Scaling Up the Entrepreneurial Spirit during South Summit 2023 in Madrid

On June 7-9, Madrid hosted the 11th South Summit, bringing together innovative startups, investors, and renowned speakers in a collaborative environment facilitated by partners such as IE University and BBVA.

IE University, as one of the main partners of the event, had its own dedicated representation stand amidst industry giants like BBVA, Santander, and Google for Startups. Attendees visiting the IE University stand had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a virtual reality experience, exploring five different worlds and gaining deeper insights into the university's programs and offerings.

Paris de l'Etraz, Managing Director of Venture Lab, stood as one of the representatives of IE Business School among the attendees. Having attended every conference since the inception of South Summit, he has long championed the entrepreneurial spirit of IE University.

“For me, the entrepreneurial mindset is one that sees opportunity and uncertainty. When we started South Summit, there was a lot of uncertainty in Spain - why Spain? We were all thinking if it was going to succeed,” shared l'Etraz.

This year, l'Etraz was impressed with the scale South Summit reached. For him, South Summit and its sense of community as well as entrepreneurship brings a special value.

“We've learned to thrive under conditions of uncertainty and that means that we're going to be better prepared as a country and as a community in the South Summit community than ever before,” said l'Etraz.

Lee Newman, Dean of IE Business School, talked about The Human Touch: Sustainable Technology & Future of Work. Along with Scott Harley, co-founder of Everywhere Ventures, Newman explored the intersection of technology and humanity as well as the importance of humanizing technology.

“We need people with diverse backgrounds to help us design technology that is usable,” said Newman.

In its pursuit to identify the next big breakthrough in the business sphere, South Summit’s feature startup competition offered training, mentoring, and pitching opportunities. The 2023 edition of the summit saw an impressive turnout, with over 6,500 startups and 2,000 investors participating.

One of the finalist companies was a startup iDocCar, a platform that manages all the processes associated with the life cycle of the vehicle. Company´s managing director, Miguel Morenés Bertrán, is a 2005 class graduate of IE Business School´s International Master’s in Business Administration. In the South Summit, Bertrán pitched in front of multiple investors.

“Pitching your company and idea, in three minutes, is a tough challenge. It was a great exercise as it allows you to take a step back and admire the woods again and lose the perspective of the trees,” shared Bertran.

Undoubtedly, the South Summit served as a powerful platform, granting substantial visibility and exposure to innovative companies like iDocCar, amplifying their presence in the business landscape.

“It is a quality badge that the project has been vetted by professionals and found not only suitable but a solid proposal,” said Bertrán.

Conferences such as South Summit serve to fulfill one of the five principles of IE Business School, which is to empower entrepreneurial professionals to drive innovation and develop sustainable value propositions that generate a positive impact on the world.