#EEC12 launch, initial contact
#EEC12, the Spanish date with European ecommerce industry, is starting, and on Wednesday we had initial contact.
I have attended sessions about entrepreneurship in London, New York and Silicon Valley… different places for different companies and objectives. To highlight the experience of Justo Hidalgo in 24 Symbols, beginning a lean startup in London with, as usual, the very clear message of Miguel Ángel Díaz Ferreira of his experience in Silicon Valley.
We can learn about the experience of @ferrenet from some general tips for anyone who is thinking about going abroad:
- You need a plan: it’s not enough to just “live in the city” or “to be there”, you need to have objectives too.
- Write a budget: it depends on where you go, but you should keep in mind certain elements such as health insurance, lawyer fees, price to rent a flat/office… for example Silicon Valley is very expensive. (This is why I love interesting and cheap Berlin).
- If you’re in an interesting place like Silicon Valley you’ll have global competence, your challenge is to be good enough to attract attention to your project.
- Of course you are an entrepreneur focused on your project, but in terms of the personal side it’s not the easiest experience due to aspects such as cultural differences, however, it is also made harder if you have a family.
- So what’s the good news: you will increase both your relevance and your opportunities, applying the same amount of work with a little more organization in your own country can lead to more interesting business opportunities with larger companies … this will change your mentality to “Think big”.
Many people attend the conferences, which confirms the trend of trying to internationalize companies, something that in Spain is, at last, felt necessary.
The history of some places is very interesting, a place like Israel for example. It is a small country with a remarkable industry in technology. Many VC’s are located there, a survival spirit along with the needs of a small country without many natural resources pushes people to start high technology projects.
In terms of the history of London, it is now one of the most important technology hubs in Europe and the world. The UK Government is doing its best to promote the digital economy, they have changed many things to make entrepreneurship easier, such as the time and price to start a company or the possibility to open a bank account… along with the traditional presence of banks, investors and VC’s, the perfect environment for entrepreneurs has been created. It has involved some cultural changes, for instance making British people attend networking events with an open attitude. Inmaculada Martínez speaks of this environment, where Spanish technical talent is not well known, however, big Spanish companies are highly respected. Therefore she urges us to have a good history and be proud of our place of origin.
We also know of Etsy, an interesting marketplace for handmade, vintage and art suppliers, their job is to connect makers and buyers.
Last but not least, we know about 10 interesting Spanish startups, good presentations and projects… the best for me are these three: Riderstate, an app for bikers with gamification and interesting issues, and an entrepreneur I know who is very trustful like Santiago, Edenes (finally the winner) enables you to share with friends and family the things you would like to buy and get feedback and emeSound (the second award) a platform to allow musicians to create a concert with just a computer, and show it to a global audience.
We finished with an informal networking, the perfect moment to catch up with old friends and make new contacts.
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