Global Immersion Week
Silicon Valley & San Francisco: Business Model Design, Innovation & Transformation
Where innovation reshapes industries and transformation defines competitive advantage.
Global Immersion Week at Westfield Business School is designed to connect academic frameworks with real-world business environments. Through academic sessions, business exposure, and cultural immersion, participants engage directly with the ecosystems shaping global innovation.
Each destination represents a distinct strategic environment. In Silicon Valley and San Francisco, the focus converges on how organizations design, test, and scale new business models in conditions defined by speed, uncertainty, and exponential change.
Strategic Focus – Silicon Valley & San Francisco
Silicon Valley operates as the most advanced innovation ecosystem in the world, where organizations continuously redefine how value is created, delivered, and scaled.
Business model design becomes a dynamic capability. Companies iterate, experiment, and adapt at a pace that challenges traditional structures. Participants explore how innovation is embedded into culture, decision-making, and organizational design.
Experience Structure
Morning
Participants engage in executive academic sessions led by global experts and innovation leaders such as Jonathan Reichental, Roger Chen, John Stoddard, and Rafael De Cárdenas. Discussions focus on innovation ecosystems, business model design, entrepreneurship, digital transformation, design thinking, technoethics, and strategic growth, connecting theory with real world cases and high impact business experimentation.
Afternoon
The experience extends into Silicon Valley and San Francisco’s innovation ecosystem through company visits, startup interactions, and immersive experiences at organizations such as Plug and Play, AWS, Hacker Dojo, Silicon Valley Bank, Mind the Bridge, and Stanford University. Participants observe how startups, venture ecosystems, and technology companies operate, scale, collaborate, and compete within one of the world’s most influential innovation hubs.
Cultural Layer
The culture of Silicon Valley reinforces experimentation, iteration, agility, and resilience as essential components of innovation. Through exposure to entrepreneurial environments, venture ecosystems, and collaborative networks, participants experience how openness to risk, continuous learning, and disruptive thinking shape organizations capable of transforming industries and creating new markets.
Key Locations
Plug and Play Tech Center
A globally recognized innovation platform connecting startups, corporations, investors, and entrepreneurs through acceleration, collaboration, and venture development.
Stanford University
One of the world’s leading academic institutions and a cornerstone of the Silicon Valley ecosystem, recognized for entrepreneurship, research, venture creation, and technological innovation.
AWS
A leading global technology company representing cloud infrastructure, digital transformation, scalability, and innovation driven business models.
Mind the Bridge
An international innovation advisory and startup ecosystem platform focused on connecting corporations with emerging technologies and entrepreneurial talent.
Hacker Dojo
A collaborative entrepreneurial and technology community that reflects Silicon Valley’s culture of experimentation, networking, and continuous innovation.
Alamo Square
An iconic representation of San Francisco’s identity, where historic character and technological transformation coexist within one of the world’s most dynamic urban innovation environments.
Twin Peaks
A strategic viewpoint overlooking the San Francisco Bay Area, offering participants a broader perspective on the scale, connectivity, and density of one of the world’s most influential innovation ecosystems.
Golden Gate Bridge
A global symbol of connection, expansion, and ambition, reflecting how ideas, companies, and industries emerging from Silicon Valley scale beyond geographical and market boundaries.
Palace of Fine Arts
A landmark where architecture, creativity, culture, and human centered thinking intersect, reinforcing the role of design and imagination in innovation and transformation.
*Some locations referenced correspond to selected experiences and corporate visits from previous Global Immersion Weeks. Locations, companies, speakers, and activities may vary depending on the edition, availability, and academic agenda.
Global Immersion Week Experience
Speakers
Jonathan Reichental
CEO y Founder de Human Future
Globally recognized expert in digital transformation, smart cities, emerging technologies, technoethics, and innovation driven leadership.
Fabian Eggers
Professor of Marketing and Entrepreneurship en Menlo College
Specialized in innovation management, entrepreneurial strategy, customer centricity, and strategic decision making in dynamic business environments.
John Stoddard
Innovation and design expert, former Senior Designer at IDEO
Specialized in design thinking, service innovation, customer experience, and human centered product strategy.
Roger Chen
Professor de University of San Francisco
With expertise in corporate innovation, entrepreneurship, growth strategy, and international business ecosystems.
Rafael De Cárdenas
Chief Innovation Officer de Westfield Business School y CEO de TETE Fostering Leadership
Focused on leadership, organizational transformation, and innovation in global business environments.
Tsahala David
CEO of Great Revenew,
venture growth, and scalable business development within the technology sector.
*Speakers referenced correspond to selected experts and executives who participated in previous editions of the Global Immersion Week. Speakers, sessions, and corporate visits may vary depending on the edition, availability, and academic agenda.
Leadership Angle
Silicon Valley shapes leaders who operate in environments defined by uncertainty and speed, where innovation requires continuous adaptation, experimentation, and strategic clarity.
Learning Outcome
- Participants develop the ability to:
- Design and evaluate scalable business models
- Lead innovation processes within organizations
- Navigate decision-making in uncertain and fast-changing environments
- Apply transformation strategies to real-world business challenges