B-UIC 17

News from the market
Who is Alberto Amat?
I graduated in 1991 from the former INEDE, the seed that has
now grown into UIC Barcelona. I have worked in business
management since the start of my career, from small business
management projects, such as helping to get a small company
off the ground, to large-scale projects like syndicated loans or the
RCD Espanyol stadium.
I have always been eager and excited to work and I developed my
professional profile little by little until founding my own company.
Tell us about your experience as an entrepreneur. What is
What’s Up! and how it did it start? How it has grown and
what are your goals for the future?
Around 11 years ago, my partners and I spotted an opportunity
in the market. I drew on my experience and wrote an ambitious
business plan to launch a network of English language
academies with a product that was different from anything that
existed back then (a focus on conversation with the option to
pay for unlimited classes with one-to-one follow-up).
Interview with
Alberto Amat
President & Co-founder of What’s Up!
INEDE class of 1991
Alberto worked for more than ten years as Chief
Financial Officer of RCD Espanyol. Then, in
2014, he founded What’s Up!, a chain of English
language academies with 16 centres across Spain
and more than 25,000 students. In his spare time,
he enjoys skiing and sailing.
By Cristina Prats
Part of the success of What’s Up! has been the rapid growth of
our own academies and franchises (we advise the franchisee
and they make the investment). This growth has allowed us
to create a brand that stands head and shoulders above the
competition. We now have 23 academies with more than 300
employees and have sold more than 180,000 trimesters of
English classes.
Our goal for the future is to grow even faster but with smaller
centres. The “Covid effect” has forced us to reinvent our
proposal by incorporating new technologies, use less space
and have less staff, whilst maintaining profitability.
How would you describe your experience at
UIC Barcelona and how has it impacted your career?
When I was at UIC Barcelona (formerly INEDE), not only did I
learn a great deal, which helped me take my first steps into the
professional world, but it was also a very enriching experience
and I met people who are still my friends to this day.
Tell us more about yourself
A phrase that represents you
The problem is not the problem itself. The problem is your
attitude towards the problem.
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