“In the ‘80s, we wanted to be civil servants; in the ‘90s, auditors; and now we want to be entrepreneurs.” With these words, Juanjo Marín, a lecturer in Business Administration and Management, kicked off the first edition of the Entrepreneurship & Social Day (E&S-Day), which took place on 5 April in the Aula Magna at UIC Barcelona. The event, promoted by the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, with the help of Juanjo Marín and the Faculty of Humanities, featured several entrepreneurs, who explained their most successful projects as part of a round table discussion.
This year's guests were Cristina Conesa, director general of Opinno; Luis Font, from Robin Good; Marta Frenna, CEO of GreyHounders; and Elisabet del Valle, managing director and co-founder of Onalabs. The four speakers shared their experiences in the business world, discussed their projects and offered the students advice, stressing that “you have to learn not only to start businesses, but also to fail, a concept which is deeply engrained in our culture but not so much so in that of other countries, such as the US,” explained Marta Frenna.
“Sometimes it is better to be alone than in bad company. When you are looking for co-founders, it is important to sit down and see if things align, if your values coincide. Having no money is complicated, but being stuck in a partnership you can’t get out of is even more so,” explained Elisabet del Valle, who emphasised the importance of the team, another of the pillars mentioned in the round table. As for Cristina Conesa, she added that, “Multidisciplinary teams are fundamental to achieving our objectives. If you have different profiles and visions, one person always picks up where the other leaves off.”
The event focused on entrepreneurship with both business and social purposes. As a result, the speakers also dedicated part of their speeches to highlighting the importance of sustainability. According to Luis Font, “Social entrepreneurship is experiencing incredible growth. Lots of new companies are having a social impact, while old companies are getting up to speed, and it’s a movement that I don’t think will stop.”
In addition to the round table, the event organisers surprised those present with a session of improvised comic theatre, which elicited lots of laughs from the crowd and provided a segue into the second part of the event, the E&S-Day Competition, held to find the best business and social impact projects.
Of the 21 proposals submitted by the over 100 participating students, in the days prior to the event, the jury selected six finalist teams, who presented their projects in the auditorium. The audience, after hearing the six business and social entrepreneurship proposals, cast their vote live via their telephones. The awards went to the teams Out of the Loop, in the Not-for-Profit category, and Drop-In, in the For Profit category.
UIC Barcelona, which centres its entrepreneurial efforts around the Innovation with a Social Impact Hub and initiatives such as E&S-Day, is looking to drive the creation of new innovative projects among its students. “Today we have seen a show of imagination, social sensibility and sustainability. I am proud, because you share the values of this university and give meaning to the Innovation Hub. I can already envision you in a co-working space, the garages of 21st-century entrepreneurs, developing your innovative projects,” concluded Alfonso Méndiz, rector of UIC Barcelona, during his concluding speech.
