From Engineer to Company Leader: Why a Tech Founder Chose the Executive MBA at the Faculty of Business Administration, VŠE

In the world of executive education, curriculum alone is not enough. The quality of the cohort, international positioning, and the ability to transfer concepts directly into practice matter just as much. For Kirill Kasaev—founder of TechInn, a tech company developing safety-critical braking systems for rolling stock—the Executive MBA at the Faculty of Business Administration, VŠE offered a logical response to both his company’s needs and his own professional ambitions.

Although educated as a mechanical engineer, the rapid growth of his company and the increasing complexity of its operations pushed Kirill into scenarios where technical expertise was no longer sufficient. “At a certain point, I realized I was missing managerial and economic know-how. The company is growing, and I need to make decisions that impact our strategy, finances, and organization,” he explains when asked why the timing for an Executive MBA was right.

Choosing a Program that Meets International Standards 

Kirill Kasaev considered several universities in the Czech Republic and abroad, including Austria. The key criterion was that the program must hold up in international comparison, not merely function as a good local option. This ultimately led him to the Executive MBA at the Faculty of Business Administration, VŠE.

A decisive differentiator was the Triple Crown accreditation—a combination of three prestigious international accreditations held by approximately one percent of business schools worldwide. In the CEE region, such accreditation is rare and serves as a strong signal to candidates who think internationally and seek quality assurance. “For me, the Triple Crown was an important ace. Nobody else in the Czech Republic has it,” says Kirill Kasaev, adding that the combination of global accreditation and geographic accessibility was decisive.

A Learning Experience Designed for Executive Decision-Making 

What impressed Kirill was not only the program’s accreditation profile, but also its pedagogical approach. “I expected tools, but instead we focus more on why and how to make decisions,” he notes. For senior managers and founders dealing with multi-layered strategic dilemmas, the ability to reason at a meta-level is critical. The program focuses less on operational “how-to” mechanics and more on the thinking frameworks that underpin them. This strategic orientation is common in Western European and US Executive MBA programs, and increasingly sought after by managers and business owners across the CEE region.

Immediate Transferability: From Classroom to a Bank 

One of the strongest arguments for Executive MBA programs is the speed with which learning translates into practice. In Kasaev’s case, this holds literally. “After almost every teaching block, I applied at least one concrete solution in my company”, he says. Recently, the topic was financial guarantees—knowledge he promptly used at the bank. “On that very day, I went to sign the guarantee”, he adds. Such transferability is highly valued by both founders and senior corporate managers.

The Power of the Cohort: Learning Beyond One’s Professional Bubble 

The value of an Executive MBA does not reside solely in its curriculum; it also depends on the composition of the cohort. Kasaev admits that the world of robotics and rolling stock is highly specialized. “You live in a certain bubble. At the university, I meet people who think differently, work in different industries, and solve different problems”, he says. His cohort comprises 34 students from 17 nationalities and across a wide range of sectors. This kind of peer learning is a core pillar of international Executive MBA programs and often represents the longest-lasting asset graduates take with them.

Admissions Without Unnecessary Barriers, but With Clear Standards 

In executive programs, learning happens not only through faculty but through peers, making cohort curation critical. Admissions at the Faculty of Business Administration, VŠE are not designed as arbitrary barriers, but as a structured dialogue focused on motivation, goals, expectations, and readiness to contribute.

The program is demanding in terms of time and intellectual load; therefore, interviews explore not only the candidate’s professional history but also why they want to study and what they expect to gain. Equally important is the willingness to share experience and contribute to the discussion. “The interview was professional but human. We talked about why we want to study and what we do”, recalls Kirill Kasaev. It is not a test. It is a dialogue.

This approach creates selectivity where it matters most: within the cohort. Strong motivation and willingness to work are essential prerequisites for a high-quality learning environment. As a result, the program becomes not only a course of study but a platform for collective problem-solving, perspective-building, and personal growth. Cohort quality remains one of the most valuable assets of internationally positioned Executive MBA programs.

Work–Study Balance: Realistic, Demanding, but Worth the Investment 

Executive MBA programs are designed for individuals already operating in demanding roles—founders, senior managers, and specialists. Balancing study with professional reality is, therefore, not trivial. Kasaev describes it candidly: “I don’t think balance exists. You simply have to do both.” In practice, students learn to think and make decisions under conditions of time pressure, shifting priorities, and responsibility—scenarios typical of top management. It is precisely in this “non-ideal reality” that the value of the program emerges: learning to apply new concepts directly into living organizational contexts.

Most participants confirm that while challenging, the workload is manageable. The program structure aligns with executive rhythms, and the cohort fosters a supportive environment. Shared experience, the modular schedule, and a prevailing ethos of “we’re all pushing together” sustain motivation and momentum. The outcome is not only the acquisition of new knowledge, but the development of new ways of prioritizing, structuring time, and thinking under pressure—capabilities that prove at least as valuable as theoretical content. The Executive MBA is therefore not about an ideal balance, but about a strategic investment that pays off—professionally, personally, and entrepreneurially.

MBA as a Tool of Growth: Professional and Mental 

Executive MBA programs are not primarily about accumulating new theories from finance, strategy, or leadership. These are important, but the deeper value emerges at the intersection of personal motivation, real-world challenge, and the cognitive diversity of the cohort. It is this environment that shapes not only what participants know, but also how they think, decide, and perceive their role within an organization.

Kirill’s story is illustrative. Among tech founders and others with technical backgrounds, the need to transition from technical expertise to managing people, capital, and complex strategies is increasingly common. In corporate settings, the transition often moves in the opposite direction—from functional roles into strategic and executive positions, where dealing with uncertainty, setting priorities, and creating long-term value become central.

The Executive MBA accelerates these shifts. Beyond skill acquisition, participants experience a mental re-orientation: they begin to think systemically, integrate disciplines, weigh consequences across longer time horizons, and view their organizations with the distance typical of executive leadership.

With its Triple Crown accreditation and international cohort, the Executive MBA at the Faculty of Business Administration, VŠE offers this transformation within the Central European region while meeting the standards of globally recognized business schools.