Mehak Sood is an MBA ’25 candidate, a Forté Ambassador, and the Director of the Pass the Glass program at Ivey Women in Management Club. She recently traveled to Portugal for the Ivey MBA International Study Trip. In her blog, she breaks down her experience and her key takeaways.
The Portugal study trip was more than just an academic experience—it was a deep dive into entrepreneurship, economic realities, and social impact. As an MBA candidate at Ivey Business School, I was eager to explore how businesses and communities drive innovation in a global context. What I walked away with was far more than just industry insights; it was a new perspective on resilience, inclusivity, and the role of business in shaping societies.
Resilience in Entrepreneurship
We started our trip at Unicorn Factory Lisboa, an entrepreneurial hub, where we met the co-founder of Splink, a company connecting sports fans with their favorite clubs through immersive AR experiences. She shared her journey of overcoming setbacks, understanding her target market, and pivoting in business. Her experience highlighted the grit of entrepreneurship—the constant iteration, learning from failure, and staying committed to a vision.
Her story reinforced that failure isn’t the end, but a crucial step toward innovation. Adaptability and resilience are essential in the high-stakes world of startups. Watching her navigate challenges while refining her product was a powerful reminder that entrepreneurship isn’t just about ideas—it’s about execution and persistence.
The Economic Realities Behind Portugal’s Charm
At Banco de Portugal, João Amador, Deputy Head of the Economics and Research Department, shared insights into Portugal’s financial landscape. Despite being part of the EU, Portugal’s average income is nearly half that of the EU average, and inflation has worsened affordability. Rising housing prices in Lisbon have pushed many locals to the outskirts, a sentiment echoed by our local guides. However, education levels have improved, with many young professionals moving abroad for better career prospects.
Sitting through this session, I had a lightbulb moment—thank you to Professor Romel, who taught Macroeconomic Business Decisions during core! His animated supply and demand curve explanations flashed through my mind, and for the first time, macroeconomic theories clicked in a real-world setting.
A key part of our trip was working with Consultores de Engenharia e Arquitetura (TPF), a construction management and engineering consulting firm, to develop a business strategy and marketing plan for a new service launch. By this point in my MBA, I had worked with three different learning teams and felt confident in case-based learning, but working on a real-time consulting project in a new country, with a new team, in an unfamiliar industry, was an entirely different challenge.
Getting real-time feedback from the TPF team helped us refine our recommendations. It reinforced that consulting isn’t about solving a case in isolation—it’s about adapting to client needs, iterating solutions, and navigating ambiguity.
Entrepreneurship as a Force for Good
Later in the week, we visited Impact Hub Lisbon, a co-working space supporting startups focused on social impact. There, I met Olivia Bourkel, founder of We Cheffes, a catering business empowering immigrant women, and Catarina Medeiros, founder of Reshape, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society. Their mission-driven approach reshaped my understanding of entrepreneurship—business isn’t just about growth; it can also drive meaningful change.
Coming from a technology consulting background, I’ve always viewed business through the lens of disruptive technical innovation and market needs. This visit challenged me to think beyond traditional success metrics. How can businesses actively contribute to solving social problems? This is a question I plan to keep exploring as I move forward in my career across new industries and geographies.
One of my most memorable experiences was visiting Café Joyeu x, a social enterprise that employs individuals with autism and Down syndrome. Watching the team work with confidence and pride reinforced how life-changing it can be to hear that one "yes" from an employer who believes in you.
As someone passionate about leveraging technology for impact, this experience reaffirmed my belief that tech-enabled solutions must be built with accessibility in mind. Whether through product design, hiring practices, or workplace policies, inclusivity shouldn’t be an afterthought—it should be at the core of business strategy.
Final Reflections: A Mindset Shift
This trip wasn’t just an academic exercise—it was a perspective shift. It challenged me to think about entrepreneurship beyond profit, resilience beyond success, and inclusion beyond compliance. As I continue my MBA journey, these takeaways will shape how I approach business, leadership, and impact—topics I’ve explored deeply through my electives and extracurricular initiatives.
But don’t worry—all work and no play makes Mehak a dull girl, and that’s exactly what didn’t happen. Between sessions with startups and banks, we explored Sintra, enjoyed the ocean views of Cascais, and even tried to catch a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo’s beach-facing villa (behind very high walls, of course). Beyond everything else, this trip gave me something priceless—lifelong friends and memories to cherish.
Portugal showed me that the future of business isn’t just about scaling companies—it’s about scaling change, and as a soon-to-be business leader, I’m here for this change.