ESI Annual Conference 2026
Esade Business School | 22-23 May, 2026
The ESI Annual Conference 2026 brought the European scaling research and practitioner community to Esade Business School in Barcelona on 22 and 23 May 2026. Organized and hosted by the Esade Scaleup & Growth Strategy Centre, led by Prof. Dimo Ringov, as part of the European Scaleup Institute (ESI) annual conference series, the conference offered two days of paper sessions, distinguished practitioner panel, and open exchange aimed at advancing research on the nature, drivers, and consequences of scaling and scaleups.
Scaleups are a key engine of growth, employment, competitiveness, and technological change, yet they face distinctive challenges: managing rapid growth while preserving control and profitability, attracting funding and talent, replicating and adapting/innvating practices across diverse markets, as well as responding to shifting competitive, regulatory and geopolitical landscapes. The ESI Conference exists precisely to deepen our understanding of these dynamics, bringing together leading scholars and practitioners from across Europe and beyond.
The conference opened with a welcome by Prof. Lisa Hehenberger, Dean of Esade Business School, and an introduction by Prof. Dimo Ringov and Prof. Veroniek Collewaert (ESI).
A frontier programme on scaling research
Over two days, five paper sessions explored the cutting edge of scaling research, structured around complementary themes:
- Conceptualizing and measuring scaling
- Organizational architecture, capabilities, and human capital for scalability
- Scaling pathways: business models, positioning, and strategic timing
- Sensemaking, framing, and coordination in scaling ventures
- Scaling in context: decisions, sustainability, threats, and wellbeing
Researchers from institutions including Bayes Business School, Clarkson University, ESCP, Esade Business School, Ghent University, HHS, IE Business School, IESE Business School, Imperial Business School, INSEAD, LUISS, NOVA, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Rotterdam School of Management and the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship), SKEMA, Stockholm School of Economics, Tilburg University, University of Eastern Finland, University of Galway, University of Twente, VLAIO, Vlerick Business School, Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management presented and discussed original work. [RD1.1]
Esade was strongly represented, with Prof. Dimo Ringov together with doctoral students Jabar Torkaman and Kobus Cilliers presenting research on the role of open-source software in the decision to start scaling and on how threat rigidity responses condition scaling outcomes, and Prof. Daniel Blaseg presenting on how to quantify, measure and decompose scaling. The program also featured the presentation of the ESI ScaleUp Monitor Report by Prof. Dries Faems (ESI).
Bridging research and practice
Another highlight of the event was the practitioner panel, which connected academic insight with the lived experience of scaling and managing/investing in high-growth firms. Panelists included Ana Maiques (CEO, Neuroelectrics), Bjorn Kijl (Co-founder & CEO, Kingfisher Capital), Laure Marty (Operating Partner, Quarkslab), Elena Bou (Co-founder & Innovation Director, InnoEnergy), and Marta Antunez (Investor & Advisor, former Investment Director, Wayra).
A pan-European collaboration
The European Scaleup Institute is a platform of academic experts and practitioners working together to address the scaleup gap. Alongside Esade, ESI partners include Vlerick Business School, Nova School of Business and Economics, LUISS Business School, University of Galway, WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, ESSEC Business School, Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University), and the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship.
Why it matters
Scaleups sit at the heart of Europe's economic future, yet the processes that allow ventures to grow sustainably remain only partly understood. By convening top scholars and practitioners around shared questions, the ESI Conference advances both knowledge and community. Following its 2026 edition in Barcelona, the conference will travel to Belgium in 2027, hosted and organized by Vlerick Business School.