Madrid, October 31. The MBA Acelera Madrid Meeting brought together this Thursday representatives from companies, universities, public administrations, and organisations from Latin America and Europe to discuss how social enterprise can generate employment, sustainability, and inclusion.
The event, held at Espacio Pablo VI, was organised by Fundación del Valle and ACTEC, together with Linares Abogados and funded by AECID, and included the participation of partner institutions from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Colombia. During the day, real-life business transformation case studies were shared, and new tools were presented to strengthen the micro-enterprise ecosystem in the region.
“Cooperation cannot continue to be competitive: we need to build shared knowledge and generate real transformation on the ground,” emphasised Belén Valenzuela, Director of International Projects at Fundación del Valle, during the presentation of Acelera Lab, the new digital platform that brings together resources and learnings from the MBA Acelera model.
For his part, Miguel Albarrán presented and stressed that “Acelera Lab is born with an open and collaborative vocation: knowledge is not kept, it is shared, so that more institutions and more small business owners can benefit from it”.
The various panels addressed topics such as impact investment, public-private partnerships, and social innovation from micro-enterprises, with the participation of representatives from AECID, the Madrid City Council, and GAWA Capital. From Latin America, organisations such as Interactuar (Colombia), FUSAI (El Salvador), and FUNDAP (Guatemala) shared successful experiences and the adaptation of the MBA Acelera model in contexts of inequality, violence, or economic vulnerability.
“MBA Acelera does not only transform businesses; it transforms people and communities. We have learned that the key lies in working as a network and strengthening human talent,” said Andrea Zuloaga, Director of Business Transformation at Interactuar.
One of the most inspiring moments of the meeting was the testimony of Marlon Baena, a Colombian entrepreneur and programme graduate, who shared his experience of personal and business transformation:
“MBA Acelera changed my company and my life. I went from being the only employee to leading a team of more than 60 people. Today I can say that growing with purpose is possible. This network shows that cooperation can indeed generate real prosperity.”
Daniel Turiel, Director of ACTEC and founder of the MBA Acelera model, recalled that the initiative was born from a simple but powerful conviction: that business education can be a tool for structural change.
“More than ten years ago we dreamed of creating a business school for small business owners. Today we see how that dream has become an international network that shows that knowledge, when shared, multiplies.”
MBA Acelera is part of the Business Schools Strategy for Micro-enterprises, promoted since 2010 by Fundación del Valle and ACTEC. The programme has strengthened the management skills of more than 17,000 entrepreneurs in Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, and Kenya, promoting sustainable businesses and decent work.
The event closed with an invitation to continue collaborating across regions and sectors to build a new cooperation based on trust, transparency, and shared learning.
📍 Venue: Espacio Pablo VI
🔗 More information: https://aceleramba.com/acelera-lab/
Press contact:
Miguel Albarrán
miguelalbarran@fundaciondelvalle.org
913 57 95 14
