INNOVATION HUBS:
How universities boost entrepreneurship and the economy
September 18, 2025
6:30 p.m. Eastern
Online and free event
Simultaneous translation
English–Portuguese–Spanish
A conversation with the leaders of the innovation centers of Case Western Reserve University (USA), Insper (Brazil), and Uniandes (Colombia)
Entrepreneurship is a lifeblood of the global economy. In the United States, venture-backed companies generate 21% of the country’s GDP and employ 11% of the private sector workforce. Brazil is home to the third largest entrepreneurial community in the world, behind only China and the USA.
How do leading research universities help entrepreneurs turn their innovative ideas into engines of the economy?
Innovation centers such as the Sears think[box] at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Insper’s Paulo Cunha Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub, and the Center for Entrepreneurship at Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes) in Colombia, play a strategic role in the innovation ecosystem. These centers offer mentorship, access to research labs, prototyping workshops, and investor connections — accelerating startups and expanding students’ ability to launch scalable businesses.
Since 2021, Insper’s student and alumni startups have raised R$6.4 billion (US$1.2 billion). CWRU’s Think[box] welcomes more than 70,000 people a year to its 5,000 m2 facility that offers access to advanced equipment worth more than $10 million. By connecting academic research and entrepreneurial practice, these creative hubs train leaders capable of transforming local and global markets.
In this edition of Talking Business, you'll learn:
- The role of innovation centers within universities;
- The importance of support networks for entrepreneurs and how to best access them;
- How to face the challenges that make life difficult for entrepreneurs;
- The paths followed by students who launch successful companies.
Guests
Rodrigo Amantea
Rodrigo Amantea is Head of the Paulo Cunha Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub and professor at Insper. He has extensive executive experience in innovation in the management of products, services and brands, in technology companies, and as co-founder of the technology startup Benditos and the marketing agency Undi. Before taking over the leadership of the Innovation Hub, he was Director of Executive Education at Insper. With a PhD in Business Administration from FGV-EAESP with a focus on Business Strategy, he has completed entrepreneurship, brand management and interactive teaching programs at Babson College, Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School.
Claire Dorsett
Claire Dorsett leads the largest open-access maker space on a university campus in the United States. She oversees the Sears think[box] team and programs for the seven-story, 50,000-square-foot building. Before returning to her home state of Ohio, Dorsett directed STEM programming at the Boston-based Fab Foundation, which supports a worldwide network of design and manufacturing labs. She was responsible for developing the STEM programs for a global initiative aimed at making fab labs and digital manufacturing technologies more accessible. She earned a Master of Education in Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Hamilton Lopez Caro
Hamilton López Caro leads the Center for Entrepreneurship at Universidad de los Andes in its mission to support and catalyze entrepreneurship within the Uniandes community and its allied ecosystem. An Industrial Designer and alum of the National University of Colombia, Lopez has extensive experience leading Research, Development and Innovation efforts and as a consultant across sectors and technologies. He earned a Master’s in creative design from Scuola Italiana Design (SID) and in Innovation and Internationalization from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in Spain.
Carolina Rodríguez
Carolina Rodríguez Ramírez has extensive experience in communication, community management, and entrepreneurial support. As Community and Partnerships Manager at the Center for Entrepreneurship at Uniandes, she coordinates pre-acceleration programs and mentor certification initiatives. Previously, Carolina held roles at Universidad El Bosque and Colciencias, where she developed digital strategy for social media. Carolina earned her Bachelor’s in Social Communication and Journalism from Universidad Santo Tomás and a specialization in Digital Communication from Politécnico Grancolombiano. Fluent in English and Spanish, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Strategic Management at Universidad de los Andes.
Moderator
Jason Dyett
Jason Dyett is Vice President and Co-Founder of the UNINTER Global Hub. Based in Boston, he has 25 years of experience founding and growing private sector and higher education initiatives in the U.S. and Brazil. He served as Managing Director of the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University (2016-2019) and was Founding Executive Director of the Harvard University office in São Paulo (2006-2016). Earlier in his career, he conducted best practice research on information security and worked in business development for international technology startups. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.A. with distinction from the University of Vermont.
