The private non-profit association Madrid Tech City, driven by entrepreneurs from different branches of innovation and technology, gathered on September 29th at Aticco María de Molina, some of the most relevant players in the startup ecosystem of the capital of Madrid.
It was the first meeting of Madrid Tech City after the beginning of the pandemic. The meeting aimed to discuss the situation of companies in this situation and how to find joint solutions to move forward and was attended by Angel Niño, Councilor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the City of Madrid.
Niño analyzed how the current circumstances are affecting the development of startups and SMEs in Madrid's entrepreneurial ecosystem. He also commented that »Madrid has to aspire to specialization, to become an Artificial Intelligence cluster». This specialized cluster strategy is, in his opinion, vital for innovation to reach the capital. He also explained that the city council is working on the implementation of a mobility sandbox that will allow technology companies in this sector to establish themselves in the city to carry out their tests.
Councilwoman Maysoun Douas, from Más Madrid, drew on her experience in La Nave (the space for connecting technological agents of the Madrid City Council) to delve into Niño's idea of creating spaces to test projects quickly in order to choose the strongest ones.
A debate fueled by all players on the Madrid technology scene
In addition to the two representatives of the Madrid City Council, the debate promoted by Madrid Tech City gathered the contribution of numerous actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the capital.
Rocío Güemes, director of investor services at CEIM - Confederación Empresarial de Madrid-CEOE, called on the Spanish government to provide a clear explanation of the framework that companies will encounter. She also expressed her concern because »measures must be agreed upon and a very powerful injection of capital is needed. The destination of 135,000 million euros is being decided in Europe and the countries of our environment have already presented plans to opt for them. Spain does not yet have a plan to attract this financing,» he explained.
Encarnación Fernández, Director of Institutional Relations at Orange, called for »the creation of use case development projects related to 5G technology in order to get the most out of the new infrastructures being deployed by mobile operators».
For his part, Patricio Gómez, of Leyton, a consulting firm specializing in R&D project financing, called for simplification of the grant application process. »We must also shorten the deadlines and spend the entire budget. I think it is a problem of administrative organization. 50% of the R&D budget is not reaching the companies,» he said at the colloquium held at Aticco.
Elena Carretero, director of operations for AIM Group International, pointed to the events as »symbols of reactivation of the system». Carretero expressed concern about the image projected from Madrid abroad and called for the city to be projected »as a safe and suitable territory. We have to sell the destination».
For his part, Ismael Teijón, of Cupido Capital, gave the city of Valencia as an example to follow. »There, the players are united: university, politicians, entrepreneurs and startups». He also insisted on the idea of the city's specialization in one area of the technology business without forgetting the need to channel startups that do not operate in that area of specialization.
Álvaro Castellanos, co-owner of Grupo Arzábal, vindicated the importance of SMEs and small businesses at street level. »We need the personal feeling. With the change in consumer habits, what makes small businesses strong is being lost.» In addition, he asked for more agility from the administrations for the adaptation of regulations that can protect these small businesses.
Maria Martinez, director of Mayordomo Smart Points, put a question on the table. »How long are we going to be like this? We've been in a pandemic for 7 months and we haven't sat down to find solutions. SMEs sustain the system and nobody supports them. We are giving a disastrous international image.»
For Manel Pujol, CEO of Alan España, the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem needs »specialization and economies of scale. In addition, we are lacking references, a kind of Champions that represents the efforts of entrepreneurs and how far we can go».
Part of the representation of young entrepreneurs came from Carla Mouriño, founder of Dinar at the age of 25. Mouriño said that »Madrid is an ideal city for many reasons», but also warned that she has felt very lonely for a long time. »If your close circle does not have this concern for entrepreneurship, you need spaces to share that culture.
Carmen Vazquez de Castro, director of the Start Universe community, was very critical of the difficulties faced by younger people and the lack of real help. »We don't support SMEs or incentivize talent fresh out of university. Communities that try to inject the entrepreneurial gene in these young people are not recognized.»
Juan Chacón, co-founder of Textilo, one of the startups working at Aticco, highlighted the adaptability of a company like his, which has been tremendously affected by the pandemic but has launched into the manufacture of other products such as customizable face masks and company uniforms.
We are delighted to host Madrid Tech City and nurture the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the capital. Our space Aticco María de Molina 39 is the perfect place to hold professional meetings, with all the security measures, and in spacious, bright and fully equipped spaces. Book a visit and come to know our Coworking in Madrid in Maria de Molina 30.