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The event will take place on 24 and 25 September at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos in the Andalusian city
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More than 125 companies from all over the world have applied for the awards
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During the event, the Finnova Foundation will actively participate in the Main Forum and the International Water Forum
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The director of the Finnova Foundation, Juan Manuel Revuelta, will collaborate as a speaker in the field of the circular economy, energy efficiency and water, among other priority issues
Today and tomorrow the third edition of the StartUpEurope SmartAgrifood Summit will be held at the Malaga Trade Fair and Congress Centre in a virtual and face-to-face format, due to the current pandemic situation caused by COVID-19. This year’s edition was attended by more than 125 companies from all over the world (25% more than the previous year), In particular, 70% come from the European Union and 30% from other continents. In this way, a specialised jury has been responsible for selecting the 40 or so startups that will present their projects during the event.
One of the actions within the framework of EU Green Week 2020 (European Green Week 2020) which will deal with nature and biodiversity, is the Elevator Pitch, an initiative organised by the StartUpEuropeSmartAgrifood Summit. This programme was created with the intention of creating a community where entrepreneurs can share their skills and concerns related to innovation and the digital transformation of the agro-food industry with new entrepreneurs, as well as serving as a launch pad for new companies or startups. Under this premise, with the participation of professionals, more than 300 participating companies can be connected, thus improving the opportunity to exchange professional interests.
In accordance with this intention, the coordinator of the event, Juan Francisco Delgado (executive vice-president of the European Foundation for Innovation) assures that “the event has become a reference for all the actors involved in the development of innovation in the AgriTech and FoodTech sector, being the most important meeting of “Smart Agrifood” Startups in Europe and a large part of the world”.
The project will be the first to be carried out by Fycma (Trade Fair and Congress Centre of Malaga) with Intec and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Andalusian Regional Government since the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this and with the aim of adapting the initiative to a virtual format, StartUpEurope SmartAgrifood Summit will launch an online platform for smartphones and computers that will connect conference attendees, thus improving the experience between them and the collaborators.
With this methodology, the speakers will have the possibility of being present physically or virtually during the event, the second option being the case of the director of the Finnova Foundation, Juan Manuel Revuelta, who will actively participate in the Main Forum and the International Water Forum. Within these debates, issues of great environmental and social importance, such as the circular economy, energy efficiency and water, will be dealt with by experts and experts in the field, who will try to reach an agreement through the presentation of new ideas and alternatives to these current problems.
In addition to the objectives set by the StartUpEurope SmartAgrifood Summit, the Finnova Foundation reiterates its commitment to the new digital economy, as it is constantly committed to business innovation and applied knowledge excellence through the development of talent and its international and inter-regional connection. To this end, it promotes multiple networks and high-level events in order to seek European resources and funding related to technology transfer, modernisation and competitive development of public and private entities at all levels, both internationally and regionally and locally.
Based on the aforementioned criteria, Juan Manuel Revuelta confirms the need to hold events such as the Elevator Pitch, since, according to him, “initiatives that promote change in vitally important sectors such as the environment, water and the agrifood industry should be compulsory due to the type of modern society in which we live and in which we must ensure the best conditions for new generations, in addition to maintaining our natural ecosystem”.
About the Finnova Foundation
European Foundation for the funding of Innovation. It is a European foundation based in Brussels whose objectives are to promote public-private cooperation through innovation to address social challenges such as employment, training, entrepreneurship, UN ODS, the circular economy, etc. Finnova organizes the EuropeAwards Startup, an initiative of the European Commission and the Finnova Foundation, to recognize the best European startups in the social field.
About Smart Agrifood Startups
The Smart Agrifood Startup Ecosystem is more than a conventional accelerator, based in Spain, but with a global vocation, and has three fundamental pillars: a demonstration centre, an accelerator and an investment fund. They work with future entrepreneurs through a programme of accelerated company start-ups based on a methodology of mentoring and acceleration experienced in the best acceleration systems in the world, to facilitate accelerated learning.
https://smartagrifoodsummit.com/
About Fycma
The Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga or Fycma is a convention and fair centre located in the city of Málaga. It is located next to the Ronda Oeste of Malaga, in the district Cruz de Humilladero, halfway between the airport of Malaga-Costa del Sol and the historical centre of the city. It was inaugurated in 2003 and since then several congresses, fairs and annual events have taken place.
The building has an exhibition area of 19,500 m² divided into two pavilions, two auditoriums, two conference rooms, an exhibition hall, fifteen multi-purpose rooms, three catering areas and parking for 1,200 vehicles. These facilities can accommodate more than 20,000 visitors.