Author: Aimee Davis, IMBA 2013

The Silicon Valley trip was phenomenal and absolutely the highlight of the IMBA. Whilst you can learn about dealing with venture capitalists in classes taught by renowned venture capitalists, its not the same as actually going to their eco system and seeing how they live and thrive inside it. Their feedback during the trip was invaluable, as was just being in the Valley experiencing the intangible but omnipresent excitement that drives constant development there. The feeling that cutting edge technology is being developed all around you exactly at the moment you are there and the unified, collective push to network with everyone really makes the trip one of the best learning experiences IE can offer.

Trips to Paypal, 500 Startups, Stanford University, Google, Evernote and venture capital offices in the Valley must be experienced to really understand how to advance your startup and what you need to make your idea a serious opportunity. I highly recommend this trip as there´s nothing given during classes or electives that can come close to giving as much value, experience and contacts as this!