Coaching Sessions on Technological Female Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas

• June 21, 2023

Date: Friday, June 30^th, 2023

Time: 11:00 – 13:30

Location: Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Extremadura, Events Hall

Organised by: Fundecyt-PCTEX, The RAISE project

(Project number: 101070749, 20222-2024)

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The Raise project is an EU-funded project aimed at contributing to the development of a new and sustainable integrated support framework for startups.

In this framework, Fundecyt-PCTEX cooperates with EU networks to execute support programs for startups from different perspectives (networks of regions, researchers, or business angels) and aims to join their programs to strengthen their services. The Coaching Sessions on Technological Female Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas will provide a local vision of female and rural startups and will serve as testing examples of these support experiences.

WHO CAN TAKE PART?

This session is oriented to women-led startups in rural environments, people interested in rural or female entrepreneurship, and people interested in EU projects and support services for innovation.

ABOUT THE EVENT

Participation in this coaching session will provide inspiration to the business model of the women’s technological startups, enhance it, and offer a broader and closer look at entrepreneurship with a focus on the rural world.

The coaching session’s purpose is to provide startup founders and representatives with a comprehensive understanding of women-led business model actions and business partnership actions. In addition, these sessions are expected to:

• Enable participants to learn from other women startups’ life experiences.
• Provide a wider vision of start-ups as a crucial asset for success in rural environments, addressing the strengths and difficulties they may encounter in entrepreneurship, as well as the importance of a solid business plan.
• Foster networking opportunities and mutual cooperation among female entrepreneurs in rural areas, promoting local meetups and a sense of community.

PROGRAMME

The coaching session will take place in Badajoz and will consist of two parts: Introductory talks and presentations followed by a matchmaking session with startups, with a breakfast in between.

Theory and Lessons: During the morning session, representatives from the RAISE project will lead the discussions and provide a comprehensive overview of business partnership actions. The representatives will also address the problems and challenges identified by the participants.

Coaching Sessions: The participants connect with other startup representatives and experts in a relaxed environment.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

By the end of the coaching session, participants can expect to:

• Gain a deeper understanding of rural business model actions and business partnership actions.
• Develop practical skills and knowledge to improve their start-up’s success rate in rural areas.
• Learn from external experiences and peers through interactive sessions and networking opportunities.

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AGENDA

11.00-11.10 h: Welcome words

Luis Casas Luengo, General Manager in Fundecyt Science and Technology Park of Extremadura (TBC).

11.10-11.20 h: Startup Support Services at Fundecyt Science and Technology Park of Extremadura

Anto Recio, Project Manager EU Digital Innovation Hub.

11.20-11.30h: RAISE Project Presentation

Cristina Gallardo, Project Manager of the RAISE project.

11.30h-12.00h: Individual presentation of the participants and initial matchmaking

3 minutes per participant.

12.00h-13.00h Bilateral Coaching Sessions

Bilateral coaching sessions will continue throughout June and July with additional online sessions. The participants in the coaching sessions will receive recommendations for the future of their business.

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PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS

Ana Galán 

Co-founder of The Geco Company.

Vice-president and member of the communications team of the Women Space Extremadura association.

She graduated in Advertising and Public Relations, specialising in Graphic Design and Digital Marketing.

Ana has more than 15 years of experience in the digital communications sector. Throughout her career, she has worked in corporate identity and social media design and has helped many freelancers and companies to introduce and improve their businesses in the digital world.

She has led several trainings related to digital skills and operational management of SMEs.

Cristina Rivera

Co-founder of Alzabrand.

Founding partner and member of the communications team of the Women Space Extremadura association.

Member of the Boards of Directors and communications team of the Designers Association of Extremadura (DIEX).

She graduated in Industrial Design, specialising in design methodologies, service, and product design.

Cristina has a broad experience in foreign trade, social media, and the creation of corporate identity, communication, and management of creative, cultural, and social projects. Her experience enriched her professionalism both creatively and analytically. Also, she works as a consultant in the marketing and digitalisation areas of several companies, proving greater visibility of products and services, as well as an increase in the business value chain.

Moreover, she has been a mentor of entrepreneurs since 2018 in the framework of advisory programmes for SMEs and freelancers in Extremadura.

The activity is co-organised with the Association Women Space Extremadura, a non-profit association that brings together women researchers and professionals linked to the world of applied sciences; engineers and workers in technology companies; businesswomen and technology entrepreneurs, designers and creative artists; professionals from the humanities sector applied to digitalisation; teachers and trainers from the scientific and technological world of Extremadura.

Women Space will provide the coaches for the session and the activity.