What European Innovation Academy does

European Innovation Academy (EIA) is a France-based non-profit educational institution founded in 2013 that runs intensive three-week entrepreneurship study-abroad programs. EIA delivers its curriculum in partnership with leading academic institutions — UC Berkeley, Stanford University, Bayes Business School at City University London, and Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma — together with corporate partners including Google, and recruits participants globally through a network of 500+ partner universities.

Core programming has historically been centered in Porto, with Rome and London added in 2026 alongside a hybrid delivery option. EIA charges €2,499 per participant and supplements tuition revenue with corporate scholarships, notably a Santander-funded pool of 100 scholarships per year. The academy reports 25,000+ alumni across 85+ countries, with 40% of alumni launching startups and alumni companies collectively raising $2.2B and creating 32,000+ jobs.

The operating model is delivered by a small core team of 17 staff supported by a 400-strong mentor pool and a broader 1,000+ mentor network drawn from Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Silicon Valley investors. Beyond the flagship program, EIA has launched the European Entrepreneurship Award and the Start For Good Bootcamp, and is extending the brand internationally through the Arab Innovation Academy (Qatar) and the Asia-Pacific Innovation Academy.

Name

European Innovation Academy

Legal name

European Innovation Academy

Website

https://inacademy.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

European Innovation Academy is a France-based non-profit that runs three-week intensive entrepreneurship study-abroad programs in partnership with UC Berkeley, Stanford, Google, and other universities, serving fee-paying students and corporate-sponsored scholars recruited from 500+ partner universities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education / Study Abroad Programs

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Entrepreneurship, Business & Innovation Camps (EDAMALAL), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Study abroad programs
• Startup accelerators
• Experiential learning
• Innovation training

Headquarters

HQ city

Nice

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Tuition Fees: Tuition-based model where participants pay €2499 per person for the 3-week intensive program. Price includes 8-10 hours daily of intensive training, 6 ECTS credits, daily mentoring sessions by Silicon Valley experts, and access to the pool of mentors, speakers, and VCs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

European Innovation Academy runs 3-week intensive summer entrepreneurship study abroad programs (EIA Porto, EIA Rome, EIA London) where university students from 85+ countries form multidisciplinary international teams and build startups in 15 days under the mentorship of Silicon Valley investors and entrepreneurs. Participants earn 6-7.5 ECTS academic credits and pay €2,499 in tuition, with scholarships up to €1,499 available through the European Entrepreneurship Award. Programs are co-organized with leading universities (UC Berkeley, Bayes Business School, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma) and supported by 1,000+ pro bono mentors from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Product overview

European Innovation Academy (EIA) operates as a portfolio of location-based entrepreneurship education programs rather than a unified software platform. The core offerings are three summer study abroad programs (EIA Porto, EIA Rome, and EIA London) that function as intensive 15-day startup accelerators, each 3 weeks in duration. These programs are supplemented by the European Entrepreneurship Award scholarship initiative and the Start For Good Bootcamp for Qatari university students. The Online Pre-Week component serves as a mandatory preparation phase before each in-person program. All programs share a common methodology developed with UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and Google, featuring team-based startup development, mentorship from Silicon Valley experts, and academic credit options (6-7.5 ECTS).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arab Innovation Academy (AIA): Regional entrepreneurship program in the Arab Region, held at Qatar Science and Technology Park with 200+ participants from 30 nationalities annually
• Asia-Pacific Innovation Academy (APIA)

Products and services

• EIA Porto A 3-week intensive summer entrepreneurship study abroad program held in Porto, Portugal (July 20 - August 7, 2026), co-organized with UC Berkeley. Participants develop startups in multidisciplinary international teams, mentored by Silicon Valley experts and global business leaders, and can earn 6 ECTS credits.
• EIA Rome A 3-week hybrid entrepreneurship summer study abroad program in Rome, Italy (July 15 - August 4, 2026), co-organized with Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma. Features on-site learning July 15-28 followed by online sessions July 29 - August 4, with 6 ECTS credits available.
• EIA London A 3-week hybrid entrepreneurship program in London, UK (July 13-31, 2026), co-organized with Bayes Business School, City University of London. Includes on-site sessions July 13-17 with online components July 20-31, offering 7.5 ECTS credits.
• European Entrepreneurship Award Merit-based scholarship program offering awards up to 1,499 EUR for students and young professionals (ages 18-30) with startup ambitions. Applied directly to EIA 2026 tuition for Porto, Rome, or London programs.
• Start For Good Bootcamp A bootcamp connecting students from Qatari universities with global participants to develop impact-driven startups aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% of alumni launch startups following their EIA experience
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UC Berkeley (Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEIA is UC Berkeley's official study abroad program, hosting Berkeley's largest student cohorts since 2013. Programs are developed with faculty from UC Berkeley, and the institution's Managing Director serves as an industry fellow. One Berkeley startup from EIA recently advertised during the Super Bowl.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStanford University is cited as one of the founding institutional partners that helped develop EIA's methodology and approach to entrepreneurship education.
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle is cited as a founding institutional partner that helped develop EIA's methodology. Mentors from Google participate in programs, and Google for Startups is represented in the mentor pool. Recognized by Google as a digital pioneer initiative.
• University of PortocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Porto co-organizes EIA Porto program and hosts participants at Edifício Abel Salazar venue. Students from University of Porto participate in the program, including alumni Matheus Moura.
• Università Campus Bio-Medico di RomacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizes EIA Rome program at their campus venue. The 3-week hybrid program runs July 15 - August 4, 2026 with on-site components at the university.
• Bayes Business School (City University of London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizes EIA London program. Provides 7.5 ECTS credits to participants. Venue at Finsbury Square Building in London.
• Startup PortugalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese startup ecosystem organization collaborating with EIA Porto. Mentors from Startup Portugal ecosystem participate in the program.
• Porto MunicipalityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorto city government supports EIA Porto program. Municipal endorsement and collaboration for hosting international entrepreneurship programs.
• Beta-iminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese innovation organization partnering with EIA for mentorship and startup ecosystem connections.
• Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQSTP co-organizes the Arab Innovation Academy (AIA), a sister program to EIA, held in Qatar for students from the Arab region.
• AmadeusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel technology company supporting EIA as a partner. Logo appears in partner listings.
• Fiat Chrysler AutomobilesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive company supporting EIA programs. Logo appears in partner listings.
• Daimler AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive company supporting EIA as a partner. Logo appears in partner listings.
• Unicorn Factory LisboaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisbon-based startup ecosystem organization. Mariana Mendes Ribeiro from Unicorn Factory serves as a VC mentor in EIA Porto.
• StartUp PortugalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese startup ecosystem organization. Madalena Cardoso from StartUp Portugal serves as a mentor in EIA Porto.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Draper University: Draper University runs the Heroes Program and other intensive entrepreneurship training tracks aimed at students and aspiring founders. Highly comparable: short-form, cohort-based, mentorship-driven entrepreneurship education for a similar global student demographic.
• Founders Institute: Founders Institute operates a global pre-seed accelerator and fellowship program with structured curriculum, mentorship, and cohort-based progression. Comparability: educational methodology, mentor network, and startup-launch focus closely overlap with EIA's model.
• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage startup accelerator with presence across multiple continents and structured cohort programs. Comparable as a globally scaled, mentorship-driven accelerator that supports founders from ideation through launch.
• MassChallenge: MassChallenge runs non-profit, mentorship-driven startup accelerators in multiple hubs globally with corporate partners and alumni networks. Structurally analogous to EIA — non-profit, accelerator-style programming, large mentor ecosystem, and global alumni outcomes.
• Startup Weekend: Startup Weekend organizes intensive 54-hour weekend entrepreneurship events where participants form teams and pitch startups. Closely parallels EIA's compressed-format, team-based startup-building methodology at smaller scale and shorter duration.
• Y Combinator Startup School: YC Startup School is an online entrepreneurship curriculum and community program targeting early-stage founders. Comparable as a global, education-led entrepreneurship platform focused on founder development rather than direct investment.

Broad incumbents

• JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement): JA Worldwide is the largest global youth entrepreneurship education organization with programs in primary, secondary, and higher education. Comparable as a scaled, institutional youth entrepreneurship education brand, though focused on broader age ranges and earlier stages than EIA.
• Enactus: Enactus is a global student leadership and entrepreneurship organization operating across 35+ countries through university chapters. Comparable in distributing entrepreneurship programming through university channels at global scale, but as a student-organization model rather than a centralized intensive bootcamp.

Regional players

• Station F: Station F is the world's largest startup campus based in Paris, hosting accelerator programs and a global founder community. Comparable in offering accelerator-style infrastructure and mentorship in Europe, with a permanent campus model rather than EIA's time-bound intensive format.
• Beta-i: Beta-i is a Lisbon-based innovation and startup accelerator organization active in the Portuguese ecosystem. Comparable as a Portugal-anchored entrepreneurship program operator and EIA partner, supporting founder development programs and ecosystem events.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl8zNC2zMR69nO_RTNPxf_w?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/innovationme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2816402
• Instagraminstagram.com/europeaninnovationacademy
• Xx.com/EIAinnovate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Innovation Academy