Twenty leading firms join the Corporate Responsibility toward Entrepreneurs initiative

Earlier this year the project was presented to leading firms in the Spanish market by IE Business School, Fundación Bankinter and Accenture, with the support of the Global Reporting Initiative. Members who sign up for the initiative make a formal commitment to include in their annual report all efforts aimed at supporting new businesses, as just one more component of their CSR strategy.

Although there is no explicit mandate or agreed model used to gauge the efforts made by large organizations to foster entrepreneurship in society, it forms part of many companies' CSR strategy.  The Corporate Responsibility toward Entrepreneurs initiative aims to increase the amount of support entrepreneurs receive from large firms through their CSR strategies and diffuse best practices in this regard.

The project has resulted in the creation of a CSR Forum where members can Exchange experiences, identify best practices, etc. The Forum will be run by participating firms, who will meet on a periodic basis to foster the participation of firms from all sectors in supporting innovative entrepreneurs and in establishing lines of action.

The organizers of the project feel strongly that the creation of new businesses plays a vital role in the economic development of a country, and that it brings major associated benefits, such as job creation, which is particularly important for Spain. Entrepreneurs need decisive support from large companies, and for them to recognize how important it is for them to help new companies during the early difficult stages.