While many measure impact in quantitative terms, I prefer to assess it qualitatively—by looking at how entrepreneurship and strategy education improves the lives of students. These examples highlight entrepreneurs, agents of innovation, and intrapreneurs, all using strategic entrepreneurial mindsets to achieve their goals.
One such story involves Aram and Lilith, two students from Armenia, who initially started a small convenience store to serve their local community. Through our program, and by learning from international success examples, they gained the insight to expand their business across the country, helping to create jobs for the poorest in their region.
Another impact can be seen in the journey of Teia, a female student from Georgia. Through our program, she gained the skills to launch a successful venture focused on integrating technology to develop medical tests. Her business not only thrived but also became a beacon of inspiration for other women in her community, demonstrating how entrepreneurship education can drive social change and promote gender equality by linking entrepreneurs in tech companies with standard medical operations.
A third example is the collaboration between Lira from Kosovo and Nikola from Macedonia. They worked in the same international company and began exchanging ideas during the course. Now, as intrapreneurs, they are expanding the company’s activities into neighboring countries, demonstrating the value of cross-cultural understanding in today’s globalized world.

The entrepreneurial mindset is something that develops slowly and then all at once, much like Hemingway’s famous line: “Gradually, then suddenly.” In addition, like many of my colleagues, I have witnessed how economic principles and the desire to become an entrepreneur are remarkably similar and universal across different contexts. But I’m always surprised as an entrepreneurship educator by how differently these universal concepts are applied in practice due to cultural differences. The same foundational ideas take on entirely new forms when filtered through diverse cultural lenses, leading to innovative solutions that might not emerge in a more uniform environment. Even for the simplest things, like where to place a product in a store, which technology to use, or how quickly administrative approvals can be obtained, cultural differences play a significant role.
Therefore, for me, the only way to deliver meaningful teaching is to fully embrace the experiences of the students. This means knowing their backgrounds and CVs before they come to class, engaging with them during breaks, and encouraging them to share their experiences in class (as entrepreneur or simple managers). However, it's crucial to carefully distinguish what is generalizable from what is not. This is usually the moment when the academic in me steps in, helping students sift through the noise, confront their experiences with theory, and improve their own practice. And then, gradually, they suddenly transform into better entrepreneurs, agents of innovation, or intrapreneurs.

My future plans involve evolving my teaching methods to better address the diverse needs of students. I've noticed that students often struggle with predicting how competitors, suppliers, or partners might react to business decisions. In short “What to expect next in the business?”. To address this, I plan to introduce a pinch of probability-based approaches into the curriculum, helping students better understand and quantify potential outcomes without overwhelming those less comfortable with numbers. Additionally, I want to explore the contrast between what can be achieved in large groups of 300 or more students versus smaller groups or even one-on-one mentoring. Here, I will incorporate more gamified, non-business-related activities, such as board games, to help students grasp the dynamics of others' moves and strategies.
At the University of Strasbourg, but also at City College, University of York European Campus, we are uniquely positioned with a strong multi-science orientation to balance the entrepreneurial mindset with a scientific approach. We have established Fab Labs where students can engage in hands-on projects, applying the scientific process to analyze and solve problems. By placing students in these environments, we aim to develop their scientific minds, which is essential for society, and to help them formulate strong entrepreneurial and research questions that drive meaningful innovation.
Finally, like all teachers around the world, the most pressing challenge will be to use artificial intelligence in a smart way.