ESCP Innovation & Entrepreneurial Transformation Institute
Our Mission
The Say Institute is ESCP’s hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Transformation. We create the foundation for desirable futures by facilitating the development of entrepreneurial mindsets and uncertainty competence in current and future leaders. Consequently, we are driving an entrepreneurial movement for an understanding, training, and practice of business and management that centers on ambitious, sustainable, and human-centered action. We empower leaders to navigate transformation and address the global challenges of our times.
Since 2007, the Say Institute has built a legacy of excellence in entrepreneurship research and education, expanding its impact through interdisciplinary initiatives and forward-thinking programs. Its name is a tribute to the person promoting the concept of “the entrepreneur”, Jean-Baptiste Say, who also co-founded ESCP as the first business school in the world in 1819.
Our DNA
EMPOWER
We enable entrepreneurs and corporate leaders by equipping them with the mindset, tools and methodologies to thrive in uncertain times.
TRANSFORM
By bridging research, design and practice, we guide organizations to adapt, shape and scale sustainably.
INNOVATE
In our rapidly evolving world, we encourage individuals to start from small ideas and guide them towards tangible solutions with lasting impact.
Our EVENTS
Leadership Section
Director
René Mauer
Director ESCP Innovation and Entrepreneurial Transformation Institute - Jean-Baptiste Say
As director of the Say Institute, René Mauer takes the practical application of ESCP’s entrepreneurship research and design activities into focus. To that end, he builds on his experiences in turning his area of expertise in entrepreneurial decision-making into methods and tools for application in venture and corporate contexts. As the Academic Director of ESCP’s Executive Master in Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership, he constantly designs cutting-edge didactics around his core themes. René Mauer earned his doctoral degree from RWTH Aachen University. Furthermore, he has been working for and with SMEs and with corporates, such as Siemens, 3M, BASF, BMW, or P&G. He also co-owns a family business, and co-founded a technology-start-up, an improvisation theater and the expert network Effectuation Intelligence
Project Leaders
Sylvain Bureau
Professor
Entrepreneurship
sbureau@escp.eu
Lola Herrero
Associate Professor
Entrepreneurship
lherrero@escp.eu
Martin Kupp
Professor
Entrepreneurship
Accelerating deeptech ventures
mkupp@escp.eu
Matthias Mrozewski
Assistant Professor
Entrepreneurship
mmrozewski@escp.eu
Christoph Seckler
Professor
Entrepreneurship
cseckler@escp.eu
Robert Sheldon
Associate Professor
Entrepreneurship
rsheldon@escp.eu
Davide Sola
Professor
Entrepreneurship
dsola@escp.eu
Alisa Sydow
Professor
Entrepreneurship
asydow@escp.eu
Ben Voyer
Professor
Entrepreneurship
bvoyer@escp.eu
Research Topics and Initiatives
The Say Institute seeks to advance innovation and entrepreneurial transformation across different organizational contexts by fostering impactful research and broadening its accessibility. The Institute focuses its activities in four topic areas:
Research Topics and Initiatives
CEntrO
CEntrO is ESCP’s Corporate Entrepreneurship Observatory. We are in the process of building a multi-year study on innovation and entrepreneurial transformation in collaboration with partner companies and organizations. If you are interested, please get in touch!
