Startup OLÉ is Ready for Takeoff into New Adventures

Yesterday’s international launch of Startup OLÉ at the Madrid Stock Exchange Palace was a great success, setting the stage for an exciting year ahead with events slated for Miami, Marbella, and Salamanca, and the introduction of the CIBER-SHUBE project. This initiative aligns with the EU’s Next Generation funds and Spain’s Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, aiming to modernize the Spanish economy, stimulate growth, and create employment opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, while addressing the upcoming decade’s challenges.

The event’s anticipation exceeded all expectations, showcasing Startup OLÉ’s comprehensive agenda for 2024, including its 11th entrepreneurship fair in Salamanca from October 8-10. This edition will continue to offer a range of activities and experiences, featuring exclusive content from notable speakers, startup exhibitions, pitch competitions, concerts, and networking opportunities.

This year’s additions include Startup OLÉ Miami, happening from April 15-16 in the U.S. investment hub, and Startup OLÉ Beach Edition in Marbella from June 26-28, both designed to facilitate connections between entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, public administrations, media, and other ecosystem stakeholders in cities renowned for their investment potential and quality of life.

This launch also served to present the new project born from the collaboration between INCIBE and the University of Salamanca: CIBER-SHUBE. This initiative entitled ‘Public Invitation for Collaboration in the promotion of Strategic Cybersecurity Projects in Spain’ aims to provide specific solutions to some of the greatest scientific and technological challenges of our society and economy under the name of “Strategic Projects”, in the field of cybersecurity promoted by public universities or consortia made up of public and private universities in which a public university, specifically the University of Salamanca, plays the role of coordination and administration of the consortium.

On the other hand, within the National Cybersecurity Industry Promotion Programme to influence key aspects aimed at the growth and development of new companies in the sector, framed in the INCIBE Emprende programme, the University of Salamanca will develop the initiative entitled ‘Public invitation for the development of actions to attract business ideas, incubation and acceleration of entrepreneurial projects’, which will seek the development of specialized activities (talks, workshops, and events) in the promotion of entrepreneurial initiatives in cybersecurity, with the common aim of incorporating entrepreneurs into the Spanish digital economy and society, providing material and/or personal resources for its achievement in a joint and coordinated manner.

These two projects are supported by funds from the EU-funded Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan (Next Generation), the Spanish government’s blueprint for modernizing the Spanish economy, restoring economic growth and job creation, for strong, inclusive and resilient economic reconstruction after the COVID19 crisis, and for responding to the challenges of the next decade.

Central to the event were four dynamic roundtable discussions, each focusing on critical aspects of the entrepreneurial journey: investment trends in a shifting landscape, the power of open innovation, the strategic role of media in entrepreneurship, and the impact of public administration and corporations on social development. These discussions brought together a diverse group of experts, from seasoned investors to innovative corporate leaders, to explore the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for startups and entrepreneurs globally.

Between the highlight of the conversations, Pilar Carrato from CDTI emphasis on the importance of financial support for innovation, stating, “Las ideas son muy buenas pero necesitan del dinero” (Ideas are great but they need money). Borja Cabezón, the new director of Enisa, expressed his commitment to continuing support for entrepreneurs.

Carlos Blanco, co-founder and Managing Partner of Encomenda Smart Capital, during the first roundtable on investment in a changing world, remarked on the current climate for innovation investment, saying, “es momento para empezar a apostar de verdad en la innovación” (it’s time to start truly betting on innovation), noting an unprecedented wealth of investment opportunities recently.

In the roundtable on open innovation, Jorge Ruiz-Peinado of Cepsa highlighted the pragmatic approach to working with startups: “Bajamos a las startups del mundo de la piruleta y le damos una vuelta a las soluciones para que realmente tengan una solución eficiente a un problema real” (We bring startups down from the cloud and rethink solutions so they truly offer efficient solutions to real problems).

The media’s role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem was underscored by Andrés Dulanto of Agencia EFE, who emphasized the importance of clear communication objectives: “Los medios de comunicación tenemos la necesidad de comunicar la innovaciónn para informar a la gente y apoyar al emprendimiento”  and continued “lo importante es tener el objetivo claro de lo que se quiere comunicar” (The media channels have the need of communicate the innovation for both inform the people and help the entrepreneurs, the important thing is to have a clear objective of what you want to communicate).

Esther Molina, CEO of WILDCom, heated the discussion: “Emprendedores sepan que si su producto es noticiable, ni siquiera necesitan una agencia de PR, los medios necesitan la noticia.” pointing out that entrepreneurs many times don’t even need an agency if their product is good enough, solve a problem and calls the attention of the audience. She also pointed out the importance of having an updated presence online, as there is nothing worse than being mentioned by the media, to end in a broken link or outdated profile. Lastly she finished with a tip: Send the press releases in Word to simplify the work of the journalist.

The roundtables concluded with Joe Haslam’s humor-infused moderation of the final panel, bringing a light-hearted and engaging close to the discussions. His wit and joviality added a unique flair to the proceedings, underlining the networking session’s festive atmosphere with cocktails and fun. As with every Startup OLÉ event, it was a pleasure to participate in a forum where entrepreneurship is not just discussed but felt and where opportunities are not just presented but made tangible. With the distinctive charm of Emilio Corchado, the event transformed the typically reserved world of corporate into an almost cozy family gathering, eagerly anticipated by all for its next iteration.

For more infor about the events visit StartupOLÉ website: www.startupole.eu