The 14 members of the program, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, Incyde Foundation and Zona Franca, presented the result of their experience during the closing ceremony held in Cádiz.
The participants presented their business ideas to the Special Delegate of the State in the Free Trade Zone of Cádiz, the Subdelegate of the Government in Cádiz and the president of the Chamber
The program, which is co-financed by the European Social Fund, has involved a total of 60,000 euros of investment
After seven weeks of learning, 140 initial ideas and seven final business projects, the first edition of the Innovation Startup Cádiz Camp ends, a unique initiative in Andalusia that has brought together 14 young people from all over Spain to teach them how to create companies with high innovative potential.
The closing ceremony was held last Thursday afternoon at the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce of Cádiz and was attended by the Special State delegate in the Free Trade Zone of Cádiz, Jorge Ramos; the subdelegate of the Government in Cádiz, Javier de Torre; and the president of the Cádiz Chamber of Commerce, Ángel Juan Pascual.
The institutional representatives, who already learned about the participants' projects a few weeks ago in El Puerto de Santa María, attended the exhibition that the future entrepreneurs have made of their products and have presented them with the diplomas that accredit their training during a meeting that puts an end to the experience.
The State delegate in the Free Zone congratulated the participants for their ideas and their work and reminded them that in the Free Zone they have the necessary tools to give entrepreneurs the support they need, as the students were able to verify in the recent visit to the Consortium facilities. At the same time, he thanked the Chamber of Commerce and the Incyde Foundation for their participation in this project and highlighted the importance of collaboration between institutions so that the initiatives go forward, a line of work to which Zona Franca is faithful.
For Ángel Juan Pascual, this campus has served to discover the potential of young people with a desire to undertake and with “great ideas that we are sure we will see in the market.” Likewise, during his speech, he highlighted the fundamental role of the collaboration between the Chamber, the Free Trade Zone and the INCYDE Foundation, “without which this training action that is so beneficial for everyone would not have been possible.” On the other hand, he encouraged the participants "to continue the path they have started" and reminded them that the Cádiz Chamber of Commerce has different programs focused on the development and consolidation of business projects such as the "PAEM" program, "Innocámaras" or "Learn to Financiarte."
Finally, the subdelegate of the Government in Cádiz, Javier De Torre, congratulated the young entrepreneurs for their imagination and business initiative, also encouraging them not to give up in their efforts and that the results of their good work will become visible sooner or later. "If things ever don't go as planned, don't give up, you have to be persistent and strive to achieve your goals. From what I've seen here, I have no doubt that you have the disposition and enthusiasm necessary to achieve great achievements in the business world."
De Torre highlighted the role that the Government of Spain, through the Cádiz Free Trade Zone, plays in this initiative to meet the objective of job creation, providing young entrepreneurs with training and growth tools so that, thanks to their work and talent, they can begin their journey in the world of work.
"In Cádiz, a large number of young people have entered the business world thanks to the Entrepreneurship and Youth Employment Strategy that the Government of Spain launched in 2013 with a budget of 3.5 billion euros and a hundred measures aimed at promoting youth employment. It is also worth remembering that the business structure of Cádiz is 57,000 companies, of which 28,000 are self-employed, 18,000 have less than three employees and 11,000 more than three. Therefore, 46,000 companies are either self-employed or have less than three workers. The projects that come out of this will end up being self-employed or SMEs, so the administrations must help them through tools such as the entrepreneurship and youth employment strategy," said De Torre.
Conclusions
The Innovation Startup Cádiz Camp has led to the generation of seven business projects with the possibility of being viable. Specifically, the prototype of a piece of furniture for growing hydroponic plants was presented during the closing; a cannabis-based dietary supplement for the treatment of arthritis; a vertical parking model; augmented reality software with application in cultural entities; a web platform for renting unoccupied spaces; a digital application to alleviate Alzheimer's disease; and a website to hire and offer low-cost photography services.
It is worth highlighting, as the campus director, Juan Cabrera of the INCYDE Foundation, explained, "the production in a few weeks of a minimum viable product", something that from his experience, happens very rarely: "The normal thing in the courses is to end with a business plan on the table, not with a prototype. And they have achieved it," Cabrera pointed out. At the same time, the mentor has highlighted the personal aspect of coexistence, which he is sure “has generated friends for life” and the learning by young people of the importance of decision-making when starting a business.
The campus in figures
On September 14, this adventure began in El Puerto de Santa María, which has lasted seven weeks. Nearly 50 people applied for access, with 14 finally being chosen based on their creative potential, entrepreneurial spirit, knowledge of new technologies and assessment of their resume.
The development of the training has involved an investment of 60,000 euros and has been possible thanks to the cooperation of the Chamber of Commerce of Cádiz, Zona Franca and INCYDE Foundation, and the support of the European Social Fund (ERDF).
Subjects like coaching group for team building, the situation of the current environment, market trends, generation of ideas, as well as other transversal topics focused on sales, networks or finances, are part of the study guide of this campus designed to promote the creation of companies and which aims to consolidate itself as an effective and productive learning method.