First, the idea phase

The current edition of STARTinnova is a return to full normality, after two academic years in which the program was conditioned by the restrictions resulting from Covid-19.

It all starts with an initial phase where students learn the characteristics and skills that define an entrepreneurial person. Then comes the ideation phase, in which the participating groups must identify innovative responses to current needs. This idea, and through the Canvas model - a methodology most used due to its simplicity - will turn it into a business, social or cultural entrepreneurship project.

Once the projects are written, they will be evaluated by an evaluation team made up of almost 40 professors from the UPV/EHU Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences. It will be headed by María Saiz, professor of Entrepreneurship and Business Creation at the aforementioned faculty and member of the STARTinnova technical committee.

The ten finalists

The evaluation team, after examining the projects in detail, will choose the five best in each category (16-17 years and over 18 years) and will be called to defend their projects in front of a panel of experts at the final event. Around February 2023.

This phase will complement the training proposal, as it is an event open to all participants, where the 10 finalist teams will be able to see how they defend their proposals in court.

Then it will be known who will be the successors of last year's winners TMS and Las 4M. The road to that great day has already begun in the 31 centers of Gipuzkoa.

Mentoring company visits return after the pandemic

As in all editions, mentoring companies are once again the fundamental leg of STARTinnova. Six Gipuzkoa companies - Grupo Wisco, Irizar, KSB, Michelin Foundation, Sarralle and Unceta - have already renewed their commitment, sponsoring so many more centers and thus helping to strengthen the links between the world of education and business.