For their final project, students in the Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) are tasked with creating an innovative, comprehensive business plan for a product or service they are passionate about. Equipped with the tools they’ve developed over the four years of the degree—and guided by an experienced mentor—student groups take their idea through all the stages of development, from ideation to commercialization. If they so wish, they can also bring their startup to the IE Venture Lab, an incubator where students can further develop their business and validate it in the market to prepare for launch.
Many people ask me why I wanted to go to IE University. I always tell them the same: I wanted to become an entrepreneur, and IE University was my best option to achieve this.
During my journey at IE University, I tried to create two startups that failed due to my lack of experience. I had many things to learn, and one of those things was to take advantage of all the tools that the university provided me—both on and off campus—in order to succeed. This includes advising, financial tools, its powerful network, student clubs and more.
When I started my final project at IE University, I was told to create an innovative business model for something that I loved. This assignment turned into B-BACUS.
B-BACUS is an online space where consumers can sign up for wine experiences and discover their passion for wine. We act as a two-sided marketplace, a platform that connects wineries and wine consumers.
To the wineries, we offer the opportunity to increase their online visibility and attract a younger public with different needs, selling and promoting their wine through experiences. In other words, we promote experiences inside and outside the wineries as a way to increase their direct sales, including wine tastings, visits and stays in the winery spaces, and other in-person or virtual events. This allows wineries to connect with their customers directly and better understand their needs and preferences.
On the customer side, we focus on a segment of the population that we consider potential wine consumers, introducing them to the world of wine through their interest in learning. To do this, we have started a social media strategy in which we aim to attract this audience with basic and digestible educational lessons, to then offer them experiences to complete their learning.
We also work with restaurants, companies and consumers who want to organize an event related to wine experiences (weddings, promotional events, incentives, etc.).
I knew I wanted to continue with the project once I finished my degree, so I contacted the IE Venture Lab team to enter the startup incubator. With the enormous help of our mentor, Soledad Llorente, we are starting to see a solid response in the market.
We are in our developing phase, but without IE University, we wouldn’t have been able to get this far.
