Upstream Festival’s Post

After a 9-month implementation period, we are proud to share that the INSPIRATION Project has officially come to an end🎉. We are grateful for all the experience we have gained in these months and the opportunity to meet and work with such unique and innovative businesses! This project has been an incredible journey that leaves us wiser, more connected and equipped with the knowledge and tools to enhance our commitment to sustainability and circularity. Congratulations👏 to all the 22 startups that successfully completed the project's training and mentoring phases and developed their sustainability transition roadmaps under our trainers' guidance! A big thank you to our trainers for their work and commitment to inspiring and supporting businesses to leverage entrepreneurship as a force for good! Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours, we hope you keep up the great work and stay committed to enhancing your positive impact! Supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Business Innovation Greece Programme, the INSPIRATION Project has been an international collaborative project carried out by International Development Norway (IDN), the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), and TRIAENA Synergies and Consulting (TRISYNC). EEA and Norway Grants EEA Grants Greece Norwegian Embassy in Athens ΕΒΕΑ - ACCI | Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry International Development Norway Innovation Norway #projectcompletion #EEAGrants #sustainablebusinessmodelinnovation, #greekinnovationecosystem, #norwegianinnovationecosystem, #greekstartups, #businessinnovationgreece

🚀 #ThrowbackFriday to the 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗮 𝗦𝗕𝗘 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿!   Looking back, we're reminded of the power of collaboration and innovation. This program was all about walking the talk of an ecosystem approach for innovation, bringing together students, early-stage entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and SMEs to create a dynamic space for bold ideas and visionary action. Today, we take this moment to send a huge thank you to our amazing partners who played a crucial role in making this possible: Banco Primus Câmara Municipal de Cascais GRUPO ACA Grupo Brisa LTPlabs Morais Leitão Pingo Doce/Jerónimo Martins Schréder Hyperion SIBS ZEISS Group Together, we converged the worlds of Smart Cities, Green Economy, Sustainable Service Providing, and more. By leveraging the power of applied research, knowledge transfer, and diverse perspectives, we created a space for future-forward innovation that explored both citizen and customer journeys. This initiative was a prime example of how collaboration between academic institutions and businesses can foster systemic change. It’s not just about incremental progress—it’s about reimagining the future, and these partners were at the heart of it all.   Check out the video below to learn more about our amazing partners!   🌱 Here's to driving impactful change, supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs, and creating a more sustainable and inclusive future for cities and communities. #InnovationEcosystem #FutureCitiesFutureCommunities #OpenInnovation #SmartCities #Sustainability

Reflecting on a great night at EDEM Escuela de Empresarios Executive Education graduation event that was driven by the theme of ‘linkages’ I was reminded of the 2013 article by Alejandro Amezcua and colleagues published in the Academy of Management Journal about organizational sponsorship and founding environments. Their main takeaways were:   ✅ When a lot of new companies are starting up in the same industry, they can learn from each other. So, if support such as training and education is offered, it’s going to work best in places with many similar businesses   ✅ For new companies in competitive industries, making connections is extremely important. If there aren’t many local support networks, opportunities for companies to meet and work with each other is needed. This can help them survive and grow, especially in new industries where there aren’t many players (yet)   ✅ Sometimes, after startups leave an incubator, they might struggle because they’ve become too dependent on the help they were getting. It’s like learning to ride a bike with training wheels and then trying to ride without them. It is important to ensure this doesn't happen and that startups receive the right support so that they can survive in the open sea. This is one of the reasons why Marina de Empresas is so vital to the local business fabric!

📣 Calling the #Top250NL of the fastest growing companies in the Netherlands for 2024! Join the ranks of companies that define the Dutch entrepreneurial landscape, leading in job creation, innovation and working towards a positive societal impact. 🌎 Does your company have the caliber to secure a coveted spot for 2024’s list? Enroll your company to participate in this annual research conducted by Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, and perhaps join the list of previous winners, including Valcon and Media.Monks. Registrations are open until April 5th via this form https://hubs.ly/Q02qTmMn0 Top 250 is a research on the fastest-growing companies in the Netherlands, conducted annually by Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship and is supported by nlgroeit, HelloPrint, Dealroom.co, Upstream Festival and Erasmus Enterprise. European Scaleup Institute Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Erasmus School of Economics Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam Techleap Kamer van Koophandel #top250NL #eceNL #ecerotterdam

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟱 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 👇 As Börsen-Initiative Karlsruhe e.V. and a representative of the board together with Max Vormwald, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the board team of Frankfurt Finance Club e.V., especially Tien Le, for the invitation. I feel privileged to attend events like the Goethe Entrepreneurship Conference. During the event, I had the opportunity to: 🇩🇪 Gain insights into the political challenges and their impact on startups 🕤 Understand the dynamic development of startups in today's fast-paced environment 🚀 Learn the importance of personal branding 🕸 And, of course, have a great time networking and learning! BUT GUESS WHAT? I don't gate keep (as you know by now 😉) Therefore, I've collected the most relevant learnings, just for you: 1️⃣ 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: This can be a really good thing, so don't be afraid of it! 2️⃣ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: If you can see it, you can do it! 3️⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: Relationships are the key to so many things! 4️⃣ 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸: You will be surprised how many people say "yes". 5️⃣ 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗽: Always think: What's the worst that could happen? Thank you to everyone who made this event possible – Let's keep empowering each other! PS: What was the last game-changing insight YOU received? Share it below, so we can collect them 👇 #goetheentrepreneurshipconference #GEC2024 #GEC #startup #networking #entrepreneurship #university

⌚ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝘆! 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱! 🏛#HackTheBusinessBulgaria was the final #hackathon, organized as part of the ENTREPRENEDU project, which challenged teams of #young #students and #entrepreneurs to come up with #sustainability themed #business #ideas. Let's take a look together at the goals and achievement during this year: >More than 90 teams of young students participated in the 3 hackathons organized by ENTREPRENEDU partners in the cities of Rimini, Sofia and Athens, where innovative business ideas and solutions were generated to strengthen the quality of entrepreneurial education and local talent. >ENTREPRENEDU provided to the winning teams of the hackathons up to 60 hours of mentoring through webinars and coaching workshops on strategic topics such as: access to finance and related funding, business model design, educational data, services and products, essential for the successful structuring of their business idea. This exciting journey continues and ENTREPRENEDU is preparing for the next phase, which is focused on the validation of the 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺, an educational model for the European entrepreneurial ecosystems, scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2024. 🚀ENTREPRENEDU is a #HorizonEurope #project coordinated by Fondazione E. Amaldi that brings together #innovation #stakeholders and #educational institutions from different #European countries, connecting low/moderate innovation regions with high innovation ones. Follow the ENTREPRENEDU official channels: 👉LinkedIn: ENTREPRENEDU 👉Twitter: entreprenedu.eu 👉Facebook: ENTREPRENEDU.eu 👉Instagram: entreprenedu #LetsDoThis 🤜🤛 🔵🟠🔴 Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK | EBAN - European Business Angel Network | Corallia | Cleantech Bulgaria | F6S Innovation | Luiss Guido Carli University | University of Thessaly European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) | European Commission  | European Union #italygivingyouspace  #ENTREPRENEDU #HorizonEU #EUInnovationEcosystems #entrepreneurship #education #innovation #startup #business #MeetEDU #EUSPACERESEARCH

Last Sunday was an exciting day contributing to the organization of a knowledge-packed seminar about Digital Business at Mercure Hotel in Nador, and what a journey it was! 🚀 Proudly organized by the Econova Club FPN and Nador Inazzo association for multi-disciplinary college students. Our mission? was to foster awareness and spread the digital entrepreneurship culture among the #youth. The program featured insightful talks and interventions by digital entrepreneurship experts such as Mr. Adil Chtioui, covering startup strategies, digital marketing, and AI, and hosted two leading companies: iladary and Bmondial for digital solutions. Special shout-out to Miss HANANE BENHADDI , Mr.Zakaria Buhktari, Mr.Mohammed Assaghir, and Mr.Mohammed ElMontassir The seminar was a buzzing hive of interaction and dialogue. Participants dove into constructive discussions, figuring out how to turn presented ideas into plausible real-life projects, the long-term effects of AI in the market, and more. In the end, the impact was tangible. Attendees left with a clear vision for their digital projects, ready to contribute to local economic growth and community development. 🌐💡 Reflecting on my role as a member of the club, Personally, it was a rollercoaster of growth. My focus wasn't initially on the seminar's topic but rather on the intricacies of planning and organizing the event. Adapting to a collaborative environment where multiple hands were steering the ship taught me valuable lessons about teamwork. One particular challenge stood out - managing the overwhelming turnout. With only 400 seats available and a whopping +500 eager attendees(+500 for 400 seats! It was mind-blowing 🤯) problem-solving skills were put to the test. The teamwork and quick thinking of the organizing members successfully averted any surge of this issue, leaving everyone with a positive experience. The unexpected joy? Witnessing the sheer enthusiasm of +500 attendees not just for digital entrepreneurship but for entrepreneurship as a whole. It's not just a hopeful sign; it's a beacon for the local economy and the future of my city. Being part of a team that created this platform for knowledge exchange between established entrepreneurs and aspiring students was incredibly fulfilling. It solidified my belief that action and initiative are the driving forces turning dreams into thriving ventures. 🌐💼 #EventEpicness #TeamTriumph #YouthUprising #EconovaClub

🚀 Reflecting on my journey as a mentor and entrepreneur, sharing insights at Superior University’s Incubation Center for Startups during the challenging Flashback- COVID-19 days. 🚀 In this keynote, I discussed the power of pausing, reflecting, and finding motivation in adversity. As young entrepreneurs, it's essential to embrace every challenge, learn from it, and keep pushing forward. The path to success is paved with resilience, innovation, and continuous learning. Remember, every setback is a setup for a comeback. Stay inspired, stay determined, and let's continue to excel together. https://lnkd.in/dvFSwqr9 #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #StartupJourney #SuperiorUniversity #Motivation #Innovation #GrowthMindset #Challenges

Today, ISEG turns pink for the Hult Prize Lisbon Summit! Join young entrepreneurs from around the globe as they take center stage to pitch their groundbreaking ideas. They're competing for a $1 million prize to bring their social enterprises to life! This summit isn't just a competition—it's a meeting of minds committed to global change. Each proposal is thoughtfully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Whether it’s tackling climate change or promoting quality education, every idea aims to make a significant impact. 🌍 Meet our selected entrepreneurs! Each team brings an idea that not only addresses but also proposes sustainable solutions to global challenges. #ISEGSustainability #HultPrizeLisbon #SocialEntrepreneurship #ISEG #SDGs #InnovationForImpact

You've achieved success, built your wealth, and now you’re ready to share your knowledge and expertise across borders while securing a flexible European residence. Join us at World Talents to help bridge the gap between academia and industry, driving innovation and entrepreneurship in Portugal. Why Get Involved?  🔹Mentorship: Share your expertise with emerging startups and incubators at top Portuguese universities, guiding R&D initiatives that drive innovation.  🔹Support: Provide financial backing, human capital, and access to your global network, enabling the next wave of entrepreneurs to thrive.  🔹Legacy: Play a pivotal role in transforming Portugal into a hub of innovation, where your contributions leave a lasting impact on the future of business and technology. Your knowledge, experience, and resources can help shape Portugal's startup ecosystem, fostering sustainable growth and global competitiveness. 👉 Get in touch with World Talents today and discover how you can collaborate with universities to nurture the next generation of industry leaders. #Mentorship #HighNetWorth #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #ResearchAndDevelopment #Portugal #WorldTalents