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• The HIBA Startup Europe Awards, organised by the Finnova Foundation, in collaboration with Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca, Agua y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Andalucía INL, INTEC, Smart Farm Colab and Fundecyt PCTEX, are launched.
• The deadline for entries will be open from 27 March to 19 May 2023.
• The winner will benefit from a European acceleration ticket, consisting of a kit of mentoring hours given by specialised technicians.

Innovative startups and SMEs capable of solving current challenges in the area of agrodigitalisation. The Interreg Spain Portugal (POCTEP) HIBA- Hub Iberia Agrotech project launches the Startups Europe Awards (SEUA), an initiative driven by the European Commission, launched by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe, to promote the identification of innovative entrepreneurial solutions to SDG and EU challenges. The deadline for entries is from the 27th of March until 23h59 CEST on the 19th of May 2023 and the winners will be announced on the 6th of June 2023 at an event organised in the framework of Green Week.

HIBA Startup Europe Awards are organised by the Finnova Foundation, in collaboration with the Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca, Agua y Desarrollo Rural de la Junta de Andalucía, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), the European Foundation for Innovation and Technological Development (INTEC), the Associação SFCOLAB – Laboratório Colabortaivo para a Inovação Digital na Agricultura (Smart Farm Colab) and the Fundación Fundecyt Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Extremadura (Fundecyt PCTEX), all of them beneficiaries of the HIBA project. Its main objective is to identify and support entrepreneurs with disruptive ideas that can be implemented for the benefit of society as a whole, generating a public-private partnership that leads to the drafting of projects and thus access to European Union funds.

Four agro-digitisation challenges

On this occasion, HIBA SEUA wants to identify those startups, SMEs and entrepreneurs who offer products, services or methodologies that respond to the following challenges:

• Training models in digital competences in the agro sector.
• Digitalisation and entrepreneurship in the rural sector.
• Inclusive digital solutions and female entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector.
• Optimisation of collection and logistics methods for agricultural products.

SMEs, corporations, start-ups, scale-ups, spin-offs and anyone interested in entrepreneurship, who belong to or develop their activity in the agricultural sector or related sectors and who can provide innovative solutions to the proposed challenges will be able to participate.

European acceleration ticket

A jury, made up of representatives of the HIBA project, specialists and external agents who can provide their assessment of the proposed themes, will evaluate and assess the proposals submitted on the basis of their viability, the response to the challenges posed, their feasibility, innovation and improvement of existing ones, internationalisation and long-term objectives. 

The successful application will benefit from a European acceleration ticket, consisting of two personalised mentoring sessions for projects adapted to each sector, and training in European legislation and funds. They will also have access to a networking network and investors with whom they will learn best practices in EU relationship management and networking, and will receive advice on the European legal framework and the internationalisation of the project. Finally, they will be offered guidance on European funding and advice on how to turn the winning idea or proposal into a European project that can be implemented in the field of digitisation in agriculture. The mentoring sessions will run until the 30th of June 2023.

The award will be presented on the 6th of June 2023, at an event to be held in the framework of the European Green Week.

To participate in the HIBA Startup Europe Awards, please register here: https://bit.ly/40kUsmd

About the HIBA project

The Interreg Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation (POCTEP) HIBA project will promote a Multi-regional ecosystem focused on the digitalisation of the agri-food sector in Spain and Portugal through the creation of a network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) to foster initiative, competitiveness and business sustainability, promoting post-Covid19 economic recovery.

With a budget of 5.1 million euros, 75% co-financed by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) in the framework of the Interreg V-A Spain-Portugal Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020 (POCTEP), HIBA has 19 beneficiaries, being the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development of the Andalusian Regional Government, the main beneficiary.

About the Finnova Foundation 

Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities for European projects is combined with a proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurship support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.

About INL

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, located in Braga (northern Portugal) was founded by the governments of Portugal and Spain under an international legal framework to conduct interdisciplinary research, deploy and articulate nanotechnology for the benefit of society. INL aims to become the global centre for nanotechnology to address major societal challenges.

About INTEC

The INTEC Foundation is a non-profit organisation, promoted by companies committed to innovation and with strong links to key entities in technological development in Spain.

About Smart Farm Colab  

Smart Farm Colab – SFCOLAB, focuses on innovative digital solutions for agriculture, through the development of cutting-edge high-tech technologies for the horticulture, fruit and viticulture sectors.

About Fundecyt-PCTEX

FUNDECYT-PCTEX is a private, non-profit public sector foundation with a fundamental objective: the structuring of the Extremadura Science and Technology System by contributing to the socio-economic exploitation of science and technology, supporting and promoting its development and management to achieve a better use of research and innovation, stimulating the participation of civil society and mobilising its resources.

• Among the challenges presented in this new edition of the S-Moving Startup Europe Awards is “Biogas as a descarbonisation process in the public transport system”

With this new edition of the S-Moving Startup Europe Awards, the objective is to find the best startup with innovative solutions to the challenges of the ecological transition, with a project or idea that contributes to energy decarbonisation in the public transport system. We are looking for solutions capable of improving the environmental efficiency of the fleet of urban buses, tourist buses, and other city transport that are based on the use of clean, green, and renewable energies, such as biogas or biomethane, and the production and use of biofuels. 

The challenge proposal is crucial in order to achieve the objectives of the European Green Pact, the European Commission’s phase-out plan for fossil fuels (gas, oil, and coal), RePowerEU, since transport is the sector that consumes the most energy in Spain (reaching 40% of the national total). This challenge is therefore aimed at accelerating the development of renewable energies, promoting circularity and commiting to a more resilient energy system.   

The three challenges that make up the S-Moving Startup Europe Awards were launched during the Transfiere forum, the largest European forum for science, technology and innovation, held at the Trade Fair and Congress Centre of Malaga (FYCMA). The awards ceremony of this call will be held in the framework of Greencities and S-Moving on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 September 2023, in FYCMA. This edition seeks to promote urban transformation, with a strong focus on smart and sustainable mobility, which is the added value of these awards. Likewise, these innovative startups identifies will be able to promote European demonstration projects in programmes such as LIFE and Horizon Europe to qualify for grants of between 500,000 and 15 million euros.

Regarding biogas as renewable energy, a Finnova project that is already using it is LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0, which uses the same methodology as Startup Europe and the public-private partnership. Using digital tools for the control and automation of wastewater treatment plant digesters, it offers a sustainable alternative for organic waste in landfills to be converted into biogas.

Register in this link to participate and know more about these awards S-MOVING STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS (jotform.com)

About Startup Europe Awards

The Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative driven by the European Commission, implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a solid proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurial support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.

• Among the challenges presented in this new edition of the S-Moving Startup Europe Awards is the Biogas as an alternative and decarbonisation process in tourist mobility.

This edition of the S-Moving Startup Europe Awards seeks to reward the best startup with innovative solutions to the challenges of the ecological transition, with a project or idea that contributes to energy decarbonisation in tourist mobility. Solutions based on the use of clean, green and renewable energies, such as biogas and the production and use of biofuels, are sought.

The challenge proposal is crucial in achieving the objectives of the European Green Pact, the European Commission’s phase-out plan for fossil fuels (gas, oil and coal), RePowerEU and the diversification of supplies in a sector such as tourism. This challenge aims to accelerate the development of renewable energies, fostering circularity, and committing to a more resilient energy system.  

The three challenges that make up the S-Moving Startup Europe Awards were launched during the Transfiere forum, the largest European forum for science, technology and innovation, held at the Trade Fair and Congress Centre of Malaga (FYCMA). The awards ceremony of this call will be held in the framework of Greencities and S-Moving on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 September 2023, in FYCMA. This edition seeks to promote urban transformation, with a strong focus on smart and sustainable mobility, which is the added value of these awards. 

Finally, this call follows the strategic line of sustainable tourism and entrepreneurship actions in which the Finnova Foundation is involved, as is the case of the “Awake Tourism Challenge” of the UNWTO, second edition of the global competition organised by the UNWTO for startups focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where participants were evaluated for their contribution to the development of an inclusive, resilient and sustainable tourism sector and with the participation of 2,000 participants from 120 countries around the world.

Register in this link to participate S-MOVING STARTUP EUROPE AWARDS (jotform.com)

About Startup Europe Awards

The Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative driven by the European Commission, implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a solid proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurial support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.

• Whithin the Transfiere forum, on the 17th of February, the Greencities Startup Europe Awards were launched.

• This new call of Startup Europe Awards presents several challenges, one of them being the valorisation of organic waste generated by the HORECA sector and its circular implementation.

Last week, a new edition of Startup Europe Awards was launched whithin the framework of the Transfiere forum, the largest European forum for science, technology and innovation, held at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA). These SEUAs are the Greencities Startup Europe Awards. This new edition of Startup Europe Awards comes with some new challenges, one of them being the Valorisation of organic waste generated by the HORECA sector and its circular implementation.

With this challenge of the Greencities Startup Europe Awards, we are looking for the best startup with an initiative for efficiency in the recovery of waste from the HORECA sector as a source of supply.  One of the challenges centers around the recovery of organic waste from the HORECA, hotels, restaurants and cafeterias, sector for the self-sufficiency of their own facilities.   

The technology implemented or proposed must be able to propose a waste treatment system (generated by restaurants, hotels and cafeterias) and its transformation into renewable energy sources (such as biogas) in order to generate a “proconsumer” system (produce and consume). Thus establishing a circular system for the reuse and exploitation of waste.

The call for these challenges was launched in on the 17th of February, in the Transfiere Forum. These awards are an open innovation tool to identify disruptive startups that promote public-private collaboration and raise awareness of the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driver of employment.

The final of this edition of Startup Europe Awards will be held within the framework of Greencities and S-Moving in September of 2023, in FYCMA, and the challenges posed are committed to innovative entrepreneurship in the field of circular economy, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change. The Finnova Foundation is looking for those startups that are providing innovative solutions to the challenges of the ecological transition.

Register in this link to participate https://bit.ly/3Y4WFRm

About Startup Europe Awards

The Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative driven by the European Commission, implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a solid proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurial support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.

• On the 17th of February, whithin the Transfiere forum the Greencities Startup Europe Awards were launched.

•One of the challenges of this edition of Startup Europe Awards centers Valorisation of textile waste generated by the HORECA sector and its circular implementation.

Last week, a new edition of Startup Europe Awards was launched whithin the framework of the Transfiere forum, the largest European forum for science, technology and innovation, held at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA). These SEUAs are the Greencities Europe Awards and have several challenges. One of those challenges was the Valorisation of textile waste generated by the HORECA sector and its circular implementation.

With this challenge of the Greencities Startup Europe Awards, we are looking for the best startup with an initiative for efficiency in treating, reducing and recycling from the HORECA sector. The objective of the SEUAs is the valorisation of all textile waste from hotels, restaurant and cafeterias for the self-suffieciency of their own facilities. The technology and innovative methodology implemented and proposed must be able to propose a waste treatment system based on a circular system of reuse and exploitation of waste.

The call for these challenges was launched in the Transfiere Forum, on the 17th of February. These awards are an open innovation tool to identify disruptive startups that promote public-private collaboration and raise awareness of the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driver of employment.

The final of this edition of Startup Europe Awards will be held in September within the framework of Greencities and S-Moving in FYCMA, and the challenges posed are committed to innovative entrepreneurship in the field of circular economy, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change. The Finnova Foundation is looking for those startups that are providing innovative solutions to the challenges of the ecological transition.

Register in this link to participate http://bitly.ws/AotS

About Startup Europe Awards

The Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative driven by the European Commission, implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a solid proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurial support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.

• Last week, a new call for Startup Europe Awards was launched in the seminar Synergies towards a Technology Transfer by LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0 held in the Transfiere forum on the 17th of February in 2023.

•One of the challenges of this edition of Startup Europe Awards centers around Sustainable technology for the valorisation of sludge from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs).

Last week, several challenges were launched for a new edition of LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0 – Startup Europe Awards during Transfiere, the largest European forum for science, technology and innovation, held at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA). One of those was the Sustainable technology challenge for the valorisation of sludge from Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs).

Waste Water Treatment Plants, or WWTPs, are used to remove waste, floating grease and oil, sand and all coarse elements that may be contained in the water; to remove settleable materials, both organic and inorganic; and to remove biodegradable organic matter dissolved in water. Because of various stages of wastewater treatment, sludge can be found in WWTPs receiving urban wastewater, in septic tanks and in other wastewater treatment plants treating water of similar composition (mainly from the agri-food industry).

With this challenge of the LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0 Startup Europe Awards, we are looking for a project or initiative that provides a sustainable technological solution for the treatment and disposal of sewage sludge and its subsequent valorisation. As a first criterion to be followed, it must be a sustainable technology, as the system currently lacks technological solutions that can be classified as such. In addition, the increase in sludge production from WWTPs is due to population growth, the growth of urbanised areas and industrial activity, constituting an environmental and economic challenge. Therefore, as a second criterion, it must be a technology capable of transforming the limited use of sludge (typically agricultural applications as fertiliser) into ways of generating value and profitability (e.g. co-production of biofuel).

The call for these challenges was launched in the seminar LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0 – Synergies towards a Technology Transfer on the 17th of February, within the Transfiere Forum. These awards are an open innovation tool to identify disruptive startups that promote public-private collaboration and raise awareness of the importance of self-entrepreneurship as a driver of employment.

The final of this edition of Startup Europe Awards will be held in September within the framework of Greencities and S-Moving in FYCMA, and the challenges posed are committed to innovative entrepreneurship in the field of circular economy, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change. The Finnova Foundation is looking for those startups that are providing innovative solutions to the challenges of the ecological transition.

About Startup Europe Awards

The Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative driven by the European Commission, implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About LIFE ECODIGESTION 2.0

It is a demonstration pilot project, funded by the LIFE programme and with a budget of more than 970,000 euros, which generates biogas in water treatment plant digesters by mixing putrescible organic waste (slurry, poultry, organic fractions, MSW, horeca, etc.), thus transforming wastewater treatment plant sludge into green energy through technology. The initiative led by Global Omnium, (Spain), in collaboration with the Finnova Foundation (Belgium) and Águas do Centro Litoral (Portugal) aims to become the most versatile digestion

control tool on the market by achieving environmental and economic benefits through the production of biogas through optimal waste exploitation. Thanks to this technology, it favours the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the exploitation of sewage sludge generated in wastewater treatment processes, thus achieving a positive impact on the environment. This programme is easily scalable with other funds such as ERDF, NextGenerationEU or Repower EU.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is the Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a solid proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurial support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.

• Juanma Revuelta, CEO of Finnova, gave a talk on European funding for the internationalisation of startups at the Uppery Club in Malaga.
• He set out the guidelines for the upcoming calls for submission of future European projects for EU funding.

02.20.2023, Malaga. Last Wednesday, February 15th, Juanma Revuelta, CEO of Finnova, gave an informative talk about European funding for the internationalization of startups in the Uppery Club of Malaga, a meeting place and exchange of views of entrepeneurs.

In the first part of his speech, Revuelta explained how to manage European funds for startups and the advantages, proposals and projects that can be developed from this type of funding. He also gave an overview of the European directive on preventive restructuring frameworks, debt waivers and disqualifications and measures to increase the efficiency of restructuring, insolvency and debt waiver procedures (Second Chance Directive).

Launch of RES4CITY StartUp Europe Awards

The second half of the event focused on the official launch of the upcoming RES4CITY StartUp Europe Awards, which is looking for disruptive initiatives in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency in cities. A perfect example is the LIFE Ecodigestion 2.0 technology, a project that allows the creation of new organic waste logistics companies for the production of biogas in wastewater treatment plants and for self-consumption.

The StartUp Europe Accelerator is an initiative promoted by the European Commission and implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help startups and scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is a Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation based in Brussels and Spain, working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. Finnova’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities of European projects is combined with a solid proven track record in business creation and entrepreneurial support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and events, as well as its commitment to training and employability of young people.

The Oceanográfica: Divulgación Educación y Ciencia S.L. project, led by Cristina Fernández Gil, has won the Women Startup Europe Awards, in a competition in which numerous innovation projects carried out by women were presented. The awards ceremony was held on 11 November at the closing ceremony of the Women Impact Summit, part of the Afrimac 2 project.

This project, inspired by the initiative of Wangari Mataii in Kenya, promotes the creation of green jobs favouring the rural economy. Its main objective is the implementation of pilot examples of green areas managed by citizens in some residential neighbourhoods of the Canary Islands, as an example of a change of model in municipal planning and management.

The aim is to promote a culture of care for nature and people by transforming abandoned and degraded spaces into green areas planted and managed by citizens, to support the social demand to live in an environment that is greener, more sustainable, healthier and more resilient to change.

Currently, as Fernandez Gil tells us, “The island and the municipality are facing great environmental and humanitarian challenges in which we must weave new social networks and recover environmental health to overcome the constant changes and crises that are coming and are expected to come. We need to strengthen the resilience of society and the environment for which we must work in coordination with administrations, technicians and citizens.”

For this, Oceanográfica aims to improve the governance of citizens by helping to change their immediate environment, promoting awareness and generating social fabric to improve the environmental and social resilience of neighbourhoods, and the creation of green spaces on an island that lacks them in urban and school environments.

Oceanográfica will be the project that will receive the prize worth €5,000, as well as all the training and dissemination of its project, promoting the development and further development of the project.

Congratulations Cristina!

Video of Oceanográfica’s presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8bblKQ2DKM

About Woman Impact Summit (WIS)

Woman Impact Summit (www.womanimpactsummit.com) is an international initiative within the AFRIMAC 2 project to share different ways of addressing economic opportunities, visibility and access for women of all backgrounds, with participants, regional leaders, entrepreneurs and businesswomen working on special initiatives for women on both sides of the Atlantic.

About AFRIMAC 2

AFRIMAC 2 (www.afrimac.org) is a programme for business, technological, entrepreneurial and innovative exchange in areas of high economic impact between the Canary Islands and West Africa. The main objective is to improve the internationalisation of companies in the cooperation area through the creation of networks and the generation of a knowledge environment with a gender focus.

About Women For Tech

Women For Tech is the Finnova Foundation‘s initiative to support innovation, disruptive projects and public-private partnerships for women. They support different projects such as Finnova-Technovation Girls Challenges to promote STEAM careers in young people or projects to promote female entrepreneurship.

About Finnova Foundation

Finnova is a foundation working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship at EU level. Based in Brussels, it operates through collaborations and partnerships in all EU countries. Finnova’s experience in leading European project communication and dissemination activities is combined with a strong proven track record in start-ups and business support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and selection and award ceremonial events.

• Natalia Cediel, Sara Mba Costa and Lola Bordás were the participants in this roundtable.
• The meeting focused on the current state of women’s leadership, entrepreneurship and the need for role models in the business sector.

Fuerteventura, 11.11.2022. From the 7^th to 11^th of November, the “Women Impact Summit” took place, with the participation of the Interreg Afrimac 2 project, which also participates in the “Women StartUp Europe Awards – Special Edition Fuerteventura”, an initiative organised by Finnova. The online event has hosted five days of presentations, lectures, training, panels and networking opportunities.

The conference aimed to share knowledge on how to address the economic opportunities and initiatives offered by government institutions, private organisations and regional leaders that focus on women. To this end, the conference organisers considered the need for women from all over the world to participate in the conference. Executives, businesswomen, companies and institutions have come together to seek new proposals and approaches to reduce the gap that still exists in business leadership and entrepreneurship.

Lola Bordás, CMO of Finnova Foundation and head of “Womenfortech in the area of entrepreneurship and female empowerment of Finnova, has been responsible for moderating one of the roundtables that have been organized”. Natalia Cediel and Sara Mba Costa participated in it. Bordás’s experience in the world of communication and entrepreneurship has allowed her to lead this meeting and contribute her experience to the participants. She decided to become involved and participate in women’s entrepreneurship projects following her decision to create her project. There she became aware of the latent need for women to be able to count on support and the necessary impulse to be able to materialise their business ideas, and that is how “Womenfortech” was born. In addition, Bordás also has an association called “Fundadoras”, from where she offers advice to women entrepreneurs.

The roundtable event focused on three main axes: the Gender Equality Strategy 2025, which aims to eliminate gender gaps and achieve equal participation in different jobs; the second axis was the current state of female entrepreneurship and the gap that still exists between genders; and finally, STEAM subjects were discussed and the differences that still exist in the sector and the existence of female referents in it.

The participants of the panel discussion were: Natalia Cediel, who has an international academic education with studies in different universities of different countries, and with work experience in the European Commission as a member of Josep Borrell’s office and in other European organisations such as Finnova, where she held the position of Communication and International Cooperation Officer; and the second participant was Sara Mba Costa, current Project Manager and Senior Key Account Manager at Grupo Martínez Abolafio, and with three university master’s degrees and her experience in the business and diplomatic world, she is currently in charge of managing the portfolio of suppliers in the retail, wholesale and tourism channels, executing strategic actions for the evolution of sales and creating action plans to acquire new market shares in Africa.

As Natalia affirmed, the European institutions are currently promoting numerous projects that focus on women, and female entrepreneurship is also one of the priorities for the European Union.

Always bearing in mind the “organic references”, which are family, friends and the closest environment, who often, even if they do not work in this field, can be a very important source of inspiration, the lack of women leaders must be highlighted. There are more and more of them, but there is still a long way to go.

Sara, for her part, wanted to be a leader in the supply chain sector. She could not find mentors, so she decided to become one herself, and went into the diplomatic world to create opportunities in the sector for other people like herself.

Sara said that “at the international level, there are now more women in leadership positions and from an African women’s perspective, the gap is closing, but there is still work to be done”.

It is very important to acquire the skills necessary to perform certain jobs. This is an aspect that the European Union considers indispensable, as the “European Year of Skills” will be celebrated in 2023. In terms of academic training, it is necessary to keep up with the constant retraining that is necessary in the sector. Interpersonal skills are also crucial. Women, as Sara said, “tend to have more submissive profiles due to the social structure in which we find ourselves, but in private they have brilliant ideas and solutions”, hence the need to acquire these skills from an early stage.

Natalia added the need for “self-knowledge” to reach positions of responsibility. She conducted research with women from different countries and concluded that it is important to know oneself and the environment around us, including the natural environment. Sustainability is fundamental in the international business arena. Women entrepreneurs are putting social and environmental issues first in their projects. However, this brings with it more obstacles: the unconventionality of their businesses and what this entails, such as the difficulty of finding funding.

In short, we must continue to make progress on the milestones achieved in women’s leadership, and continue to support women in the search for resources to carry out their projects because they are more inclusive, more empowered leaders with more empathetic relationships.

About SEUA

The Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative driven by the European Commission, supported by the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament and implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving today’s challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.

About AFRIMAC 2

AFRIMAC 2 (www.afrimac.org) is a program for business, technological, entrepreneurial and innovative exchange in areas of high economic impact between the Canary Islands and West Africa. The main objective is to improve the internationalisation of companies in the cooperation area through the creation of networks and the generation of a knowledge environment with a gender focus.

About Woman Impact Summit (WIS)

Woman Impact Summit (www.womanimpactsummit.com) is an international initiative that aims to exchange ideas to address economic opportunities generated by government institutions, private sectors and regional leaders working on women-focused initiatives.

Woman Impact Summit is possible thanks to the collaboration of the organisers and sponsors: PROEXCA, the Government of the Canary Islands, Africa’s house, Town hall of Fuerteventura, Heroikka, the US Embassy in Spain, and Afissio.

Sobre Womenfortech

Women For Tech is the Finnova Foundation’s initiative to support innovation, disruptive projects and public-private partnerships for women. They support different projects such as Finnova-Technovation Girls Challenges to promote STEAM careers in young people or projects to promote female entrepreneurship.

About Finnova

Finnova Foundation is a foundation working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship at the EU level. Based in Brussels, it operates through collaborations and partnerships in all EU countries. Finnova’s expertise in leading European project communication and dissemination activities is combined with a strong proven track record in start-ups and business support programs, such as accelerators, incubators and selection and award ceremonial events.