IE Business School is a founding partner of the Startup Europe Partnership presented at Davos

IE Business School has joined forces with leading public and private organizations, as well as major players in the education sector, to draw up a support plan designed to foster the growth of innovative European startups. The Startup Europe Partnership project enjoys the support of the European Investment Fund, and other founding members include Telefónica, Orange  BBVA, Nesta, Mind the Bridge, and the Universities of Cambridge and Humboldt. The program seeks to promote the internationalization of startups, which will play a pivotal role in developing an innovation sector in Europe capable of competing on the world stage.

The Startup Europe Partnership initative was presented this morning at the  World Economic Forum by  Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda. It is the first integral platform aimed at serving as a catalyst for the sustainable growth of new European businesses with global potential, and forms part of a six-point plan for entrepreneurs launched by the European Commission, known as the “Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan”.

“Having more startups in Europe is crucial, but having startups able to grow and go global is key - Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission, who presented the new organization in Davos, said - We need startups to become large global companies and the real job-creation actors.The vision of the Startup Europe Partnership is that corporations, as well as universities and investment funds, have to be active key players in this process. They provide the growth process of startups and access to the best technologies and talents, through procurement, acquisitions and acqui-hirings.”

The key objective of theStartup Europe Partnership is to take Europe to the next level of innovation and economic growth. The project will focus on three main areas: reducing the cultural divide between startups and existing firms; strengthening relations between startups and major corporations; and promoting startup models with international potential.

IE is the only business school taking part in the project, thereby further consolidating its commitment to the entrepreneurial community. The School lends its support to over 200 startups each year through a broad range of specific programs like Venture Lab, its startup accelerator, Area 31, an incubator, and Venture Network, a pitching platform.  Startup Europe Partnership brings the opportunity to strengthen European startups and to bring more opportunities to entrepreneurs both in Spain and across Europe.

Juan José Güemes, President of IE’s International Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, explained that IE is acutely aware that a startup’s success depends not only on securing investment but also on conquering the market.  “Startups cannot afford to forget that the final aim is to sell their product or service. That is why here at IE we organize specific meetings between large business organizations and startups to open up dialogue and increase the possibility that those large firms become the startups’ clients.”

The entrepreneurial spirit is one of IE’s core values and the School has always promoted the creation of new businesses, coupled with dialogue between startups and large companies. IE’s entrepreneurial slant is evidenced by the large number of projects in which it is involved, including Pasion>ie and Spain Startup & Investor Summit, which bring together entrepreneurs, investors and large businesses, helping to grow small innovative companies and serving as an interface between promising startups and investors.