The Launch of the STARTEAE Entrepreneurs Club, an initiative led by EAE students
04 de April de 2019
04 de April de 2019
The entrepreneurial nature of EAE students knows no bounds. One demonstration of this tireless drive is the creation of the STARTEAE Entrepreneurs Club, a meeting point open to all students interested in entrepreneurship, where they can network, share experiences and learn from experts (entrepreneurs, investors, consultants, etc.) who give presentations on the platform.
This initiative forms part of EAE Entrepreneur and has been created by the students of the School's Madrid and Barcelona Campuses themselves. Josep Vidal is the coordinator of the Entrepreneurs Club project at EAE's Barcelona Campus, while, at the Príncipe de Vergara Campus, it is headed by Luis Vega, José Luis Parra and Carmen Pumariño.
The idea of the Entrepreneurs Club "originated after an EAE Entrepreneur event that various students took part in. We set up a WhatsApp group to discuss issues related to entrepreneurship, generate synergies and network, and loads of people joined", explained Josep Vidal, a student on the Master in Stock and Financial Markets. The students then got in touch with Rocío Álvarez-Ossorio, the Director of EAE Lab, the School's business incubator. It is currently a pilot project that will evolve over time.
The Entrepreneurs Club is open to current students and members of EAE's Alumni community, as well as "professionals who have no links to the School but who advise startups and can give us really handy tips for our professional lives", explained Josep Vidal. The student is working on a project with his classmates for his Master's Thesis, which they hope to present to EAE LAB, the School's business incubator.
The Entrepreneurs Club in Barcelona
The first part of the presentation of the STARTEAE Entrepreneurs Club in Barcelona was given by Xavier Sans, the CEO of Orain Technologies. In his opinion, starting this type of initiatives and projects is a great idea. He embarked on his entrepreneurial career when he finished his Bachelor Degree. He then gave participants an overview of his company, Orain Technologies, a platform than facilitates dynamic and intuitive communication between people and machines, thanks to a chatbot with artificial intelligence.
At the event, the entrepreneur highlighted some of the doubts that students have with respect to the world of entrepreneurship. He added that he himself had previously started a venture that he then gave up on, and later joined a startup, which he then left, before deciding to start his own company. He now operates in Spain, France and Italy. "We are in the process of internationalization because our base plan is to open up across Europe first of all, and then further afield".
The students are really keen on the project. "I joined the Club and it is really interesting. We share news of entrepreneurship, discuss conferences, etc.", said Víctor Barcelona, a student on the Master in Big Data. "Personally, I find it really helpful because, when I finish the Master, I want to become an entrepreneur and set up my own company related to smart cities". In Victor's opinion, there is no precise formula for entrepreneurship, but "the more help and information we have, the better for our future".
The Entrepreneurs Club in Madrid
At the EAE Lab incubator, Luis Vega, José Luis Parra and Carmen Pumariño gave a presentation of this initiative "by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs", which aims to bring entrepreneurship closer to all kinds of profiles. To achieve this, they are striving to create a community that can communicate through a WhatsApp group in which they share relevant information related to the entrepreneurial ecosystem (lessons, doubts and concerns about business ventures and startups). Moreover, they plan to hold events such as Stories (to enhance their visibility of other entrepreneurs' success stories or failures), Feedback Fridays, Teach & Learns to promote learning and networking between people with the same concerns. Jorge Trincado, the CEO and Founder of Thinger.io, took part in the event to share his entrepreneurial experience with his Open Source tool for the Internet of Things.
Luis Vega, the Co-Founder of Hupity, the telework startup incubated at EAE Lab listed the requirements that the Entrepreneurs Club sets for its members: "passion, desire to collaborate and participate in the events organized and, of course, the drive to be an entrepreneur". In just two weeks, the group already has more than 50 members keen to develop or contribute ideas for new companies. "Some are even organizing workshops on their areas of expertise, as proposed by the community itself", he added. One highly motivating feature is that the platform has been created with the aim of being a living thing "with new people joining year after year and each new generations adding its own spin on the issues", explained the Co-Founder of Hupity.
With the initial goal of generating a community of professionals keen to work together and keep the community up-to-date with issues related to entrepreneurship, the members of the Entrepreneurs Club have set a number of short-term goals, which include facilitating interaction between professionals on different Master programs to expand their network of contacts, as well as learning and sharing along the way. Moreover, they aim to ensure that the club becomes a safe forum for sharing positive and negative experiences among the participants. Lastly, they want the Club to be a platform for demystifying entrepreneurship. "Being your own boss and setting the course for your own company may sound great, but the fact is that working double shifts for months without earning or seeing any results requires a great deal of support and tenacity. We want the Club to help people who want to launch an entrepreneurial venture to be aware of what is involved. Along the way, we can all learn plenty in this respect", explained Luis Vega.