The Provincial Council and the MIT bring together 200 entrepreneurs at an event with 16 international new business creation experts

The Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have brought together 200 entrepreneurs at the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall within the framework of an event with 16 international experts in the creation of new business. This event was presided over by the Councillor for Economic Promotion, Imanol Pradales, who stressed that although entrepreneurship is important in any situation, it is even more so in a situation of crisis such as the current one. He encouraged those present to seek help from the Provincial Council to develop and implement their business ideas.
The Councillor for Economic Promotion was accompanied by the Rector of Mondragon University, Bixente Atxa; the Vice-Rector for Outreach and Transfer of the University of the Basque Country, Amaia Maseda; and the Vice-Rector for Communication, Multilingualism and Social Outreach of the University of Deusto, Roberto San Salvador del Valle, since they are all partners in this initiative. The event was also attended, in representation of the MIT, by Akhil Nigam, founder and President of Mass Challenge, the most important startup accelerator in the world; Chris Howard, managing director of Mass Challenge UK, the first spin-off from Mass Challenge outside the USA; John Chisholm, investor, and Stephen Brown, former director of the licensing office of the MIT.
“Bilbao Entrepreneurship Meetup 2015” has been devised by the Department of Economic Promotion of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the MIT Global Startup Workshop team and features several discussions and workshops about aspects which are essential when starting up a business and about the personal experience of some successful entrepreneurs from the Basque Country and from other places in the world. Thus, throughout the day there will be some lectures analyzing the key elements to be a successful entrepreneur in areas such as videogames, mobile apps or audiovisuals and dealing with the experience of well-known investors in startup funding or with how to find the best accompaniment for a business project and also with the direct experience of several successful entrepreneurs from Bizkaia.
Besides, the conference on entrepreneurship will also feature two competitions. The Business Plan Competition is a competition involving four business plans selected from the 52 which were initially submitted and the 12 which passed the subsequent screening by the MIT. A jury made up of experts will choose the best of those four finalists.
In the second competition, the Elevator Pitch Competition, 60 participants will compete to gain investors in 60 seconds or less.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private university seated in the United States and involved in training and research in various spheres of knowledge ranging from engineering to humanities and including social sciences or business management. One of their divisions organizes every year the MIT Global Startup Workshop, a world-renowned conference within the sphere of entrepreneurship promotion, and collaborates in other events such as the one which will be held in Bilbao in January 2015.
Their foundational purpose is to build bridges between different sectors involved in the creation of companies so as to stimulate debate, generate ideas and share best practices in entrepreneurship. This way, they contribute to the construction of stronger and more productive entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world as well as a diverse and dynamic contact and support network for entrepreneurs.