This summer I had the opportunity of a lifetime, sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University, I attended the European Innovation Academy 2024 in Portugal.

The EIA is a three week program about entrepreneurship development and innovation. You have to launch a startup in just three weeks and pitch it to investors, with the potential of continuing after the program ends.

My journey as a participant in the EIA program was transformative, I took up the important and crucial role of CEO. My leadership, adaptability, and innovation skills were put to the test. I was not able achieve top ten, but I was able to win and get selected for the Porto cityxperiment with some lifelong friends which I made along the way (PortoPursuit LETS GOOO!!).

My team over the three weeks

I’d also like to introduce my amazing and diverse team for the main program. We had five passionate members on the team.

  • CMO, 🇺🇸 Bella Stevens from UC Berkeley
  • CTO, 🇵🇹 Joao Ramos from Instituo Superior De Engenharia De Lisboa
  • CFO, 🇫🇮 Oskari Laine from VAMK University of Applied Sciences
  • CPO, 🇵🇰 Adan Jawad from Carnegie Mellon University
  • CEO, 🇿🇦 Myself from Carnegie Mellon University

Team ReelAxe Joao, Talhah, Adan, Bella, Oskari

Lessons and Takeaways

Over the course of three weeks, I learned invaluable lessons from both my successes and challenges.

Innovation, seeing beyond the obvious

One of the earliest lessons I learnt from the program was the importance of understanding the true problem behind any challenge. It’s tempting to jump straight to a solution and attempting to build something which you think is creative and ground breaking. I found this out the hard way where the initial idea I pitched to my team wasn’t sufficient. The problem was major and I fell into a rabbit hole, losing grip of what needs to be solved and the essence of the problem.

Leadership, the weight of responsibility

As CEO of my team, I was immediately put into the position of establishing a team culture that fostered open communication. One of the most challenging parts was managing a team member who didn’t speak English, which often left them feeling excluded and underutilized. This was something which I could’ve handled better than I did. I did put in effort into making sure all members were heard but due to the fast pace of the program, it’s difficult to summarize and translate each change that’s made.

Customer Validation, the Foundation of Success

One of the most critical skills I developed during the program was the ability to effectively validate customer assumptions. Our team made a mistake and didn’t truly put ourselves in the shoes of our customers. We did do validation but it wasn’t thorough enough and the assumptions we made were clearly not valid. PUT YOURSELF IN THE CUSTOMERS SHOES.

Personal Growth, Confidence and Reflection

By the end of the program, I had grown significantly in my ability to lead, present, and adapt to new situations. Pitching to over 30 people during the startup expo, answering tough questions with confidence, and taking on the role of CEO despite challenges all contributed to my development. However, I also learned the importance of self-reflection, particularly when a team member provided feedback about feeling excluded due to language barriers. This feedback was a humbling reminder of the responsibilities of leadership and the need for clear and inclusive communication. I believe I did a great job with open communication to be able to receive feedback.

Conclusion, a journey of growth and adventure

My experience in Portugal was a rollercoaster of highs and lows, but each moment contributed to my growth as a leader and innovator. The lessons I learned about innovation, leadership, customer validation, and teamwork will stay with me as I continue to develop both personally and professionally. While my team didn’t make it to the top 10, I’m proud of the journey we undertook and the progress we made. The feedback, challenges, and successes have all shaped me into a more resilient, thoughtful, and confident leader, ready to tackle future challenges with renewed perspective and energy.

Stay tuned for more posts specifically about Portugal and Spain only!