- South Summit will be open from 7 to 9 June at La Nave in Madrid under the slogan 'Today 2030' and will address issues ranging from innovation and entrepreneurship to the challenge of achieving a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
- As a founding partner, Endesa will be present at the 11th edition of South Summit maintaining its commitment to an open innovation model in which entrepreneurs are an important source of solutions to our future challenges.
- This year, Endesa is resuming its 'Endesa Start-ups Lovers' initiative in collaboration with the Sustainable Startup & Co and For WOMEN organisations, a meeting of entrepreneurs to promote the creation of new projects and accelerate existing ones.
Endesa will participate in the latest edition of South Summit, the largest entrepreneurship exhibition in southern Europe, which will be held from 7 to 9 June at La Nave in Madrid. Under the slogan "Today 2030", the organisation proposes an undertaking with regard to one of the most complex challenges posed by society, achieving a 55% reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases by 2030.
South Summit, organised by Spain Startup and the IE Business School, will once again become a meeting place for the latest start-ups with the most innovative entities, including Endesa as a global partner. In last year's edition, the 10th anniversary, it managed to attract 6,000 attendees and more than 200 investment funds with an investment portfolio amounting to €235,000 million.
A start-up contest will be held during the event. The 100 start-up finalists were selected from more than 4,500 projects, 80% of them of international origin. During the event they will have the opportunity to present their ideas and create an efficient network of investors. Endesa, as a Founding Partner of South Summit, will be part of the jury that will be responsible for choosing the winning start-ups in a number of categories (Energy & Sustainability, Industry 5.0, Mobility & Smart Cities, Education, Connectivity & Data and Communications & Channels), as well as the grand final among the winners in all the categories.
Endesa Start-ups Lovers
The company is resuming its Endesa Start-ups Lovers initiative with the aim of supporting the generation of value and wealth through entrepreneurship and innovation. To achieve, the company will organise a meeting and exchange of ideas among the 50 entrepreneurs registered for the meeting and who have been selected to accelerate their projects and enable the creation of new initiatives.
For this edition, the company has the collaboration of Sustainable Startup & Co and For WOMEN for the organisation of this meeting that will take place on Wednesday, 7 June from 6.30 pm to 8 pm, in the 'Cibeles' room of La Nave. The participants have been categorised according to different profiles (marketing/sales, business development/financial, technology/development, design and product) and they will be able to have quick meetings with other entrepreneurs to strengthen strategic alliances with the aim of creating their own start-ups.
Within the framework of Endesa Start-ups Lovers, entrepreneurs who come to the company's stand will also be able to register for one of the Corporate Volunteering programmes promoted by the Endesa Foundation. Those attending will be able to support the company's employees in one of the projects presented to the Social Entrepreneurship programme, with special mention for the 'Por Ti Por Mi' initiative that promotes entrepreneurship for women under risk of exclusion: Refugees, migrants, survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking.
The Social Entrepreneurship programme aims to help employees launch their own volunteer projects, together with the social entities of their choice who will support them throughout the process. The third edition is currently underway, enabling nearly 300 Endesa employees to participate as volunteers for the benefit of nearly 1,000 people.
The company's Corporate Volunteering programme began in 2021 with the aim of helping employees participate in social and environmental development programmes, so they could take an active part in the company's social commitment. After two years, Endesa's volunteer community now consists of more than 2,600 employees.
All the major topics that will be addressed throughout South Summit 2023 will enjoy the presence of Endesa experts:
On the ARENA STAGE (Wednesday, 7 June):
12.40 pm. Rafael González, Endesa's General Manager for Generation, will speak on the main stage at the fair of the path of energy generation to achieve the Net-Zero objective through collaboration and the different advantages to be gained from agrivoltaics.
On the PLAYGROUND STAGE (Wednesday, 7 June):
4 pm. José Mínguez, Endesa's head of commercial innovation, will speak on the panel addressing 'Energy Transition 2030: Collaborate to Innovate' with three start-ups with which Endesa is collaborating on its path towards Energy Transition (CMO EODev, Veridas and Enefgy), on the importance of entrepreneurship in energy transition.
On the PLAYGROUND STAGE (Friday, 9 June):
9.30 am. José Mínguez, Endesa's Head of Commercial Innovation, will share his outlook on the technological revolution being experienced in the most traditional sectors.
9.55 am. Manuel Muñóz, Sales and Marketing Manager for Endesa X Way, Endesa's electric mobility business line, will participate in a panel where different companies will discuss the next steps to be taken in the development of electric mobility.
11.20 am. Fernando Sandoval, Head of the Enel Innovation Hub Europe, will participate in the 'Open Innovation' panel that will discuss the advantages of open innovation on the road to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
11.55 am. José Mínguez, Endesa's Head of Commercial Innovation, will be part of the jury for South Summit Kids, an event where the leading role is played by the innovation projects developed by young people between 10 and 16 years old. This session involves the collaboration of the Create Foundation, organiser of the educational programmes in which the students are taking part. Managers of the companies collaborating with South Summit will assess and provide feedback on the projects presented.
South Summit, meeting place
Its founder and president, María Benjumea, pointed out that "it will always be the place where all the actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem find great business opportunities, by connecting start-ups, corporations and investors, and always from a human, sustainable and global point of view." In the ten previous editions of South Summit Madrid, more than 32,000 start-ups from 175 different countries participated, 7 of them unicorns, which have generated more than €10,190 million in income and about 48,000 jobs. This year, South Summit expects to beat the record for people attending and to generate economic activity amounting to about €28 million in the city of Madrid, 37% more economic impact than in 2022. In addition to Madrid, South Summit is present in Brazil and its next objectives include reaching the United States and Asia.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end electricity generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. It is also the leading operator of charging stations in Spain through Endesa X Way, a business line dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers about 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.