IE Business School, Infoempleo and FCP Financial Communication Platforms have joined forces to organize the Spain Startup & Investor Summit on June 6 – 8 in Madrid. The overriding objective of the initiative, unique to Spain, is to make Madrid the world capital of entrepreneurship.

“Now is the time to do this. The new scenario has to mirror the talents of the powerful society that makes up Spain: entrepreneurial, reliable and competitive,” said María Benjumea, President of the initiative, during the constitution of the Spain Startup & Investor Summit Advisory Board. The Board comprises key players in the field of entrepreneurship – entrepreneurs, business leaders and institutions – who play a pivotal role in the sector. “These are people with dynamism, enthusiasm and initiative. People who are convinced that 2012 marks the turning point and that it’s time to start looking ahead,” added the organizers.

Spain, the perfect market

The Spain Startup & Investor Summit Advisory Board is the academic team behind a project that aims to bring Spain back to the world stage with the innovation, creativity and passion that are the hallmark of Spanish entrepreneurs.  The pioneering project will serve as a meeting point for international investors and these entrepreneurs.Fifty of Spain’s best startup projects will be presented during the Spain Startup Summit, selected by prestigious institutions led by IE business School’s International Center for Entrepreneurial Management to participate in the Summit’s Startup Competition. A judges panel made up of Spanish and international investors will select the best initiatives.

“We are living through a time of change, a moment in time that no smart investor can afford to miss out on. We have a generation of entrepreneurs and a magnificent ideas platform generating wealth and employment, the only thing missing is one last push to unleash an entrepreneurial revolution”, said Juan José Güemes, Vice President of IE Business School and of the initiative.

Pablo Santos, CEO of Financial Communication Platforms added that “this will be the first time that, entrepreneurs and international investors have met in Spain at a summit of this size.”

María Benjumea is convinced that Spain is the perfect market to do this given its unique position as a bridge between Europe and Latin America. “This summit is the result of recognizing a need for integration. By bringing together all the interest groups and key players from government, business corporations and institutions in one place, we will be able to show our commitment to initiatives that foster entrepreneurship and employment, while boosting Spain’s image worldwide.”

Entrepreneurs’ turn

In order to access the international or Spanish funding promoted by the Spain Startup Summit, startups will have to have made it through an initial funding phase. Teams must already be working full time in the field in which their startup project will operate. They must also have specific plans with regard to their business objective, turnover, clients, patents and agreements. Moreover, the startups have to demonstrate international potential.

Startups that meet these requirements can present their candidatures on the Spain Startup & Investor Summit website from March 15. The fifty most attractive, promising and sustainable projects will be presented to international investors.

This will not be the only unique initiative taking place on June 6-8. The event will be rounded off with two further major focuses: one centered on ideas, with addresses by international opinion leaders, and a forum dedicated exclusively to investors from around the world, with both debates centered on the green economy and social entrepreneurship.

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