Esade is one of Europe’s top three business schools for creating start-ups, according to the 2026 Redstone University Start-up Index

For the third year running, Esade has consolidated its position amongst Europe’s three most effective business schools for the creation of start-ups, according to the latest edition of the Redstone University Startup Index 2026 produced by the venture capital firm Redstone in conjunction with AlpMomentum, the Technical University of Munich, and the University of Trier. It assesses the effectiveness of universities, business schools and public research entities in creating economically viable start-ups by using the number of start-ups created per €100 million of annual budget as the key indicator enabling comparisons between institutions with different sizes and funding.

According to Jan Brinckmann, Director of the Esade Entrepreneurship Institute, “This acknowledgement reflects Esade’s ability to transform education, knowledge and links with the business community into projects with an impact and growth potential. Esade’s position in Europe’s top 3 for three years running bolsters our entrepreneurial ecosystem and our ability to foster innovative new ventures. This commitment is part of Esade’s DNA and is implemented by means of an ecosystem designed to provide support for students, alumni and entrepreneurs at every stage: from creating the initial ideas to launching high-growth, high-impact companies operating internationally.”

An entrepreneurial ecosystem for transforming ideas into start-ups

One key driver of Esade’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is the Esade Entrepreneurship Institute which combines research, teaching, knowledge generation and the creation of new companies by means of eWorks, the Esade program to support, incubate and accelerate start-ups. This academic year marks the tenth anniversary of eWorks, which has established itself as a benchmark of Esade’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and one of Europe’s leading university accelerators. Over the past decade, eWorks has helped hundreds of students take their first steps as founders and has built a robust community of founders, mentors, alumni and collaborators.

Also worthy of mention is the Rambla of Innovation on Esade’s Sant Cugat campus which was designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurship by experimenting, creating prototypes and forging links with companies, professionals, mentors, and investors. Esade BAN, the Esade Alumni business angel network, has also played a major role, having invested €48m in more than 300 start-ups since its inception, and giving new business ventures access to funding, expert knowledge and growth opportunities.

In addition, entrepreneurship is an integral part of the Esade academic experience, taking the shape of programs, subjects, real-world challenges and extracurricular activities featuring a combination of business knowledge, experiential learning and direct contact with national and international innovation ecosystems. The academic programs related to entrepreneurship include particularly the Master’s in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the Full-Time MBA, the Bachelor in Transformational Business and Social Impact, and also applied-innovation programs such as Challenge-Based Innovation, a venture promoted in collaboration with IdeaSquare and CERN’s Innovation Department.

This position is reinforced by other international accolades. Esade Full-Time MBA ranks among the world’s best programs for entrepreneurs according to Poets&Quants, whilst the 2026 edition of the Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship ranking, places it 5th globally and 3rd in Europe. The publication highlights particularly the number of students involved in a start-up, the category in which Esade places No. 1 globally, with 100% participation in at least one project.

Apart from producing a ranking of institutions, the Redstone University Start-up Index 2026 also highlights the economic potential of university entrepreneurship in Europe. If European institutions were to become as efficient as the top 10% in their respective categories, then Europe could generate up to 445,000 additional start-ups, 13 million jobs, five trillion euros in GDP, and 1.5 trillion euros in tax revenue over the coming decade.