07
d'Octubre
de
2015
Act.
07
d'Octubre
de
2015
"In 2012 I set up two start-ups: my baby and The South Summit." This is the sincere and heartfelt way that SofiaBenjumea (@sofiabenjumea), director of Google For Entrepreneurs's Campus Madrid, introduces herself. She recently took part in the Barcelona StartupWeek to explain her projects, one of which she has left, though it still receives her support: The South Summit.
The meeting for start-ups from the south of Europe, which starts on Wednesday in Madrid, is a product of the natural evolution of Spain Start-up, the project that Benjumea created two years ago with Maria Benjumea, her partner and (clearly) a member of her family. "It was the year I came back from doing an MBA in Los Angeles. It was the worst moment of the crisis, the worst time to come back and even worse was the international view from abroad. But I thought that the time had arrived to believe in the talent of our start-ups," she says.
It was a project that took a lot to grow, but there was no lack of perseverance and enthusiasm among the founding team. "We were the first conference of this type, but if we wanted to attract the attention of international investors, we had to be bigger and think globally, because in the end the aim was to attract innovation departments interested in acquiring talent and innovation," says Benjumea. The success of the meet-up is confirmed by this edition, in which 9,000 attendees are taking part, while it will be inaugurated by Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder.
Managing to attract investors
Benjumea talks with the experience of someone who has knocked on plenty of doors to become successful. "Being positive is basic: if we do not believe in the talent in our country and of our entrepreneurs, no one else will." Her belief in the Spanish entrepreneurial spirit is borne out by the figures for this year: 68 start-ups from Spain are taking part in the South Summit. Of those, some 18% are Catalan, including Geenapp or Tiendeo.
Another piece of advice from Benjumea –and she cannot be far wrong, as she now works closely with Google- is primordial: "Do not stop being unique but think globally. For us," she continues, "it involved going from thinking about a project for Spain to thinking about a project for the whole of south Europe." It is a global vision that does not renounce individual differences, the reason why The South Summit is hosted in the Las Ventas bullring. "It was interesting to place so much technology in such an historic venue," she says. Joining forces is Benjumea's third tip, as she recalls that the strength of the initial team in her 'newborn project' was vital for its later evolution.
Perseverance, a lot of perseverance
"Joining forces is what we did from the first moment and three years later everyone feels a part of this project, all of us feel that we have been part of it." Perseverance and a cosmopolitan spirit are two musts for Benjumea. "How to make attract them? Literally, I went round door-to-door with a rucksack to convince them. In the end, they told me that they would only come because I was so persistent," she recalls nostalgically. And the director of Google's Madrid Campus is certain that "e-mails do not work; you have to call, insist and be persistent."
Travelling around the world and opening one's mind is another of Benjumea's tips, even though it is an activity that requires more funding and often domestic business people can find themselves 'handicapped'.
She defends the bravery of entrepreneurs and growing stronger in the face of adversity when there is confidence in the project that she continues to speak up for from her Google office in Madrid. "We want to back entrepreneurs," she insists. In other words, the persistent and the brave.
The meeting for start-ups from the south of Europe, which starts on Wednesday in Madrid, is a product of the natural evolution of Spain Start-up, the project that Benjumea created two years ago with Maria Benjumea, her partner and (clearly) a member of her family. "It was the year I came back from doing an MBA in Los Angeles. It was the worst moment of the crisis, the worst time to come back and even worse was the international view from abroad. But I thought that the time had arrived to believe in the talent of our start-ups," she says.
It was a project that took a lot to grow, but there was no lack of perseverance and enthusiasm among the founding team. "We were the first conference of this type, but if we wanted to attract the attention of international investors, we had to be bigger and think globally, because in the end the aim was to attract innovation departments interested in acquiring talent and innovation," says Benjumea. The success of the meet-up is confirmed by this edition, in which 9,000 attendees are taking part, while it will be inaugurated by Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder.
Managing to attract investors
Benjumea talks with the experience of someone who has knocked on plenty of doors to become successful. "Being positive is basic: if we do not believe in the talent in our country and of our entrepreneurs, no one else will." Her belief in the Spanish entrepreneurial spirit is borne out by the figures for this year: 68 start-ups from Spain are taking part in the South Summit. Of those, some 18% are Catalan, including Geenapp or Tiendeo.
 |
| Benjumea, during her speech in the Barcelona StartupWeek. Ceded |
Another piece of advice from Benjumea –and she cannot be far wrong, as she now works closely with Google- is primordial: "Do not stop being unique but think globally. For us," she continues, "it involved going from thinking about a project for Spain to thinking about a project for the whole of south Europe." It is a global vision that does not renounce individual differences, the reason why The South Summit is hosted in the Las Ventas bullring. "It was interesting to place so much technology in such an historic venue," she says. Joining forces is Benjumea's third tip, as she recalls that the strength of the initial team in her 'newborn project' was vital for its later evolution.
Perseverance, a lot of perseverance
"Joining forces is what we did from the first moment and three years later everyone feels a part of this project, all of us feel that we have been part of it." Perseverance and a cosmopolitan spirit are two musts for Benjumea. "How to make attract them? Literally, I went round door-to-door with a rucksack to convince them. In the end, they told me that they would only come because I was so persistent," she recalls nostalgically. And the director of Google's Madrid Campus is certain that "e-mails do not work; you have to call, insist and be persistent."
Travelling around the world and opening one's mind is another of Benjumea's tips, even though it is an activity that requires more funding and often domestic business people can find themselves 'handicapped'.
She defends the bravery of entrepreneurs and growing stronger in the face of adversity when there is confidence in the project that she continues to speak up for from her Google office in Madrid. "We want to back entrepreneurs," she insists. In other words, the persistent and the brave.