course with readers of Poets & Quants.
LBS’s Global Experiences courses form part of the School’s commitment to experiential learning, which helps students to develop leadership skills, entrepreneurial thinking and global perspectives.