Next Guest Speaker: HAP KLOPP
Hap Klopp was the co-founder and CEO for more than 20 years of. The North Face, transformed the company into a globally recognized benchmark brand in the outdoor industry. Following that experience, he founded HK Consulting, a private consulting firm specializing in strategy, global business, marketing, and sales for companies in the sports, apparel, and financial services sectors.
He is also a lecturer and motivational speaker, sharing his expertise in leadership and entrepreneurship. He serves on the boards of several entrepreneurial ventures and has been Chairman of Daytrip since 2019.
Hap Klopp is the author of Conquering The North Face: An Adventure in Leadership and ALMOST: 12 Electric Months Chasing a Silicon Valley Dream. His expertise spans strategy, brand building, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance, developed through extensive international experience.
HAP KLOOP 26.10.2026-01.11.2026
Hap Klopp is an entrepreneur, business leader, academic, and explorer, internationally recognised as the founder of The North Face, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer for two decades. Under his leadership, the company evolved into a global leader in the outdoor apparel and equipment industry, distinguished by its commitment to innovation, product excellence, and outstanding management practices. Following the success of The North Face, Klopp founded HK Consulting, an international management consulting firm, and has since advised, invested in, and served on the boards of numerous entrepreneurial ventures across sectors including healthcare, sustainability, and biotechnology. An internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, he has delivered lectures at leading universities, multinational organisations, and global conferences on leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the future of work. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at prestigious academic institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley, and Hult International Business School, where he is actively engaged in research and executive education programmes focusing on organisational transformation and the future of work. Klopp is also the author of Conquering The North Face: An Adventure in Leadership and ALMOST: 12 Electric Months Chasing a Silicon Valley Dream, publications that reflect his extensive expertise in leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and organisational development. Conquering: The North Face, an Adventure in Leadership and Almost – 12 Electric Months Chasing a Silicon Valley Dream. Prin activitatea sa de antreprenor, educator, investitor și explorator, continuă să inspire noile generații de inovatori și lideri de afaceri.
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26.10.2026, Room 120, 13.00-15.00
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27.10.2025, Room 120, 9.40-11.10
To reserve your seat for the courses, please fill in the the form.
* All students who attend the courses will receive a certificate of participation; also, the professor will award three certificates for outstanding achievements.
Cordelia Mason 11.11.2026-21.11.2026
Prof. dr. Cordelia Mason is a professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) is an internationally recognised expert in entrepreneurship, strategic management, innovation, and the future of work. With more than three decades of experience in academia and university leadership, she has held senior positions including Dean, Deputy Dean, Director of Strategy, and Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan UniKL, playing a key role in advancing entrepreneurship education and institutional innovation. Her research and consultancy focus on entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, sustainability, artificial intelligence, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), financial education, and future workforce skills development. As a consultant and expert, she has collaborated with international organisations such as UNESCO-UNEVOC, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers, contributing to educational policy initiatives, curriculum development, and the promotion of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The author of numerous scholarly publications and case studies, Professor Dr Cordelia Mason is a dedicated advocate for innovation, leadership, and sustainable development, inspiring new generations of entrepreneurs and leaders through her academic and professional contributions.
To reserve your seat for the courses, please fill in the
All UBB Student i-Lab participants who attend the courses will receive a certificate of participation.
Cristina Cismas-Florea and Morgan Slain | TBD
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Cristina Cișmaș has over 20 years of experience in the field of education. She has taught mathematics and business at the high school level and has implemented innovative programs in various schools. In 2014, Cristina founded the BEAM Program—an international educational initiative for high schools where students learn to build their own startups through a curriculum developed in partnership with renowned companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young. Students also gain access to business internships through the BEAM network. BEAM has thousands of alumni worldwide and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the Nuffic Report in the Netherlands, where it was recognized as one of the best practices in education. Cristina has been named a Distinguished Alumna by Santa Clara University for her work with the BEAM Program. Before joining Santa Clara University, Cristina served as Chief Program Officer at the Boys and Girls Clubs, was a lecturer at Stanford University, and a speaker at Wharton School of Business seminars. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Santa Clara University, where she teaches Design Thinking, and a consultant for Santa Clara Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in Bronco-led startups. LinkedIn_ Cristina Cismas
Morgan Slain is a General Partner at Santa Clara Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in companies founded by alumni, faculty, staff, and students of Santa Clara University. He is also the founder and director of the Bronco Venture Accelerator, a program designed to support Santa Clara University entrepreneurs by providing resources, community, and accountability mechanisms to help grow their businesses. In addition, Morgan is a General Partner at Santa Cruz Ventures, a venture capital fund affiliated with the Santa Cruz Works accelerator, focused on supporting sustainability- and planet-health-oriented startups in the Santa Cruz region and along the Central Coast. With over 25 years of experience in corporate management, business operations, strategic planning, and mergers & acquisitions, Morgan has a proven track record of leading and exiting emerging tech companies, with over $200 million in exits. He was a partner at UP2398, Pierre Omidyar’s early-stage investment fund, and has held executive roles in subsidiaries or companies acquired by Google, Disney, Palm, and Frost & Sullivan. His areas of expertise include blockchain, data analytics, machine learning, biotechnology, and consumer goods. Morgan holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in International Studies from Stanford University, graduating with honors. Linkedin Amnon Dekel Morgan Slain
Validation with a VC from Silicon Valley
Join a Silicon Valley venture capitalist for an interactive workshop on how investors validate startups, what signals matter most at early stages, and how founders can position themselves for investment opportunities.
You will gain practical insights into:
- How VCs think: What drives investment decisions in Silicon Valley.
- Startup validation: Frameworks to test your idea, traction, and market potential from an investor perspective.
- Strategii de strângere de fonduri: How to navigate pitching, investor relationships, and term sheets.
This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from an experienced VC about what it takes to build credibility, attract capital, and scale. Whether you’re refining your idea, preparing for your first investment round, or already scaling, this workshop will help you align your vision with investor expectations.
03.12.2025, Room 120, 17.00-18.30
Do you have a startup idea and want to make it heard?.
Great ideas do not speak for themselves - founders do. In this workshop, led by a professor from Santa Clara University and a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, you will learn how to turn your startup vision into a story that inspires investors, customers, and partners. Drawing on proven frameworks, you will discover how to:
You will develop skills in how to...
- Define problems in a way that connects emotionally with your audience.
- Craft clear, memorable solutions that stand out from the competition.
- Use storytelling techniques (common ground, contrast, and emotion) to win attention.
- Deliver pitches that are dynamic, confident, and investor-ready.
Whether you are preparing your first pitch or refining your story, this session will help you transform your startup narrative into one that gets remembered and funded.
04.12.2025, Room 120, 15.50-17.20
** CEBSS Presentation Research Talk – Morgan Slain and Cristina Cismas-Florea Morgan Slain and Cristina Cismas-Florea from Santa Clara University, both experienced entrepreneurs and venture capital investors with successful exits in Silicon Valley, will present contemporary approaches to teaching entrepreneurship and venture capital in a university setting, as well as their experience in developing and leading the university’s startup accelerator and its related entrepreneurship programs. Drawing on their dual roles as educators and investors, they will discuss best practices in teaching entrepreneurship and venture capital within a university ecosystem deeply connected to Silicon Valley’s innovation network.
The talk will highlight how Santa Clara University integrates entrepreneurial education across disciplines, embedding startup thinking, innovation processes, and venture finance concepts into engineering, business, law, and social impact programs. Attendees will gain insights into how cross-departmental collaboration, experiential learning, and real-world venture engagement prepare students to launch and scale startups, attract investment, and contribute to global innovation.
This session aims to share our research findings with Babes-Bolyai University faculty, staff, and students on teaching entrepreneurship, fostering student success, applying appropriate metrics, and achieving meaningful outcomes. Prezentarea va avea ca scop încurajarea colaborării și generarea de noi idei de cercetare.
04.12.2025, Room 118, 14.00–15.30
Business Plan Validation and Pitching
Join a Silicon Valley venture capitalist for an interactive workshop on how investors validate startups, what signals matter most at early stages, and how founders can position themselves for investment opportunities.
In addition to the pitching session, each team will have the opportunity to record an elevator pitch video facilitated by the UBB i-Lab Team. These videos will be published on the TikTok account @ubbiLab to increase visibility and promote the projects within the community. This creative component offers students a real-world communication context, where they learn to adapt their message into a captivating and relevant format for modern digital platforms.
05.12.2025, Room 120, 9.40-14.00
Mentoring for Demo Day
The teams selected to enter the competition UBB iLab Demo Day, will benefit from one-on-one mentoring sessions with experienced mentors, including Cristina and Morgan. These meetings will provide personalized support to address final questions and clarify any remaining aspects of the teams’ business concepts. The main goal is to help teams refine and perfect their projects, taking into account the feedback received during previous mentoring and validation stages.
During these in-depth discussions, mentors will help clarify aspects related to strategy, operational planning, and financial components. With their support, teams will identify their strengths and find effective solutions to the challenges they’ve encountered, ensuring they are as well-prepared as possible for the final presentation at Demo Day.
08.12.2025, Room 120, 13.00-15.00
To reserve your seat for the courses, please fill in the form.
* All students who attend the courses will receive a certificate of participation; also, the professor will award three certificates for outstanding achievements.
Russ Browder 02.03 2026-08.03. 2026
Russ Browder supports leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators in standing out through his teaching and applied research. In academic settings or within companies, Russ teaches entrepreneurial leadership, global entrepreneurship, communication, and executive presence. His academic research has been published in top journals such as Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Journal of Product Innovation Management and others. His studies explore the connections between technology, learning, creativity, and organizational resilience, in contexts such as emerging digital technologies, makerspaces, and crisis response.
Russ has received multiple awards for teaching innovation as a university lecturer in entrepreneurship at the Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma. He holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship and a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Baylor University. He earned an International MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, as a Fulbright Scholar. His professional experience spans several decades as a global leader in medical technology marketing, work in the non-profit sector, and roles as founder or co-founder of two businesses.
Identifying relevant issues for entrepreneurial initiatives
În această sesiune, studenții vor fi ghidați în procesul de identificare și definire a unor probleme autentice și semnificative, care au potențialul de a genera inițiative antreprenoriale sustenabile. Prin aplicarea principiilor metodologiei Design Thinking, participanții vor învăța cum să identifice probleme și să argumenteze modul în care vor aborda categoriile de persoane cel mai profund afectate de respectivele provocări și să analizeze contextul social, economic și tehnologic în care aceste probleme se manifestă. Sesiunea va include activități introductive de customer discovery, prin care echipele vor colecta primele date calitative direct de la potențiali utilizatori, contribuind astfel la fundamentarea unor soluții relevante și orientate spre impact.
Monday, 2.03.2026, 1.00-4.30 pm, Room 120
Designing value-added solutions
Pornind de la problemele identificate, studenții vor lucra în echipe pentru a dezvolta idei de soluții inovatoare care să răspundă într-un mod eficient și sustenabil nevoilor identificate. Utilizând metode specifice Design Thinking și Lean Startup, participanții vor explora posibile căi de soluționare, vor formula ipoteze de valoare și vor începe să construiască o primă variantă a ideii lor de afacere. De asemenea, stabili componentele esențiale ale unui model de business, precum: segmentele de clienți țintă, propunerea unică de valoare, canalele de distribuție, structura costurilor și sursele de venit. Activitatea va fi orientată spre validarea timpurie a ipotezelor și dezvoltarea unei înțelegeri sistemice a modului în care conceptele de business pot funcționa în realitatea pieței.
Tuesday 3.03.2026, 1.00-4.30 pm, Room 120
Turning ideas into entrepreneurial initiatives
Această sesiune are ca obiectiv consolidarea ideilor dezvoltate de studenți și integrarea acestora într-un model antreprenorial coerent, adaptat nevoilor pieței și capabil să genereze valoare economică și socială. Studenții vor învăța să articuleze în mod clar și structurat modul în care soluțiile propuse creează valoare, ajung la clienți și se susțin în timp printr-un mecanism economic viabil. De asemenea, participanții vor începe elaborarea unei prezentări de tip pitch, care să reflecte atât inovația, cât și fezabilitatea ideii, punând accent pe claritatea mesajului, coerența logică, utilizarea de suporturi vizuale relevante și tehnici eficiente de comunicare. Sesiunea include îndrumare privind livrarea unei prezentări convingătoare, adaptată publicului țintă.
Wednesday, 4.03.2026, 1.00-4.30 pm, Room 120
** CEBSS Research Presentation – Russ Browder will present a synthesis of his recent research in entrepreneurship to the faculty members of Babeș-Bolyai University.
The presentation explores how hybrid institutional logics shape the emergence of collective voice and the formation of effectual networks in collaborative spaces for creation and prototyping, with the aim of encouraging collaboration and generating new research ideas.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 14:00–15:00, Room 118.
Pitching session that drives action
În cadrul sesiunii finale, echipele participante își vor susține pitch-ul în fața unui public format din colegi, cadre didactice și invitați din mediul profesional și antreprenorial. Această etapă oferă studenților oportunitatea de a-și valida ideile în fața unui public avizat și de a primi feedback menit să contribuie la perfecționarea inițiativelor. Accentul va fi pus pe dezvoltarea competențelor de prezentare și argumentare, esențiale în atragerea stakeholderilor. Echipele care demonstrează un potențial ridicat de implementare vor putea fi invitate să participe în cadrul programului de incubare. La finalul programului, toți participanții vor primi certificate de participare, recunoscând progresul, implicarea și realizările obținute pe parcursul celor patru zile de lucru intensiv.
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 15:40–17:10, Room 120.,
To reserve your seat, fill out the form.
* All students who attend the courses will receive a certificate of participation; also, the professor will award three certificates for outstanding achievements.
Wendy Bolger 23.03 2026-29.03. 2026
Wendy Bolger has leveraged a strong career in social innovation, technology, and corporate intrapreneurship to establish and lead the Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Loyola University Maryland since 2018. She is a graduate of the MBA program at the Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia, where she received multiple awards for academic excellence and leadership in the field of social enterprise. Bolger has distinguished herself as an intrapreneur, frequently involved in launching new products and building innovative teams. She began her professional career at Intel as a product marketing engineer within the New Business Initiatives division. She later founded her own consulting firm, providing services in growth strategy and fundraising. At Loyola University, Bolger created and currently directs the Baltipreneurs Accelerator, a program that supports the development of startup founders by drawing on her advanced knowledge in innovation and her deep commitment to the theory of effectuation.
In 2020 she was named to Technical.ly’s inaugural RealLIST Connectors roundup of those building Baltimore’s tech, entrepreneurship, and innovation community. In 2021 she co- hosted the annual Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Conference (GCEC), joining the GCEC Board of Advisors. Wendy was among the 2022 “Women to Watch” named by the Baltimore Business Journal. After the Center was gifted a $3 million endowment to ensure its perpetuity in 2022, in 2023 the Simon Center was recognized by UpSurge for as the “Baltimore Entrepreneur Support Organization of the Year.” Loyola University, MD was ranked #4 Most Innovative School in region in 2023 by US News & World Report, and in 2024 Wendy was named “Baltimore Educator of the Year” by Technical.ly readers. The GCEC awarded the Simon Center 1st place globally for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation in 2024.
Workshop Effectuation
Discover Effectuation Theory – the most well-documented method in entrepreneurship! Although we are not born entrepreneurs, we can learn to think and act like one. In this workshop, students will explore the five core principles of the method:
- Available Resources (Means)
- Acceptable Loss (Affordable Loss)
- Co-Creation
- Leveraging Contingencies
- Worldview
Through interactive discussions, games, and reflection, you will learn how to apply these principles to your life and your business idea. We will work together to develop an entrepreneurial mindset focused on opportunities and solutions, using the resources you already have at your disposal. You are invited to explore the myths of entrepreneurship and build your confidence in your ability to succeed and create your own path in the entrepreneurial world!
March 23, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Room 120
Building Relationships & Identifying Customers
This workshop will give you the opportunity to explore how valuable relationships can be built and how to uncover the real needs of customers. It will introduce participants to the Customer Discovery methodology and the I-Corps program, used by entrepreneurs worldwide to validate business ideas. The workshop will also offer insights from Adam Grant’s research (author of Give & Take) to learn how to ask for help and build strong networks based on generosity and collaboration. You’ll practice how to engage partners, customers, and investors in an authentic and meaningful way. The session will also cover funding methods—from Friends & Family to Angel Investors and Venture Capital. You’ll receive practical advice on how to approach each type of investor and how to tailor your message to the context. This workshop helps you understand that relationships matter just as much as the idea itself. Join us to discover how to identify and develop the skills needed to gain real support for your business concept!
March 24, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Room 120
Artificial Intelligence for Efficiency and Innovation
This workshop offers a hands-on introduction to several AI platforms and applications currently used by entrepreneurs to create marketing materials, plan their businesses, and automate operational processes. Participants will explore the tools that startup founders rely on to optimize their time and resources, as well as to tailor their products to customer needs and investor expectations. We will analyze how selected AI solutions work, with a strong focus on their practical applicability. Attendees will learn how to integrate these technologies into their own projects and how to leverage AI to increase efficiency and the added value of their business ideas.
March 25, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Room 120
Pitching and Validation
The final workshop of the week is dedicated to preparing participants for presenting their business ideas. Attendees will explore Guy Kawasaki’s recommendations for crafting a compelling pitch deck and will apply these principles in an elevator pitch, regardless of the stage of their entrepreneurial initiative. Through multiple rounds of individual exercises and feedback sessions, each team will deliver a short pitch to showcase their progress. Participants will vote for their favorite ideas, and at the end, certificates will be awarded to acknowledge the skills gained throughout the program.
March 26, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Room 120
To reserve your sit in Ms. Wendy Bolger’s courses, complete the form.
* All students who attend the courses will receive a certificate of participation; also, the professor will award three certificates for outstanding achievements.