Nº1 Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the UPM (September 2016)

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September / 2016

NEW TECHNOLOGIES REVOLUTION

UPM launches the first edition of 2T Challenge

INDEX UPM TECHNOLOGY

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SILSTORE redefines new ways of energy storage

UPM COMPANIES

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The personal computer is dead, long live to INEVIO

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

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UPM Solutions for Connected Society

TECH BRIEFS

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Chile as a model of entrepreneurship Enigmedia closes an investment of 1’5M€

INTERVIEW

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TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

Experience Lab of the Spaces of the Future

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ON THE FRONT PAGE

The revolution of New Technologies

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INTERNATIONALIZATION

The UPM continues focusing on internationalization through the EIT

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CALENDAR

Commercialization of Technologies Course, 2nd Phase of XIII actúaupm Competitition…

Paloma Cabello: "The most important thing is that politicians learn Technology"

I&E Innovation and Entrepeneurship in the UPM, number 1, October 2016. Responsible/Coordination of the publication: Beatriz del Rincón. Iván Martínez, Alberto Tejero, Elena Berga, Laura Marcos, Gorka Asolo, Arístides Senra, Natalia Dévora, Elisa Navarro, José Ramón Casar and Ana María Bernardos have participated in this issue. This publication is an initiative of the Center for Support for Technological Innovation (CAIT-UPM). This Centre promotes the Innovation and Entrepreneurship programs. The UPM Entrepreneurship Program, actúaupm, has the main objective of building technological and innovative companies (contact: creacion.empresas@upm.es). The Innovation Program, UPM Innovatech, is destinated to the commercialization of UPM technologies and to promote the Technology Transfer (contact: innovacion.tecnologica@upm.es).

ENISA is an institutional partner of both programs, and they have the support of Accenture, Rousaud Costas Durán, IESE Business School, Red de Inversores y Expertos actúaupm, Frontiers, and Clarke & Modet.

Any symbol (+) announces the possibility of increasing information in the electronic version of the publication.

UPM TECHNOLOGY

SILSTORE redefines new ways of energy storage Iván Martínez is a Telecommunications Engineer and aMBA from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Since 2014, he is the coordinator of the Innovation and Technology Marketing Program UPM_innovatech.

SILSTORE proposes an electricity storage system using latent silicon heat and converting it back into electricity through photovoltaic thermal converters. The solution is based on low cost of silicon due to its abundance and high latent heat, ten times more than any other evaluated material, using thermo-photovoltaic (TPV) converters which provide a contactless solution to produce electricity directly from radiant heat.

This technology has the potential to become one of the best cost efficiency solutions, mainly due to the low cost of silicon. In addition, it can be used in both low-power systems (home, vehicles) and high-power ones (wind turbines, solar power plants). The team has designed the working plan for the development of a prototype that validates the technology, patent pending in the US by UPM (US14 /198.142) "Electric energy storage system") from 2014 (+)

This TPV technology allows to operate at extremely high temperatures, high efficiency and high power density. Compared to photovoltaic solar energy, TPV is up to 100 times more powerful than photovoltaic energy.

Likewise, the team is prepared to establish both business and partnership agreements related to this field based ……….on know-how of more than 30 years, for example, for the development of thermo-photovoltaic devices or services related to heat energy recovery.

This solution is promoted by PhD Alejandro Datas, a photovoltaic solar energy researcher and expert on third generation devices of photovoltaic conversion, and by a research team at the Institute of Solar Energy UPM (+). This technology can provide energy densities up to 500 kWh/m3 and 250 kWh/ton at very competitive prices, higher than other storage systems such as batteries. The IES-UPM is a leading and international recognized R&D centre in the field of solar energy and a reference worldwide.

SILSTORE units will produce heat and electricity. In this way, each unit could supply both energies to 30 houses and the first prototype is expected to be ready in three years. The expected product could impact on a global market with a potential business value of around M$ 11,000 in 2018.

The project is currently at an advanced stage of negotiation with investment funds interested in its business potential. Besides, national and international companies are also interested in this technology. More information on UPM Web Marketplace (+)

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TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

Experience Lab of the Spaces of the Future Ana María Bernardos and José Ramón Casar lead the Experience Lab of Spaces of the Future. Professors and researchers of the UPM Telecommunication Engineering School, carry out their activity in the Group of Data Processing, Simulation and Intelligent Spaces.

The Technological Innovation Support Center's "Experience Lab of the Spaces of the Future" is a space specifically designed to test concepts and evaluate user experiences on advanced ICT-based services, consisting of a set of reconfigurable semi-open spaces equipped with all technological utilities.

This Lab focuses on experimentation in concepts for Intelligent Spaces, with the objective of exploring how technology can contribute to the personalization and improvement of any aspect related to the quality of the activity of the person: work, leisure, health, social life, etc.

The key technological elements that make up the Lab environment are those that could be included in the "ubiquitous computing" paradigm, ie: internet of things, intelligent objects and personal devices, natural interaction and contextual visualization. But Lab's main interest is not technologies themselves but "experiences" (constructed with ubiquitous services over technologies), understood as perceptions about new ways of doing things in a specific material, personal and social context.

UPM has a complete program of Living Labs and experimental laboratories in collaboration with companies ranging from 3D television, energy efficiency, retail or digital home, among other aspects

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It should be noted that the key idea of the Lab is not to serve as a space for experiments to evaluate the usability or acceptance of specific services to propose incremental changes to an app, a gadget or the same service. On the contrary, its main vocation is to serve as a co-creation environment to imagine new ways of combining technologies in the spaces of the future. As well as an incubator of concepts for this spaces of the future.

Using ubiquitous computer technology, the laboratory improves the activity of people in their work environment, leisure, health or social life.

The ExpLab of the Spaces of the Future is focused on: • •

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To serve as a demonstration space for technologies and services, for dissemination and evaluation with users.

To serve as a space for the promotion of creativity for the development of concepts for intelligent spaces, combining open methodologies for the generation of innovative solutions, involving complementary groups of agents and always considering that the end user plays a central role.

To be a living space in which to maintain a continuous relationship with representatives of diverse business sectors with the objective of conceiving emerging services and evolving technologies, through the interaction and open cooperation between researchers, innovative businesses and end users.

UPM COMPANIES The personal computer is dead, long live to INEVIO Arístides Senra. MSc Industrial Engineering (2002) and MBA (2006) at UPM. In 2004 co-founded actúaupm the Entreprneurship Competition at UPM, in twelve editions this initiative has created 210 new start-ups that have attracted investment funds of more than 51 Million euros. He is the Innovation and Entrepneurship Programs Director at UPM..

Imagine losing your personal computer due to a virus, a disk failure or an accident. What a disaster. All your files, your stored photos and that document of several days of work for your college or office have been lost and maybe definitely.

If you have never suffered this, you should know that it will happen sooner or later, perhaps not with your laptop but with your phone, or your tablet. There are so many devices we use today, and certainly each with a different operating system, that the options are very high. In the era in which everything is moving to the cloud it was needed to find an efficient way to meet this growing need, thus the company INEVIO (+) is working on a solution.

INEVIO is a young startup born under actúaupm, (+) the entrepreneurship program of UPM, which aims to unify all our devices in one place: the cloud.

The main difference with Google Drive or Dropbox is that in addition to allowing access to files, also provides access to applications. Because INEVIO is exactly that, a virtual desktop in the cloud. It works and looks like a real computer from which you can access to all your documents and applications.

No need to install anything or take care of updates, you just need a device with HTML5 and an Internet connection and you will be able to access your programs and files anytime and anywhere. With ten thousand users in just three months, the reviews made by several specialized blogs are overwhelming and leave no doubts, with top marks in areas such as speed and usability.

As for security, encryption technology for top-secret documents is applied and all the information is replicated in at least three servers just to be sure that you will never lose anything.

The brief history of the company is intense. Two founders, Javier Garmón (+) and Roberto Gomez (+), students of Computer Engineering at UPM who met in class and decided to join forces. They participated in the Entrepreneurship Program of UPM and they won the first prize in the category of young startups. From here a real roller coaster with a failed first trip to Silicon Valley, a second trip to the US to get MIT recognition, and support of public and private investors who have led the company to its current state.

INEVIO offers a virtual desktop with 25GB of storage in its free version, plus access to Word, Excel, Power Point and mail server, as well as integrated direct links to Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram among other applications.

It is now when the company has its first corporate clients and has opened the first version of its virtual desktop to the big public. More improvements are coming soon such as the version for Android and iOS phones and an app called Cosmos that will change the way startups communicate.

In order to achive this goal, the company has just launched its virtual desktop, a complete development set to start working from the very beginning, with all the guarantees and with 25GB of storage space in the free version. In addition users can have access to Word, Excel, Power Point and mail server, and also an integrated access to applications such as Facebook, Twitter or Youtube.

This young company has thousands of users without significant marketing effort and high growth potential in the coming months, INEVIO is the new revolution in the world of computing.

The personal computer is dead, long live to INEVIO.

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ON THE FRONT PAGE

The revolution of New Technologies SofĂ­a Amechqar and Beatriz del RincĂłn Sofia Amechqar. Law degree (UAM) and Master in Intellectual Property (UC3M). She currently works at the Center for Technological Innovation CAIT-UPM within the Innovation Program.

Beatriz del RincĂłn. Journalist by the UCM with Master in International Relations and African Studies. She is responsible for Communication of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs UPM.

Latest reports published about the role of Universities and Research Centers in society demonstrated once again the important role of universities not only in terms of creating ideas, but also in their transfer to commercial uses. The university is also conceived as a scientific and technological knowledge generator that companies can take advantage.

At this point there is no doubt that innovation and technological development are crucial for improving the competitiveness and productivity of businesses, for both large and small and medium-factor. We can summarize competitiveness as the ability of companies to improve their market presence, increasingly global and diversified. The investments of companies in innovative technologies enable them to meet these mid- and long-term ambitious objectives.

UPM signs 1,000 R&D agreements with industry per year, and this has generated more than 200 technology startups and has captured the attention of international companies and investors as the recent case of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Monsanto Group.

The Technical University of Madrid is aware of this new role, which is not only investigate but also solve problems that affect society, listen to market needs and provide solutions. That is why UPM decided to create UPM_innovatech as the "trademark" of its technologies and as a firm commitment to the productive sector by showing the necessary approach to the industry.

The result is the opening of the Center for Technological Innovation (CAITUPM) (+) that integrates Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs, and that includes the polytechnic tradition of approaching the business world. The figures prove it: over 1,000 annual R&D agreements with industry, leadership in attracting European projects, over 200 new technology companies set up under its Entrepreneurs Program and more than 50 million euros raised from private investors and business angels in the last eight years.

It's time to take the next step, create the right environment to enable university research groups and businesses to generate stable long-term partnerships.

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High-impact cases The world of food and agriculture is experiencing very significant movements. At the university level, an example regarding to the results derived from a research developed at the UPM is the innovative project led by Professor Luis Rubio in CBGP. This study of sustainable agriculture that started in 2011 aims at obtaining cereal with minimum requirements of nitrogen fertilizers. This project has strongly attracted the attention of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that has given them their support by granting funding of 5 million dollars. (+). Another case of investment success was Plant Response Biotech with an investment of 6 million dollars made by the multinational company Monsanto. The technology startup Plant Response Biotech is led by the researcher Antonio Molina and is the second largest investment in this type of corporations in Europe (+).

Ecosystems of collaboration consolidated by alliances in order to involve not only research groups and companies but also investors and expert professors in the field that contributes to the training of the next generation of doctors and university researchers.‌‌‌ Apart from a brand, UPM_innovatech has created a marketplace (+) which includes more than a hundred UPM technologies regularly updated in semiannual catalogs (+) and categorized into eight areas of interest such as agro-food and biotechnology; construction and infrastructure; energy and environment; materials and nanotechnology; medicine and health; ICT, Internet and mobile; transport, security and space; and finally consulting and highly specialized services.

UPM_innovatech has also made intensive courses tailored to researchers in order to equip them with skills in marketing technologies. These seminars, which aim to promote attitudinal changes in technology profiles, can address more successful participation in the process of selling their research results.

With the participation of more than 300 researchers in different editions and very high satisfaction rates, the course has become a reference not only for the UPM community but also for other national and international universities.

2T Challenge, a new challenge for researchers In order to give greater visibility and connect all parts to the most innovative developed technologies at the Technical University of Madrid and with great potential impact on industry and society, UPM_innovatech Program of CAITUPM technologies has launched the initiative UPM Innovatech 2T Challenge, with the ambitious goal of creating greater links with industry and with clear competitive approach..

The competition follows the classic model of innovation in sta ges and proposes a structure divided into phases. Participation is quite simple, being enough to fill a simple form (+) standing put aspects such as a brief description of the technology and its possible commercial application, the degree of development and protection.

The initiative also aims to provide researchers with relevant skills and knowledge by helping them to drive their results to the market through the aforementioned course in Marketing Technologies. Thus, they can see aspects related to agile generation business models, intellectual property, technology sales strategy, technological intelligence, negotiation and communication tools and relevant aspects in developing licensing agreements with corporations.

Finally, an award for the best innovative technology with the greatest potential impact and additionally a recognition of two finalist technologies will be awarded. The jury comprises a panel of outside experts who will take into account the innovative potential, competitive advantages, degree of development as well as a possible business model, among others. Also, the selected teams will participate in the IV UPM Innovatech International Workshop, a forum for technology and investment that takes place in the month of December. This workshop has been organized by the CAIT-UPM in previous editions, and it has brought over 300 business profiles into contact with technologies developed at the university.

At the moment, the deadline for submitting proposals to this first edition ends on September 22nd, 2016 and all relevant information is available in www.upm.es/upminnovatech/2tchallenge (+)

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TECHNOLOGY TRENDS UPM Solutions for Connected Society Gorka Asolo is an Industrial Engineer specialized in Industrial Organization by the UPM. He works in Innovation and Entrepreneurship UPM programs

The "Fourth Industrial Revolution", a concept born in the second decade of the 21th century, is now a reality in constant progression, and one of its materializations is being industry 4.0.

The fast and large-scale changes that were led in the 18th century due to mechanical innovations, such as the steam engine; in the 19th century due to electrification and assembly line, and in the 20th century due to the computer and the Internet, are nowadays driven by the incorporation of information and communication technology to the different areas of society, and the possibilities of interconnection, coordination and cooperation among the different actors involved, and the synergy with other technological advances ,that are transforming our reality into the "connected society".

Individuals and other agents are connected 24 hours a day with global and real-time tools that allow them to meet all kinds of needs (consumption, information, social, leisure, training, employment ...), thus they are experiencing a link between the physical and virtual world unprecedented.

The application of this new paradigm to productive systems is not a mere adoption of technologies that improve productivity, but an integral transformation of organizations.

The internet of things, the big data, augmented reality, additive technologies, simulation, cloud computing and advanced robotics give rise to workstations, a plant, which

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are characterized by high automation and complete interconnection, continuous and instantaneous, not only among the different workstations, but with the external actors (customers, suppliers, supply and demand in the market ...).

Plant machineries and tools will have self-diagnostic capability through cyber-physical systems, the internet and big data. All this will have a strong impact on quality control and predictive maintenance. The factory as a whole will be able to suit the specific demands and coordinate with the provider network to always work optimally.

The possibility of producing complex parts with 3D printing technologies will often make assembly unnecessary, and maintenance based on augmented reality will give a new dimension to such activities.

Many UPM research groups develop technologies that can be applied on these fields. Solutions such as "SHANKS" (+), from the intelligent systems group, that provides a simulation environment in which agents can easily interact with the network, their devices and their configuration. Another example is "DATA QUANTA"(+), which allows economic exploitation of data, publishing them as linked data and offering them for sale in a global market, individually or pooled. "FlowData“ (+) is another solution that facilitates decision-making in complex environments or "CUMULONIMBO BIGDATA Platform“ (+), which makes it possible to answer questions about TBs of data, processing millions of transactions and correlating millions of events and data are just a few examples.

The "connected society" and particularly the Industry 4.0, pose significant challenges and opportunities for our country economy, and the UPM contributes and will continue doing so, in order to help to address them and be competitively positioned.

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INTERNAZIONALIZATION UPM is chosen to design an entrepreneurship competition in Raw Materials Laura Marcos is an agronomist by UPM specialized in Agribusiness. She is a consultant in actúaupm, the Entrepreneurship Program of the UPM.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) (+), strengthens innovation in Europe by supporting new talent and new ideas through Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs). EIT brings together the three sides of the “knowledge triangle”: business, higher education and research. EIT has launched some iniciatives in different areas such as: Climate-KIC, EIT Health, EIT-Digital, KIC InnoEnergy and now EIT Raw Materials.

The mission of the EIT Raw Materials (+) is to boost, competitiveness, growth and attractiveness of the European raw materials sector via radical innovation and entrepreneurship. In recent decades, European population and per capita consumption have steadily increased.

Nowadays we are not producing as much as we are consuming, we use more complicated technologies and consume more different raw materials.

As the raw materials sector in Europe needs innovation and to be renovated, the opportunity to train entrepreneurs to help them to develop new startups, is a good way to produce this change.

Because of that, The Technical University of Madrid (UPM), in consortium with Spinverse (Finland) (+), Aster (Italy) (+) end Tecnalia (Spain) (+), has designed an entrepreneurship competition to help entrepreneurs to create business models with high growth potential within the raw materials sector and all the fields related.

Solutions for Raw Materials…

The competition will target teams with an innovative business idea willing to create a new start-up (entrepreneurs) or also to launch a new product /service line in an existing company (intrapreneurs).

The mission of the competition is to prepare teams not only to develop their own business models but also to interact with the environment and start selling their value proposition to investors and customers.

This competition is an initiative that will certainly be a first test platform for business projects that will help them get a high probability of success when they are released.

Raw Materials solutions for…

UPM gives an innovative step forward to online contents for blended learning Alberto Tejero. MBA and MSc in Computer Science, an expert in Technological Innovation Management, and Responsible of I&E online contents for Madrid EIT Digital node.

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) has formally started its participation in the EIT Digital Master School (+) in the last quarter of 2014 after its acceptance as affiliated partner of the knowledge and innovation community (KIC) EIT Digital and the formal approval of its inclusion into the Data Science Master degree (+) in September 2014.

From 120 ECTS that has the Master in Data Science, minor part related to Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) has 30 ECTS. Within minor, UPM have developed a new online course belonging to the technology intelligence area: Market & Technology Watch.

However, how important can be these contents? In order to facilitate decision-making, companies have introduced technology watch processes.

Technology watch is a component of the broader knowledge management processes within an organization (embedded into the wider concept of “technology intelligence”).

In addition to the importance of technology watch, contents were developed using the latest techniques for blended learning purposes by mixing very different approaches (i.e. Khan Academy style and face-to-face learning).

Results, which were shared with partners from several countries of EIT Digital network during the last meeting in Madrid (July 5th), were very well received. It is noteworthy, the interactive slides used in each lecture and divided into units (and then into topics) to make it easier for the students. Interactive slides include, among others, interactive menus, smart navigation (through topics), the chance to include subtitles in different languages, quizzes for students’ self-assessment (e.g. multiple choice, drag and drop, matching…), demo of tools, etc.

This fact may be, without a doubt, a great step forward to the development of online contents.

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BRIEFS Chile, a model of Iberoamerican Entrepreneurship Elena Berga. Graduated in Business Administration from the UAM, she is a specialist in management, advice, feasibility analysis and investment seeking to new business projects that stand out for their innovation and technology, from Innovation and Entrepreneurship UPM Programs.

Thanks to Red Emprendia, Spanish and Latinamerican University Network for the promotion of the innovation and the university entrepreneurship, I had the opportunity to take part in the program Red Emprendia Landing (+), that promotes internationalization and improving skills of university start-ups and university entrepreneurship experts..

My goal was to learn the innovative and enterprising environment of Chile, the select work area was Incuba UC (+), from Innovation Center of the Pontifical University of Chile that perfectly complements with my work that I do in the Innovation and Enterpreneurship Program at the Technical University of Madrid.

Although it isn’t exactly the same, because my work is aimed at boosting expert knowledge and technology-based entrepreneurship, there were multiple options of learning of methodologies of work and exchange of experiences with start-ups

and spin-off from the Pontifical University of Chile, as well as with the professionals related to this ambience.

Incuba UC gives an approach different from the one that we perform at the UPM, after detecting an idea with potential, we carry out an accompaniment in all stages of development and the activity of Incuba UC is mainly based on the promotion of identified projects.

To interact with people from another country sharing its work routine is a magnificent opportunity to go out of the focus of your daily work and allows yout to learn and enrich your knowledge and career. In my case, Chile has been a big surprise, the true is that I hadn’t previous knowledge of this country. I totally recommend it for its people, environment, gastronomy…

Don’t forget to try the Italian Hot Dogs!

“In Spain, there is no tradition of start-ups” Gerard Vidal (Enigmedia) Gerard Vidal is CEO and one of the founders of Enigmedia (actúaupm 2011), a technological start-up leader in cybersecurity, that has recently achieved an investment of €1.5M by Alma Mundi Invest Fund.

"Love, affection, hope and €40,000 (all the savings of the 3 founders)". That was all what Gerard and his colleagues Carlos Thomas and Iker Hernández had when they dived into the world of entrepreneurship and bet for Enigmedia (+). Four years later, they had raised 1.5 million euros. Moreover, they were 3 colleagues, and nowadays they are a team with more than 50 people on staff. That highlights the differential value of the encryption technology (and the secure communications platform) that they developed and patented. It is also remarkable its flexibility and versatility for multiple applications.

In 2019 the expenditure of Spanish companies in cybersecurity will exceed 1,000 M €

To Gerard, the key is “perseverance”. “ It is not necessary to be an expert to deal with an investor. But of course, if you are experienced everything is easier. For example, we started without knowledge. However, at present I would do things otherwise. You learn along the way. “ The young company proposes a technology that does not require specific hardware, so it enables integration into multiple areas. In addition, they stepped into the sector of Mobile Communications with their product Enigmedia App that is being used by the largest IBEX 35 corporations, and other sectors such as Telecommunications, Defense and Energy.

To get here, and to get funding, the most difficult part has been “to set the course and explain everything in a way that it genera tes trust in the investor”. Because of that, the experience is the added value to inspire such confidence. “All the other parameters are coefficients that you can calculate. You are exposed to error, like everything".

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To this young entrepreneurship, one of the problems of our country is “the lack of tradition in start-ups”. However, companies like Enigmedia are solving this problem.

Next events!

September – October – November

September 14-15-16th

Septiembre

SEPTE MBER

“Train-the-trainers” Workshop in the framework of EURO-RM. The EURO-RM aims at creating a toolbox for running business ideas competition for the EIT RawMaterials.

September 22nd

Final deadline to present ideas to the 1st edition of UPM_innovatech 2T Challenge, a new challenge for researchers to find the most innovative UPM technology September 26th

Last day of the Second Phase of the XIII actúaupm Competition and Business Plan Deliver Day September, 30th

OCT OBER

Start date of the XIII actúaupm Competition Advanced Training, and selection of the finalist projects of the Competition October 4th – November 8th

Course of Commercialization of Technologies addressed to participants of the UPM innovatech 2T Challenge October 18th

Start Date of EIT-Health Biomedical Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab (BioTEI Lab), an initiative organized by the UPM. November 3rd

NOVE MBER

Investor Roundtable to entrepreneurs and technologists who want to start their business projects November 30th

XIII actúaupm Competition Final Awards Ceremony to select the Best UPM Start-up of the year You can consult all the latest news of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at: upm.es/innovatech and upm.es/actuaupm

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"The most important thing is that politicians learn Technology" Paloma Cabello is an Angel Investor and a referral alternative Investment specialist, who is closely linked to Technological Entrepreneur Movement; as well as a mentor of numerous start-ups. TPG Credit Funds Senior Independent Advisor, she also advises Private Equity Funds and Family Offices in their technology investments. By Beatriz del Rincón BdR: What evolution have you seen in technology investments in recent years?

Technology Investment has existed since the Wheel was invented. There have always been people who have risked when inventing things. But in many cases, the level of disruption that they introduced was too big.

The evolution has consisted in the large amount of people playing and investing in ICT today. I see great things when projects are analysed in a traditional way, focused on fundamentals and not in a modern way that is thinking that everything is Facebook. This model is more common in technology applied to industrial processes. The problem is that in Spain there is not yet an Industry that understands the need to bet on it. In Europe, the emerging major centres of theoretical investment are very oriented to ICT. That is interesting, but there is an industrial world closer to the classical form of investment that is still in training.

If it is formed in Spain or not, will depend on the maturity of the investors, the responsibility of the capital, their confidence on the possibility of an industrial fabric in our country, and the quality of entrepreneurs not as technologists but as entrepreneurs.

What should be strengthened in Spain to have a real innovator and entrepreneurship ecosystem?

The most important is that politicians learn about technology. And I’m talking about technology transfer… that is more than just knowing about technology. It’s impossible to drive innovation and technological creation in a country if you don’t know about technology. And it isn’t something that you can manage… it’s something you need to know. The first thing that politicians should do is to spend time and effort on learning about technology. Only then, they can start budgeting.

Is there any viable model that could be replicable in Spain?

Spain has something that is an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time which is the subdivision in 17

autonomous communities. It’s more effective to imagine an innovation process managed in a small region than in the whole county. Therefore, industrial fabrics should be analysed by regions: What have people done historically in each region? And you’ll find 3 or 4 industries where the local knowledge is.

Silicon Valley model is not replicable in some points, but it is replicable in the way that it means to take a small place.

The famous Horizon2020 works in that way, because the EU countries had to make an internal study and present to Europe their vision of local sectors. All that work is done, and it’s really useful.

And what can a government do to act locally? Help in a fiscally way. Because you can’t blame who is not investing in something with more risk for less money What are the biggest mistakes that you detect in technological projects promoters?

Start-ups that become good companies are not the ones with a better technology, raise more money or have markets in favour. They are the ones with good technologists, intelligent teams, and with three MBA, and also people who run in time and budget.

I’m bored of teams that the first thing they say is the prizes list. What interests me is what they have done, what they are doing now and how they are succeeding in time.

There is nothing more detrimental than "This is the problem, this is the solution". It should be "This is the problem, this is one of the solutions and that is how I will do it”.

Do you think that there is fear of investing in technology?

Everybody wants to be in the next “unicorn”. But investors should know the way of investing in ICT. And it is investing small amounts in many projects. Hoping to have invested in enough good candidates.

I am concerned that some people think that they are doing something with no risk and then, they discourage.

There are Entrepreneurship Schools and I would like that there would be

Centro de Apoyo a la Innovación Tecnológica CAIT-UPM UNIVERSIDAD POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID Campus de Montegancedo 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid Tlf.: 91 336 9202 / www.cait.upm.es (+)

Investors Schools, because new Investors should learn from old investors. On the other hand, every State is the largest investor in technology. As someone said, “Spain S.A. should decide where to invest”. Like companies do, I put my money in something that will become bigger. And Spain, where is putting its money? I would like someone to answer this question.

What would you recommend the leaders of any organization to do?

I would recommend them, with the available tools, to declare the Innovation Day every fortnight. That day, each worker would investigate what technologies in the world are operating in the same sector. As a consequence, they would see the benefits, so there would start a natural opening process to innovation and technology. Or, even simpler: that the Government would declare the Innovation Day. I mean, It’s not necessary to spend money… the idea is to understand how the innovation really works.

To reed the whole interview (+)