The Board of Trustees of the Fundación Innovación y Desarrollo (Innovation and Development Foundation) (FIDBAN) recently approved the promotion of “UNEATLANTICO Emprende,” (UNEATLANTICO Entrepreneurship) a new project that will establish synergies between the entrepreneurial activities developed by the Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic) (UNEATLANTICO), the incubator of the Cátedra de Cultura Emprendedora y Empleabilidad (Chair of Entrepreneurial Culture and Employability), and FIDBAN.
The project proposes the following actions: training and information activities, a business incubator, mentoring by leading companies in the region, facilitating seed financing, as well as the search for institutional and private investors at the regional, national, and international levels.
The Board of Trustees of FIDBAN, which includes the Universidad Europea del Atlántico, the Sociedad para el Desarrollo de Cantabria (Association for the Regional Development of Cantabria) (SODERCAN), the Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER), the city councils of Santander and Torrelavega, the Confederación de Empresarios de Cantabria (Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Cantabria) (CEOE-CEPYME), and the Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Industrial de Cantabria (Center for Research and Industrial Technology of Cantabria) (CITICAN), also approved at its ordinary meeting the action plan for the 2023-2024 academic year, highlighting the expansion plans in Latin America with the holding of investor rounds in the last quarter of 2023 in Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. In addition, investor rounds are being planned to be held this year in Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay.
Cantabria will continue to be the main venue for FIDBAN’s activities. In addition to the investor rounds held in March and June, new meetings between entrepreneurs and investors are scheduled for September and December, to be held at the Universidad Europea del Atlántico in collaboration with the SER network in Cantabria.
The regular meeting also approved the extension of the initiative launched in 2022 under the STARTInnova project, initiated by Diario Montañés to promote synergies between high school and vocational training students from Cantabria who participate in the project and students from UNEATLANTICO. This activity will also be part of the new “UNEATLANTICO Emprende” project.
The FIDBAN Board of Trustees also agreed to strengthen the collaboration established through the agreements signed and renewed annually with the main organizations linked to the regional business network: Cámara de Comercio e Industria de Cantabria (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cantabria), Cámara de Comercio de Torrelavega (Chamber of Commerce of Torrelavega), Asociación de Mujeres Empresarias (Association of Women Entrepreneurs) (ADMEC), Asociación de Trabajadores Autónomos de Cantabria (Association of Self-Employed Workers of Cantabria) (ATA), STARTInnova Project of El Diario Montañés, Federación Iberoamericana de Mujeres Empresarias (Ibero-American Federation of Women Entrepreneurs) (FIDE), Red Glezco Ventures, and Constructora de Obras Públicas San Emeterio SA (COPSESA). Likewise, and in order to expand its network of investors —about one hundred individual investors—, the company has strengthened its collaboration with the two family offices operating in Cantabria, Kai Capital of the Grupo Pitma and Family Horizont of the Grupo Huerta.
FIDBAN is committed to making the AEBAN (Asociación Española de Business Angels) (Spanish Association of Business Angels) network available to investors and entrepreneurs in Cantabria, an organization that has been supporting the sector in Spain for more than 14 years and helping the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This is an important step that makes the Foundation the only nationally and internationally recognized Business Angel in Cantabria. AEBAN is a member of BAE, Business Angels Europe, and EBAN, The European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds and other Early Stage Market Players, as the Asociación de redes de Business Angels de España (Association of Business Angels networks in Spain). With the adhesion of FIDBAN to AEBAN, the means that will be available to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cantabria are expanded. Through “UNEATLANTICO Emprende,” a flexible structure will be created to share, as a facilitator and loudspeaker, the entrepreneurial activity developed by the different groups that make up the University Community and its environment: companies, public and private institutions, investors and social agents, etc.
“UNEATLANTICO Emprende” aims to unite, raising its potential, coordinating efforts, and facilitating synergies, the activity in favor of entrepreneurship currently carried out by the Universidad Europea del Atlántico, through the Cátedra de Cultura Emprendedora y Empleabilidad and the Fundación Innovación y Desarrollo (FIDBAN).
UNEATLANTICO’s incubator has been open to university students for three years and is managed by the Cátedra de Cultura Emprendedora y Empleabilidad. From now on, admission is open to projects from outside the European University of the Atlantic, prioritizing those based on technology, health and sciences, creative field —advertising, audiovisual creation, etc.—, social entrepreneurship, and rural environment. Both initiatives have been developed. FIDBAN, in operation since 2017, has a proven track record in linking profitable entrepreneurial projects in need of financing with potential equity investors. So far, more than fifty projects have gone through its 17 rounds of investors held in Cantabria.
The Board of Trustees finally agreed to initiate steps for the installation of an Entrepreneurship Center, preferably located in the PCTCAN, where the current activities of the incubator can be developed, as well as the collaboration between students of technological careers.