Spain is an enduringly popular destination thanks to its culinary offerings, beautiful scenery and world-famous cities.
Although the coastline attracts tourists in their droves, the architecture and history of the cities and towns are also hugely popular.
Seville is one of the most famous here, boasting the largest Gothic cathedral in the world, among other sites. Yet while the city is mired in history, it’s far from being stuck in the past.
At the moment, the city of Seville is gearing up to host its 27th edition of Techstars Startup Weekend this July 5th – 7th.
This puts it on a par with other major European tech hubs like London or Paris, and means Seville leads in Spain with the number of editions to date.
Seville as an emerging startup hub
The event also acts as a major boost to the entrepreneurial spirit found across Seville, often referred to as the entrepreneurship capital of the European south. The strength of the local tech community is also demonstrated by initiatives such as the ICC Centre for Entrepreneurship launched in 2022.
The Centre of Entrepreneurship works with stakeholders in the Spanish and the Southern Europe entrepreneurship ecosystem, including businesses, chambers of commerce, academic institutions, intergovernmental and governmental agencies, in order to connect local entrepreneurs to global markets.
Seville has also given rise to a number of fast-growing startups. This includes Bitnami, a cloud solution service that now has a second office in San Francisco, mobile games company Genera, and social media analyst tool Opileak.
So, if you haven’t already got the Techstars Startup Weekend on your radar, now is the time to get familiar.
The events, organized by leaders in the region’s tech ecosystem, offer a platform for founders worldwide, helping to give entrepreneurial talent a boost.
The successful format sees participants dedicate more than 54 hours across the weekend to turn business ideas into new, tech-based startups.
All of this is achieved with the support of mentors and experts who offer their time and knowledge to help the next generation of founders.
How Techstars Startup Weekend in Seville will unfold
This year, the 27th edition of the Startup Weekend Seville will kick off with the welcome of a panel including the third Deputy Mayor of the Seville City Council, Mr. Álvaro Pimentel Siles, along with local innovation and economic leaders.
After the participants are welcomed, they will each have a one-minute pitch slot to present their business ideas. The panel and judges will vote on the ideas, through which teams will be formed to bring the innovations to life over the next 54 hours of the weekend.
The teams will receive professional support and participate in training sessions that accelerate the development of their ideas. At all times, participants will have the support of a team of volunteer mentors.
In 2024, the mentors include entrepreneurs such as Fran Pineda, legal advisor for companies and startups; Jessica Hidalgo, CEO and marketing consultant; Javier Navero, a leading product manager, among many others.
The idea is to ensure that each idea has the best chance of success by founders understanding how to build products, scale across markets, develop a powerful buyer proposition, and understand potential legislative hurdles on matters like data protection, thanks to the well-rounded advice on offer.
After an intense 54 hours of work, the outcomes will be presented on Sunday afternoon to a panel of judges including Salvador Lora, CEO of Kampaoh; Azahara Benito Carrillo, CMO of Galgus; Francisco Cousinou, Head of Entrepreneurs at Andalucía Emprende; and Sergio Ramos Montoya, technology expert and Editor of SocialGeek.
The parent company Techstars has already supported more than 4,000 early-stage startups. As the world’s most active pre-seed investor, its portfolio is as diversified as the 9,000+ founders are unique.
Now, the 27th edition of the Techstars startup weekend is going to add these impressive figures even further.
This article includes a partner of an Espacio portfolio company
