ENHANCE Incubator: the satisfaction after the first workshop at UPV!
The first workshop dedicated to the members of the teams participating in the ENHANCE Incubator took place last week in Valencia. Organised by UPV on 2 and 3 March, it gave participants the opportunity to take part in lectures and discussions related to entrepreneurial skills.
The two-day workshop was efficient, with the organisation of many interventions from diverse speakers. They proposed their professional points of view to teach the young team members some relevant skills and knowledge, useful for their future in the innovation sector. The topics presented by the speakers were combined with group activities, presentations, and discussions, creating a working atmosphere that facilitated communication and synergy. In addition to these sessions, coffee breaks, network lunches, and a group dinner allowed both participants and speakers to exchange less formally and share ideas and experiences.
Diverse professional speakers to share their knowledge and experiences
The scope covered by the speakers was as large as their institutions and positions were diverse. Dr. Luca Mottola from PoliMi opened the first day by talking about AI at the workplace, followed by Dr. David Roldan, Business & Solutions Consulting Manager Director and API Leader-Shaper, who focused on digital ecosystems. Then Anna Cidad, managing director of valgrAI (Valencian Graduate School and Research Network of Artificial Intelligence), made a presentation about training, research, and collaboration, and Dr. Alberto Celani from BRaVe, a spin-off from PoliMi, concluded the first half of the day by talking about service design and customer service. In the afternoon, Dr. Matthias Liedke, from the Entrepreneurship Hub (Technische Universität Brunswich and Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences), offered an activity about business models. Dr. Liedke also intervened in the afternoon of the second day to mention legal issues and exit strategy, after two presentations in the morning: one from Dr. Anmar Kamalaldin from Chalmers University about Tips and Tools on Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation and another one from Pedro de Álava, tech transfer fund manager at Clave Venture Capital, about funding.
An organisation that satisfied participants
This diversity of profiles played a big part in the satisfaction of the participants which was high, as expected. Chiara Cerretti from PoliMi, a member of the team working on the project Atmosia, noted how the workshop was both interesting and stimulating: “There were lots of development input and super competent people to talk to”. If she regretted the lack of time they had to exploit information and go into it in more depth, she insisted on the fact that this exercise was helpful to “understand the past, develop the present, and imagine the future”. Another participant, Victoria López from UPV working on the project Students Design Team for Disability & Community platform, noticed that the speakers and the organisation “made the experience funny”.
The ENHANCE Alliance was very glad to hear this positive feedback and many other good comments from participants to this successful event, and thanks UPV for organising it. The ENHANCE Incubator teams will then have another opportunity to get together and exchange during the next workshop at NTNU.
