Startup Ole Accelerator co-organises the CEE Acceleration Summit
Startup Ole Accelerator, along with PwC Poland, Business Link and Hardgamma Ventures is a co-organizer of the CEE Acceleration Summit – the region’s largest event dedicated to entrepreneurship, corporate- and university acceleration. The event will take place in Warsaw on Oct. 26th and will gather the most influential innovation and acceleration ecosystem builders.
CEE Startup Ecosystem is one of the most rapidly developing ones, with a room and prospects for countless investment opportunities. Warsaw, as the CEE’s innovation hub, linking the western and central-eastern European cultures and capital, is a modern symbol of successful transformation into the center of innovation.
The event will be divided into three paths: Corporate Acceleration, University Acceleration and Social Innovations, so that all the potential target groups will find the crucial information on how to develop businesses to foster innovations within the companies, or how to manage investment portfolio effectively, in a sustainable and responsible manner.
Moreover, during the Summit the key representatives of the Public Sector, including the European Commission’s agendas and Polish Development Fund’s representatives will also introduce the accelerators and investors to the support instruments aimed at facilitating startup-related investments and ecosystem building activities.
Key representatives of various innovation initiatives from all over Europe will share their knowledge and experience with the CEE’s stakeholders to create bridges between various ecosystems and engage in potential cooperation.
To find out more, please visit the event’s website.
The debut of ‘Startup Europe China Network’ at Startup Ole
The third edition of Startup Olé on 26-27 April of this year was a major success. More than 400 startups, 200 international speakers, as well as a variety of corporates, investors, accelerators, universities and media from across Europe came together for two days in Salamanca to exchange ideas and brainstorm on entrepreneurship. Startup Olé was created in 2015 to provide a unique networking and pitching opportunity for the key players and their projects in the European tech startup ecosystem.
Oneof the main new initiatives presented this year was‘Startup Europe China Network’, which will link the European startup community with one of the EU key strategic partners: China. The initiative was discussed by enthusiast participants to Startup Olé during a dedicated workshop organised by the Brussels-based digital business association ChinaEU on 26th April.
More than 20 startups, investors, corporates, incubators and accelerators from all over Europe intervened in the workshop, which was moderated by Isidro Laso, Head of Startup Europe at DG Connect of the European Commission.
In the lively discussion, consensus wasreached that building partnerships with China is a highly-needed exercise, since China can offer a great deal of opportunities for European startups to scale-up their businesses. This is not only on the ground of a highly dynamic market with many active investors, corporates, angel ventures, but also given the fact that China is becoming a world leader in innovation that can offer European companies inspiring models to learn from and upgrade themselves. However, such partnership requires special considerations, in order to avoid one-way acquisitions of startups by Chinese partners.
The importance of establishing a balanced two-way relationship was also the message of ChinaEU Director Claudia Vernotti in the preceding panel discussion ‘Partnering with Europe: Beyond the EU’, which provided an exchange of experiences among different international partnerships activated between Europe and the Silicon Valley, India, Africa, Lebanon and Eastern Europe. ‘Startup Europe China Network’ will make use of the good practices developed under these partnerships.
“Thanks to the precious support of over a dozen European players who wish to drive together this new China adventure, I have no doubts that ‘Startup Europe China Network’ can make an impactful contribution in supporting European startups to scale up everywhere in the world” said Claudia.
‘Startup Europe China Network’ will be an open platform to create long-lasting connections between European and Chinese entrepreneurs, corporates and investors, with the aim of creating a channel for innovation exchange, investment and high-tech cooperation between Europe and China.
‘Startup Europe China Network’ is now seeking to consolidate its community by getting further stakeholders to join the enthusiast initiators. To enquire about the network, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected].
Do not miss out on the opportunity to connect with the ever-growing dynamic Chinese innovation ecosystem!
Startup Europe was at the 3rd edition of Startup Olé, held in Salamanca, Spain on 26th & 27th April!
This year over 400 startups took part in the startup fair, as well as there being more than 200 international speakers, 40 corporates, 60 investors, 50 accelerators, 30 public administrations, 25 universities and various press and media organizations at the event.
Startup Europe was there with our stand, ready to tell you all about the Startup Europe initiative! The communications agency, Hugin&Munin, which runs the communications for Startup Europe, was there to explain the initiative and give startups more information about how they can benefit, no matter where in Europe they are from.
Madrid Startup House, a pilot initiative born out of Startup Europe, was also there with startups that they had brought from Madrid. You can read more about Madrid Startup House at Startup Olé here: (article in Spanish).
The first ‘Startup Europe Cities Network’ meeting also took place at Startup Olé, with representatives from many cities all around Europe, like Athens, Badajoz, Granada, London, Madrid, Patras, Seville, Skopje, The Hague and Vitoria participating in addition to their time at Startup Olé. The meeting was opened by Isidro Laso, Head of Startup Europe at the European Commission, and was directed by Madrid Startup House. The network hopes to link tech and startup friendly cities via a European cities network, using Madrid Startup House as an example of best practice for One Stop Shops in cities across Europe. The network is very much still in the development stage and is looking to consolidate its community by taking on many more representatives from cities all over Europe. To enquire about the network, please send an email to or [email protected].
Startup Europe thoroughly enjoyed the 3rd edition of Startup Olé, which is growing every year, and looks forward to seeing you at next year’s edition!
Startup Olé
Startup Olé is a unique event to drive entrepreneurship through effective collaboration:
A place where meaningful connections can be made with ALL the key players in the tech ecosystem.
Backed by Startup Europe (European Commission), we continue our focus on showcasing startups and matching them with relevant players in the ecosystem (Investors, Accelerators, Policy Makers, Universities & Innovative Corporations).
With special activities organised for Accelerators (Accelerator Assembly) and Universities (SEUN), as the Startup community grows stronger, so does Startup Olé!
Don’t miss out on this massive opportunity, for both newcomers and established players.
Salamanca acoge los días 26 y 27 de abril la 3ª edición de Startup Olé
Salamanca acoge los días 26 y 27 de abril la 3ª edición de Startup Olé, uno de los mayores eventos de emprendimiento tecnológico de nivel internacional
En esta tercera edición se prevé la participación de más de 2.500 personas, 400 startups, 200 ponentes, más de 50 aceleradoras, más de 50 corporaciones, más de 60 inversores y 25 universidades, así como administraciones públicas y medios de comunicación.
Durante los días 26 y 27 de abril Salamanca acoge de nuevo Startup Olé, un foro destinado a impulsar el ecosistema de emprendimiento tecnológico europeo, y que contará con la participación de más de 2.500 asistentes, 400 startups y más de 250 entidades entre corporaciones, aceleradoras, inversores, administraciones públicas, medios de comunicación y universidades.
El evento está organizado por la Universidad de Salamanca y su Parque Científico, la Junta de Castilla y León-ADE y la Comisión Europea-Startup Europe, en colaboración con SEPE, Iberdrola, Fundación Repsol, Global Exchange, Madrid Startup House, ViewNext, Europe Money 2020, Banco Sabadell, Ayuntamiento de Alcobendas y Turismo de Salamanca.
En la inauguración y a lo largo del evento habrá ponentes muy destacados como Juhan Lepassar (Responsable del gabinete del Vicepresidente de la Comisión Europea Andrus Ansip), Isidro Laso (Responsable de Startup Europe, Comisión Europea), Maria Pilar del Olmo (Consejera Economía de la Junta de Castilla y León), Rodrigo del Prado (CEO de BQ), Blanca Losada Martín (CEO de Gas Natural), Isidoro Alanis (Fundador y presidente de Global Exchange), Daniel Hernández Ruipérez (Exmo. Sr. Rector Mgfco. de la Universidad de Salamanca), y Fermín Albadalejo (Presidente de CEAJE).
Startup Olé cuenta asimismo con la colaboración de los siguientes grandes actores: corporaciones como Amazon, Repsol, Telefónica, Iberdrola, Ferrovial, Amadeus, Trivago, Renfe – ADIF, Correos, etc.; inversores como Demeter, Lucey Fund, Faraday, Axon Partners Group, K-Fund, Keiretsu Forum, Socios Inversores, Primomiglio o Ricari, entre otros; servicios de ministerios españoles como ENISA, SEGITTUR, RED.ES o el ICEX; y otras Administraciones Públicas como el Comité Europeo de las Regiones o el Parlamento Europeo; medios de comunicación como RTVE, Intereconomía, y Grupo A3 Media; así como aceleradoras y universidades de toda Europa. El evento también cuenta con más de 250 voluntarios/as, principalmente alumnos/as y antiguos/as alumnos/as de la Universidad de Salamanca.
Entre las actividades que van a tener lugar se incluye una feria de startups, una competición de pitches, un evento de emparejamientos entre corporaciones y startups, las reuniones del REDEI, una reunión de las Aceleradoras de la Comisión Europea, una reunión del Grupo Salamanca Investor Club-Investor Forum, una reunión de embajadores latinoamericanos, y la reunión de la red europea de países del este, con asistencia de representantes de más de 7 ministerios de estos países.
Startup Olé va a tener lugar los días 26 y 27 de abril en la Hospedería Fonseca de la Universidad de Salamanca. Se pueden obtener los tickets de forma gratuita en https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-ole-2017-tickets-29105746070
Startups in Madrid: pitch & exhibit at Startup Olé!
Do you want the opportunity to gain more visibility for your startup at Startup Olé?
Madrid Startup House Foundation is giving a select group of startups from Madrid the opportunity to take part in the Pitching Competition in front of prominent investors and corporates at Startup Olé, as well as the opportunity to be part of the stand for Madrid Startup House to exhibit your startup.
Madrid Startup House Foundation is a pilot initiative which began through Startup Europe. It aims to be a one stop shop where entrepreneurs and startups can find everything they need to startup in Madrid, Spain. It is a neutral space which aims to connect all players of the ecosystem, and facilitate Madrid, and Spain’s, ability to adapt to the Digital Single Market.
Madrid Startup House will be at Startup Olé for both days of the event in Salamanca, on 26th and 27th April, to present the Madrid ecosystem and explain more about the initiative.
If you would like to go with Madrid Startup House, it’s very easy, just follow these steps:
1. Present your startup during the Pitching Competition
Fill out the Google form before 14th April
Selection criteria:
Your startup must be in the phase of “Scale up”
Knowledge of English
Availability to travel to Salamanca between 26th and 27th April
2. Retweet to have your stand at Startup Olé
Follow MSH on twitter
RT the post for this competition
Tag Madrid Startup House in the new post, using the hashtag #QuieroEstarEnStartupOle
Selection criteria:
Follow these steps before 14 April
Availability to travel to Salamanca for 26th and 27th April
Knowledge of English
Winners will be announced on 21 April. Good luck! 🚀
Madrid Startup House will be at Startup Olé!
Madrid Startup House is going to be at Startup Olé, a great tech event in Salamanca, Spain, on 26th and 27th April!
Madrid Startup House is a pilot initiative which began through Startup Europe. It aims to be a one stop shop where entrepreneurs and startups can find everything they need to startup in Madrid, Spain. It is a neutral space which aims to connect all players of the ecosystem, and facilitate Madrid, and Spain’s, ability to adapt to the Digital Single Market.
Madrid Startup House will be at Startup Olé for both days of the event, to present the Madrid ecosystem and explain more about the initiative.
Madrid Startup House will:
- Be there with its two co-founders Victor Teodosio and Asier Basterretxea
- Have its own stand where you come to visit us and ask all of your questions
- Bring members of the Madrid ecosystem to meet you
- Bring selected top startups from Madrid: more on this very soon!
Keep an eye out for more information, on @MadridSHouse and on the website! We are excited to see you there!
About Startup Olé
Startup Olé emerged in 2015 from a highly successful European project within Startup Europe (WELCOME). The main objective of this project was to connect the startup ecosystems across Europe and advance European tech entrepreneurship. Although this project has now finished, Startup Olé persists as a unique event to drive entrepreneurship through effective collaboration. In fact, because of its origins, Startup Olé has become something that no other event has been able to achieve: A place where meaningful connections can be made with ALL the key players in the tech ecosystem.
Armenian startups invited to apply for Startup Olé, April 26-27, Spain, by 15th March
Calling Armenian startups! Apply by 15 March to go to Startup Olé in Spain
The Armenian tech and startup ecosystem made a thriving development during the last years. In IT sphere alone, more than 12,000 people work in 450 companies and in relevant support structures. Traditionally, there are strong ties between Armenian startups and the US and Silicon Valley. Now the Armenia startup ecosystem also reaches out to Europe more actively. This is conditioned by the fact that Armenia used to be an “engineering hub” during Soviet era, where over 30% of all the military electronics, R&D and production took place.
Currently, Armenia boasts top-notch technical expertise incorporated in promising startups which can open new opportunities for European partners.
“In this regard, Startup Europe is proud to partner with “Support to SME Development in Armenia” (SMEDA) project in cooperation with Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) and Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Development National Center (SMEDNC) of Armenia to support participation of 10 Armenian startups in Startup Ole Conference. The full announcement can be downloaded here.
SMEDA is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ Private Sector Development in South Caucasus Programme. SMEDA is part of the EU4Business and EU4Innovation initiatives of the European Union.
More information about startups in Armenia can be found here: www.eif.am
The successes of Startup Olé 2016!
What-a-WEEK! The effort that was put into making Startup Olé such a great event really showed. You could feel the passion on stage, at the fair, in the corridors, and in Salamanca.
This was a great success and we owe it to you – the participants, the volunteers, the speakers, the sponsors, the organisation and everyone who contributed! More than 600 people made their way to Startup Ole to share their ideas and their work – and this is something that will just keep on giving.
You can now take a look at the photos here and we also keep collecting what the press is saying about us – over 100 publications and some very cool videos & interviews too!
Highlights
For a startup event, the most important component is, of course, the Startup Fair.
This is what truly sets the mood, shows you what’s going on, who came, and what there is to see. 100 startups were showcasing their work from many different verticals – from IoT to Travel – Virtual Reality to Fashion! Beer, cats, electric scooters, drones, shoes, humanitarians, games … you name it!
The most ambitious and amazing startups also got the chance to participate in the Startup Pitching – competing for prizes and catching the eye of the investing judges! Learn more about the winners at Startup Olé’s pitching page.
At the fair, the startups, but also the organizations that supported them, such as universities, scientific parks accelerators, and many other ecosystem builders who brought their own projects as the best way to showcase their impact on the startup world.
Startup Europe – one of Startup Olé’s main supporters – brought over 10 different EU projects who work on developing a Pan-European startup ecosystem – showcasing their work at the joint stand. Isidro Laso Ballesteros, leader of the initiative, also presented his view on what have been the highlights and what the future holds for startups and the European Commission.
In the Auditorium, many high level speakers gathered to discuss the main issues for those who work with startups. We can highlight sessions about scaling up in Europe, accessing markets beyond Europe, creating innovation spaces, FinTech and many others.
Accelerator Assembly sessions included panel sessions on the latest trends of acceleration, including corporate involvement in startups. The sessions were from NESTA and invited participants from Fundacion Repsol, Wayra, Iberdrola, ZED, IMPACT Accelerator, ACE Creative, Startup bootcamp & Eleven. Accelerator Assembly brought together more than 50 accelerators who organized several independent activities – “Accelerator Pitching” to help startups get to know different accelerators; Workshop on how to understand, choose and apply to accelerators as well as many office hours throughout the day. More details at the Accelerator Assembly website.
The Opening session gave us high level keynote speakers who showed their commitment and their experience in boosting entrepreneurship. The Closing Session was a chance to give back to the community by awarding the different prizes we gathered for our startups, such as the Recognition Awards.
StartUp Europe Awards winners can be checked here.
Matchmaking & working areas: Over 600 meetings through the matchmaking app, not counting the informal get-togethers and serendipitous encounters!
Participants took advantage of the various networking areas throughout the venue: 1-on-1 meeting rooms, open spaces, cafeteria, etc.
Invite-only networking events were organized for the Salamanca Investors Club, speakers and sponsors, profiting from the good weather to bring together the rainmakers that will help push Salamanca and Europe forward.
So much more happened during the event that it’s impossible to put it all in one post. We invite you to stay in touch, follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter and SPREAD THE WORD: Startup Ole 2017 will happen sooner than you think… want to get involved?
Startup Olé & Startup Europe coverage: Drones and alt energy tech star at Spanish start-up fiesta
Skill and enthusiasm on the Iberian peninsula
Hardware tech such as drones and energy reclamation technology predominated at the Startup Ole conference in Salamanca, Spain last week.
The two day event gathered 100 startups and more than 1,000 attendees to the historic University town in Western Spain. Similar events in the UK would be dominated by app developers or in Israel by cyber security firms – many of them alumni of the IDF’s famous Unit 8200 intelligence unit.
The Spanish crop featured a far more diverse group of companies across a greater range of technologies including energy and aviation as well as information technologies. Among the firms we met were AEInnova, which is using thermal cells to create power generation from waste heat. Applications include power sensors in industrial environments without relying on battery or mains power supplies.
The second annual Startup Ole showcase also featured Canard Drones, a startup that wants to replace specialist light aircraft for drones in calibrating the navigation aides at airports.
“There’s an eccentric element to it and startups are working from the bottom up on technologies,” Joe Haslam, professor at IE business school Madrid and founder of Hot Hotels, explained. “People do what they want to to do.”
Haslam added that unlike the UK and the USA – where places of learning such as the University of Cambridge and Stanford University – act as feeders as incubators for tech startups Spanish Universities don’t fulfil the same role. The University of Salamanca, for example focuses on the arts. Barcelona University has good technology courses but that alone isn’t enough. Madrid Universities tend to act as feeders to big companies. Accelerators in the country service “start-up tourism” without much output, according to Haslam.
Spain has never produced a Nasdaq listed tech firm. Part of the reason is cultural. “Starting a business is seen as disruptive to family life,” Haslam explained. “People don’t believe in themselves.”
There was certainly no shortage of energy, skill or enthusiasm on display at Startup Ole and reason for optimism, when it comes to funding. The Spanish government was mandated to put money into startups as part of the 2008 bank bail-out by the EU.
Startup Ole also incorporated Startup Europe – the European Commission’s initiative for startups. Panels on acceleration trends, how corporates want to interact with startups, universities and their role in startup ecosystems featured during the show as well as a pitching competition that (much like a school sports day) seemed to reward everyone with some prize or other.
Disruption
Your own correspondent chaired a 30 minute session of disruptive technology during the conference. Alejandro Delgado Sanchez of IBM talked about the application of artificial intelligence in applications such as customer relationship management.
Miguel Amador of Startup Braga discussed how startups lead the way to new products based in nanotechnology and new materials, bridging the gap between science and market in the process. Miguel Arjona of Altran delved into virtual reality and, specifically, in the emerging technologies that will allow a full cognitive and sensorial immersion in the virtual worlds. he mentioned applications including real-time 3D mapping and avatars creation), touch sense through haptic and mechanics globes and brain machine interfaces (EGG headsets).
Article by: John Leyden
Retrieved from: The Register