New Bizbarcelona Fair expects more than 12,000 entrepreneurs and investors on 15 and 16 June
Biocat is organizing the roundtable entitled 'Driving entrepreneurship in the biotech sector: should everyone be an entrepreneur', on 15 June at 4 pm.
BY BIOCAT
Barcelona is a city made for entrepreneurs and Catalonia has one of the highest levels of entrepreneurial activity of all European regions. On 15 and 16 June, the new Bizbarcelona fair will be held at the Barcelona Fairgrounds on Montjuïc, bringing together the traditional Day of the Entrepreneur, HiT Barcelona innovation summit, Tecnio Forum and EmprenedorXXI Awards.
The fair has organized its exhibit area and contents so that all professional that wish to start up a new company or grow their current one can find inspiration, practical and innovative solutions, institutional support, advisory services and, above all, financing. More than 12,000 entrepreneurs, professionals from the innovation arena and investors are expected to participate.
Business start-up (Palau 1)
Entrepreneurs that want to start up their own company can participate in conferences featuring success stories and advice for planning a good commercial strategy and finding clients or learn to draw up a viable business plan, among other topics. They will also have access to personalized advisory spaces on legal issues, financing and face-to-face activities to foster interaction among entrepreneurs starting out, in order to network and take advantage of synergies.
Business growth (Palau 5)
Those who have already created a business and are thinking about expanding will find information, guidance and networking areas. There will also be conferences, roundtables and workshops on business management, accelerating business growth, management techniques, internationalization and access to emerging markets like China, the use of technology and online applications, managing human resources 2.0, innovative business models and online marketing.
BIOCAT ROUND TABLE DRIVING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE BIOTECH SECTOR: SHOULD EVERYONE BE AN ENTREPRENEUR? Like last year, Biocat is once again organizing a roundtable focusing on the biotechnology sector, which is currently one of the highest potential and fastest growing areas in Catalonia. The topic this year is Driving entrepreneurship in the biotech sector: should everyone be an entrepreneur? Starting their own company is often a logical step forward for researchers in the biotechnology sector that want to take a research project to the market. However, some believe that entrepreneurial spirit requires specialized technical support and that, before starting up a new biotech company, research findings must be subjected to an evaluation process to explore their real business potential in a sector with long time to market and high risks. The speakers at this round table will include two entrepreneurs with extensive experience, Dr. Jordi Naval, founder and general manager of Anaxomics Biotech, and Dr. Lluís Ruiz, Managing Partner and CEO of Janus Developments (a company specializing in evaluating and managing biotechnology projects). The table will be moderated by Biocat Director of Communications and External Relations Adela Farré. Date: 15 June 2011? |
Financing Market (Palau 5)
Head of Bizbarcelona, Aleix Planas, comments that in addition to good ideas the key to business success lies in having access to appropriate financing: "We face this need at a moment plagued by credit restrictions, creating the framework for entrepreneurs to meet with financial entities, with public institutions that offer financial aid, and with investors, businesspeople and representatives from international venture capital funds interested in start-ups and innovative projects.” All this will be discussed at the Financing market.
Some investors that will participate include Carlos Domingo, from Telefónica; Mark Harris, from Intel; Stefan Heuser, from Siemens; Martin Kelly, from IBM; Stephen Seuntjens, from Philips; and Alexandre Massart, from VISA. Representing venture capital funds Nauta Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield&Byers, Alta partners, Flagship Ventures and Sandhill Angels. Conferences and workshops on public financing, crowdfunding and ethical banking, trends in venture capital and the role of super angels will also be held in the Montjuïc Palau 5.
The events will also include the Global Entrepreneurship Competition, a contest of the 25 best business plans in the world, selected from top international entrepreneurship centers, which will compete for the necessary funding to develop their projects. A panel of judges coordinated by Jerome Engel, director of the Berkeley Entrepreneurship Center (California), will choose the top three proposals to receive cash prizes and the opportunity to show international investors the potential of their companies.
Bizbarcelona brings together a wide range of entities and intuitions that foster business culture and entrepreneurship and includes noteworthy promoters like the Government of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council —through Barcelona Activa—,"la Caixa", the Official Credit Institute (ICO), the Barcelona Regional Council and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.
Dates: 15 and 16 June 2011
Place: Montjuïc Fairgrounds • Av. Reina Maria Cristina, s/n (Palaus 1 and 5) • Barcelona
- Program of activities
- Free online accreditation (except for the Financing Market)
- Discounts on travel and accommodations
Related news: 2010 Day of the Entrepreneur (14/6/2010)