- The +50 Emprende Awards are an initiative from Generación SAVIA (an Endesa Foundation project in collaboration with the máshumano Foundation) with the production company 02.59 Films.
- 281 entrepreneurs participated with a total of 107 initiatives.
- The awards will be presented in February 2023 at an event at Endesa's headquarters in Madrid.
The jury for the +50 Emprende Awards, the most important entrepreneurship initiative for senior talent in Spain, has selected the ten finalist projects for its 4th edition. These awards are promoted by the production company 02:59 Films and Generación SAVIA, a project by the Endesa Foundation in collaboration with the máshumano Foundation. The awards attracted 281 senior entrepreneurs, with an average age of 54 and a half, who submitted 107 initiatives. There was an almost equal split among the participants, with 47% being women and 53% men.
The projects submitted include sustainability and technological initiatives, emphasising local crops and business, as well as businesses seeking to regenerate empty Spain to alleviate rural depopulation. The "Silver Economy" was one of the most popular sectors for entries, together with projects related to mental health.
The number of entries for the +50 Emprende Awards has been growing since they were launched in 2019. They are now the most important event for senior talent in Spain. The four editions of these awards (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022) have attracted 846 projects from nearly 1,500 entrepreneurs.
Antonio Mera, head of the Generación Savia project at the Endesa Foundation, said "the projects presented in these awards show the talent among our seniors, which can benefit society as a whole".
Emphasising the value of senior entrepreneurs, Fernando Lallana, director of the +50 Emprende Awards, said "senior entrepreneurs have a lot to contribute. Their experience, resilience and adaptability are a bonus for our business fabric."
The awards, with a prize pot of €30,000 (€18,000 in prize money and €12,000 in advisory services) will be presented in February 2023 at Endesa's Madrid headquarters. At this event, the finalists will present their projects to a jury chaired by professor and writer Leopoldo Abadía and consisting of professionals and experts in the field of entrepreneurship and business ideas.
THE 10 FINALIST PROJECTS OF THE +50 EMPRENDE AWARDS AND TWO SPECIAL MENTIONS.
The ten finalist entrepreneurs are:
1. César Aguilar (51, Madrid). This project is aimed at the Silver Economy and involves a technological app called Agnes Care for caring for the elderly at home, in day-care centres and in homes. The app aims to support relatives, managers and assistants, helping them at every stage, reinforcing communication and improving the care model for the elderly and their relatives.
2. Ana Atienza (52, Madrid). Ana launched her The Sky Garden project after spotting an opportunity to improve the environment by covering roofs and buildings with plants. Her objective is to contribute to reducing pollution in large cities, promoting energy saving and collaborating in the cultivation of organic products. This idea involves designing and implementing green roofs and urban gardens for companies with Sustainable Development Goals and people who want to help improve their cities.
3. Ana Cabezas (59, Valladolid). 10 years ago Ana emigrated to Peru. While she was working there, she spotted the need for automation of ISO standards. This led to the creation of SOY Calidad, a technological development company to help companies with the digitalisation of these quality regulations and improve their organisational efficiency. It is currently seeking to position itself as a leading national and international options.
4. Paloma Cava (50, Barcelona). The idea for Empath was born after Paloma's personal experience of the death of her mother. It aims to help and advise people at the end of their lives and their families, managing and resolving emotional, organisational, administrative and tax problems and procedures.
5. Julio Estalella Otero (55, Seville). Julio was a director in a multinational in the infrastructure sector. Following a radical change of sector, he has set up a project to offer a new hot sauce, called Salsas Quietud, made with Mediterranean products to add flavour and enhance our dishes using sherry vinegar and oloroso wines from Jerez.
6.Manuel Lencero Valle (56, Alicante). Following a long career as an entrepreneur, his new project seeks to help empty Spain, boosting economic activity in the Marina Baja region of Alicante through sustainable avocado farming. Bolulla Valley grows, manages and markets avocados, and is seeking to become a flagship initiative at the regional and national levels.
7. María Pérez Arenaza (52, Madrid). María's business idea involves a travel agency specialising in immersive routes through rural Spain. The objective of Singular Spain is to spotlight local talent and products that reflect their regions through their experiences and history. It is also aiming to open up cultural and natural heritage not served by conventional roads and which travellers have not discovered.
8. Carlos Piñeyroa (52, Madrid). Working with Gustavo Vaquero, an IT specialist by profession but gardener by vocation, Gus & Flowers emerged to transform the world of flowers through a workshop for innovation in floral art, where they combine flowers with technology and sustainability, turning flowers into ceramics after they are sold, promoting the circular economy.
9. Daniel Sáenz Löbsack (55, Madrid). A former executive in a multinational in the industrial sector, Daniel always had the soul of an entrepreneur. His Thumb Ray project involves the development of a portable electronic device based on bioimpedance analysis that detects and interprets data and commands through a thimble with sensors and sensor rings in contact with the skin. This development will help people with functional diversity to manage electronic devices and will result in the evolution of virtual keyboards. The project has a European patent.
10. Miryan Wodnik Valdés (57, Madrid). Ubuntumind was created to facilitate access to online psychology for everyone. There are five million people with anxiety and depression in Spain. They will be able to access therapy through this digital platform, benefiting from the flexibility of this format. Some of the profits will be reinvested to help people who do not have the funds to use the service.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
The work of two non-profit projects that support and promote different groups in society was highlighted in this edition:
Yolanda Lobo Arranz (50, Oviedo)
Creator of the Cincuenter movement for women seeking to connect with each other, build networks and share experiences. This initiative seeks to meet this need by developing an exclusive social network for women over 50, in which the ambassadors are the greatest source of inspiration, helping promote motivation and empowerment among all members. The movement has expanded nationally and is looking to expand internationally.
Luis Castillo (62, Madrid)
Founder of the startup SeniorsLeading, which is developing innovative solutions that transform and add value in the Silver Economy. It has developed three lines of business aimed at consumers over 50: Fintech, digital transformation and silver tourism. In the financial field, they have created a silver pay card, a new means of payment through which children and grandchildren receive discounts generated by the purchases and discounts the holders receive because of their age. In tourism, one of the most important industries in Spain, they are developing SilverTur, a metasearch & aggregator for travel reservation services for people over fifty.
About the +50 Emprende Awards
The +50 Emprende Awards were conceived by 02:59 Films, the audio-visual producer of the feature film Abuelos (Santiago Requejo, 2019), and are organised in collaboration with Generación SAVIA. These organisations share a conviction that a cultural change is necessary to overcome prejudice and age discrimination in the professional sphere. This is an issue that affects around one million people over the age of 50 who have prematurely lost their jobs. Our goal is to identify, promote and foster the talent of those aged over fifty through the most important entrepreneurship awards for older citizens in Spain.
About 02:59 Films
DOS CINCUENTA Y NUEVE S.L. is an audio-visual producer founded in 2010 with the mission of transmitting human values to society through audio-visual content. It was originally a producer specialising in the creation of viral videos for the Internet, with its videos reaching 200 million views on social networks. However, in 2018 it diversified its activity by developing and producing its first feature film, Abuelos, which was released in October 2019. The production company currently combines the development of film projects with its advertising service for the creation of viral Internet campaigns.
About Generation SAVIA
Generación SAVIA, the ENDESA Foundation project in collaboration with the Máshumano Foundation, has been promoting the employability of workers over 50 for four years, providing solutions through training and networking activities and promoting recognition of the value of these professionals, who suffer high unemployment rates. SAVIA is a platform and community in which collaborative spaces are created and initiatives come together to create job opportunities for senior professionals. It also offers human-resource solutions for Spain's social and business fabric. 40,000 older professionals and 600 companies are registered with SAVIA. 190 entities also collaborate on the project.