Adrián González is one of those young people who can be an example of his generation. Although he is only 23, he is the founder and sales manager of AboraWorld. ABORA, for its part, is a company with many small startups spread throughout the world. The business was set up in 2016 as part of a LEINN International undergraduate project and in fact, the result has been very good so far. So much so, that one of their startups, called OxRiders, was a finalist in the 2019 Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). In this interview, Adián gave us his personal perspective on different issues and how they work with the world of work.

What did you feel about receiving the third Global Student Entrepreneur Awards 2019 (GSEA) award?
One of ABORA's projects, OxRiders, received the award and the feeling was great, as we never won anything in this style and were presented with no expectations, but thanks to the finale and the finale, we realized we could have a place and we ended up being third. in the end.

What is AboraWorld?
AboraWorld LEINN (Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation) is a company that we founded during our international career. We were the first generation of LEINN International and our journey began in China, Shanghai, 2016. There, we formed a team of two people of Chinese descent, one from Armenia, Costa Rica, Egypt and the Basque Country, and eventually we met a multicultural team that needed to start a business for four years.
AboraWorld is a leading company and we have different companies, such as BeMonkeys or OxRiders, that are startups dedicated to the product.

AboraWorld is made up of 10 people from all over the world. Our goal was to create a sustainable business for four years with turnover, profitability and other levels. Through AboraWorld we have smaller startups. Lastly, AboraWorld is a company, a group of people, which includes smaller companies.

What kind of business do you have?
Primarily, all the companies we create or want to create must serve as technology, or technology-based, sustainable and harm the environment, and bring novelty and innovation. Right now, the sectors we are most focused on are entrepreneurship consulting in the United States, sustainable mobility, as in the case of OxRiders, and mobile phones and accessories like BeMonkeys.

How do you work?
We have different ways of working. On the one hand, there is an internal idea, something that someone in the company does, for example, thinking that there is a market for electric motorcycles. Another way to create or attract startups is to apply ideas in Europe that have been successful abroad, thanks to the fact that we have been in different countries. And finally, another way is by creating a small team that has helped people from outside the world come up with an idea.

What is the philosophy behind AboraWorld?
What we like is that we give everyone a chance, we don't discriminate against anything. A phrase we often use is "everyone's the right to flourish," which everyone has the right to flourish. On the other hand, being an international company and being around the world, try to respect all cultures and always connect with them so that you can make the best of each culture without opposing each other, as is so often the case.

How do you have a team divided?
Right now we have two people working in China, three in Europe, Bilbao, Madrid and Amsterdam, and two other people in Settle, in the United States. We are now separated because we are in a time of startup realization. We need to grow as much as possible, but we have all been together at BBF Bilbao for over a year, six months in Shanghai.

What are the benefits of working in a multicultural company?
I think the diversity of ideas and opinions is quite greater than in local businesses. This is seen as an example of how you can catch ideas from around the world; that is, "we are seeing in China that this sector is developing a lot and I am moving directly to the European market". Someone in China could do that. That's a key factor. There is the biggest difference in business in the East and in the West, in Europe and Asia, which is completely different.

Then cultural wealth is a plus. There are many ways to look at a topic, there is a great broad perspective.

Why this support for entrepreneurship?
We, especially LEINN, have realized that entrepreneurship is one of the ways to change the world. I believe that business is not very powerful in changing the world. We create small businesses and we believe that the world can change through them. So taking action is the key to taking small steps to that end.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of entrepreneurship?
As an advantage, you follow your passion. I have always liked motors and I found that I like to work and that I also develop and develop myself. When you work as a passionate fan, you exploit everything from you.

And the bad thing is that there is little help. I think that in the Basque Country, for example, it is quite aided, but in other parts of Spain it is relatively little.

Why this support for entrepreneurship?
We, especially LEINN, have realized that entrepreneurship is one of the ways to change the world. I believe that business is not very powerful in changing the world. We create small businesses and we believe that the world can change through them. So taking action is the key to taking small steps to that end.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of entrepreneurship?
As an advantage, you follow your passion. I have always liked motors and I found that I like to work and that I also develop and develop myself. When you work as a passionate fan, you exploit everything from you.

And the bad thing is that there is little help. I think that in the Basque Country, for example, it is quite aided, but in other parts of Spain it is relatively little.

How do you see the world of work in these times?
I think right now that much more experience is appreciated. A few years ago, it was advisable to study a career and a master's degree or two and then move on to the job market. Studies that were the most watched in the academic curriculum, languages ​​... Now, at least in the United States and gradually in Spain, more experience is being considered, the fact that you have moved, than academic value, is still important. I believe that courses, start-ups, start-ups are now valued, and start working as soon as possible and get out of the job market at the age of 23, for example, with work and academic experience.
 

What is the best candidate for a job?
I think apart from the academic spreadsheet, which is always important if you are looking for an engineer, for example, because it is better to be an engineer, now you are looking for some skills that have very few people in the current education system, namely teamwork and flexibility, that is, adapting to the business situation. knowing and making the most of it, not classifying it into one thing. Don't think "I know how to make applications and that's the only thing I will do." No. "I know how to make applications, but I can learn to make videos ...". This usefulness and curiosity to learn new things are, in my opinion, essential. The world is changing fast and a career you learned 15 years ago did not require what you require today. Hunger for curiosity and learning are very important values.

What would you advise young people thinking about starting a business?
Above all, believe in them. They told us that we were very young to start a business and this is very common, but after creating ABORA and maintaining a whole team in three countries, then with startups, investments, we realized that we need to believe in ourselves, work hard and above all, patience. being. You can come up with a strategy for six months, but generally that strategy doubles in time and you can ask yourself what you're doing wrong, but in the end, be patient and believe in yourself.

How far do you want to go with ABORA?
We believe in the business model we created with ABORA. We want to create new startups that, while still taking care of those we have, are growing and helping people with ideas and above all. So we don't plan to finish four years, the timeframe that we were asked for for the project, we have one year left, and we want to move on, consolidating what we have and creating new things, especially attracting new talent, and I do not see an end to this yet. Just keep growing and see how far we go.

What have you worked on so far?
On the one hand, as a big bet, the creation of an entrepreneurship center, we have a development setting at The Evergreen State College in Seattle, United States, where two people are located. It is the first college of sidereal arts in the United States to open an entrepreneurship center where all students can come up with their own ideas. And in Spain we have two other great jobs. One is OxRiders, a vintage electric motorcycle startup, which was the third finalist at EO, where two ABORA people and others from outside work. We also have BeMonkeys, which creates and develops mobile phone components, with their own patents, where two ABORA people and two others work abroad. BeMonkeys was created in Gernika and creates wallets that smell like ...

We also have people exploring different areas, like an ABORA person, exploring the fintech field with DOMINION in Bilbao, and two ABORA people exploring the world of professional video games in Shanghai, China. And finally, we have Kendani.com, an online platform for the sale of organic products, with one ABORA person and another outside, in Amsterdam.

www.aboraworld.com