Diego Rubio and Eugenio Gulminelli are two business-minded IE University students on a mission: to make entrepreneurship even more accessible for students.
When passions converge
Diego was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, though he always dreamed of moving far away to “explore everything the world has to offer and my place within it.” Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs—owners of bakers, hair salons and derivatives companies—Diego was inspired to understand how owning a business can help one fulfill their dreams. This desire to study abroad and his innate curiosity about the world of business landed Diego at IE University, pursuing a Bachelor in Business Administration.
Eugenio’s story is a bit different. Trained and working as a lawyer in his home country of Argentina, he was looking for a new challenge—a place to learn, network and connect with people with similar interests. He wanted to grow personally and professionally, and he knew IE University would be the perfect place to do just that. So he packed his bags and crossed an ocean to pursue the Master in Management—and build a startup with three friends.
With similar mindsets and a passion for entrepreneurship, it’s no wonder these two bright businessmen came together to create a summit like none other.
Creating the IE Entrepreneurship Summit
Diego and Eugenio have known for a while that they wanted to launch an event like the summit. “Entrepreneurship is the essence of our university, and as the Entrepreneurship Club, it’s our responsibility to be the main gateway for students to achieve success in this field,” Diego tells us. “For that reason, gathering the most brilliant entrepreneurial minds from around the world provides a unique opportunity to gain insight into what made them succeed, get answers to vital questions about yourself and your business, as well as to network with like-minded entrepreneurs.”
When the two got to planning, they had two main objectives in mind: to get the best international speakers and to transition to more face-to-face events.
According to Diego, scoring top speakers was made easy thanks to IE University’s global reputation as a leader in higher education. So with some connections and “a bit of charm,” the two were able to land “individuals who’ve previously appeared in Forbes’ list of 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs, Fortune’s 40 under 40, and much more.”
The team was also successful in putting on some of the summit’s events in person. Though citing logistics as the most stressful and time-consuming part of event planning, with the help of IE Campus Life and their other team members, Diego and Eugenio were able to organize some awesome face-to-face events—and in record time.
Inspired by the event’s success, Diego and Eugenio now have a new goal: to put on a summit every semester, in order to “foster interaction and engagement among peers and help us learn from and with others.”
Unlocking their future
Both Diego and Eugenio dream big. While Diego aims to become a top company manager or consultant, Eugenio will continue to grow his startup, Candid Tails, which sells CBD oil for pets. The two motivated young students explain that the skills they honed while planning the summit—project management, logistics, marketing and persuasion—will be key in the development of their future careers, and a “formidable experience” that they’ll carry with them forever.
And as for their experience thus far at IE University, the duo says if they could, they’d do it all again.
For more information about entrepreneurship at IE University, visit the official webpage.