This week has been loaded with very good vibes, those you like because you realize Bilbao is full of entrepreneurial women who once had a dream worth fighting for. Today, I want to mention some of the brave, positive, tireless, strong, working and responsible women with whom I have had the privilege of sharing some words and part of their time during this week. Some of them have already earned a space on this blog.
Do you want to know who I am talking about?
Last Wednesday the 4th of October took place Coordinadas, the 1st entrepreneurship and empowerment of women day to where I was invited and talked to you about some weeks ago. Organized by Init, the Dock of Uribitarte room, where the day took place, was full. There were more women than men, many more, but some men also came with the goal of sharing some keys to promote the empowerment of women and bring to the table again some of the glass ceilings women still have –which we should break–, and to know some projects of entrepreneurial women and talk about the importance of the professional networks.
Just as I got there, and as it couldn’t be in any other way, I found Beatriz Arraibi, responsible of the community agency of the Init Group and Arantza Saez de Okariz, coordinator of Init Land and the one who invited me. I already was willing to collaborate with them in some way. I still have to visit Init as it deserves. There were too Eva Armesto, boss of the Promotion Service of the Provincial Government of Bizkaia, and Susana Zaballa, president of EmakumeEkin and of whom I’m very fond since I joined them, although I can’t pay attention to them as much as I would like to.
In the table I took part, exceptional professionals with a lot of experience and many stories to tell accompanied me: Mireia de Diego, manager of excavations and construction of Diego, president of the Asociación Vizcaína de Excavadores, and member of the Eraikune board; Nerea Landa, co-director of Dermitek; Gabriela Unzaga, director of PROA Zona Norte Seguros Bilbao; and Miryam Jauregi, CEO of ADOK Certificación. The table was moderated by my colleague of the University of Deusto, its director of digital identity, and member of the “Doce miradas” blog, Lorena Fernández.
Also participated actively Marina Goñi, founder of the Marina Goñi design Studies and partner of EmakumeEkin; Marta Aburto, member of the board of directors of AED (Asociación de Empresarias y Directivas of Biscay); Ainhoa de Endaya, cofounder and promoter of the “Emprende con tu taza” project; Gemma Zelaia, founder of Woman Sarea; Rosa Urtubi, president ofde PWN, Profesional Women’s Network; and Nagore Ardanza, responsible of Crecer + of Orkestra. All of them told us about their projects and about the importance of professional networks. Their participation was moderated by another excellent professional, Beatriz López Dañobeitia, director of BcomeDigital and responsible of Marketing Digital in EmakumeEkin.
I can’t forget other women who boosted the debate forums: Rosana Agudo from Vision Coach y life coach; Mamen Abad, image advisor and coach, and a member of EmakumeEkin; Marta Macho-Stadler, professor at the UPV and member of Mujeres con ciencia, whom I last saw at the Abando Hotel, at the Escuela de Talento/Gaitasun Eskola; and María Erkoreka, CEO at Erkoreka Consultants and with whom I still have a pending talk. I also remember Neskuts Arruti, from Arruti Consulting, Ruth Ochoa, from Linda Lumiere and Marian Eguskiza, from Interalde, the last two, also from Emakumeekin.
On its behalf, on the afternoon of Friday the 6th, we celebrated at MET Community the speed-matching between the new mentors and mentees of the 3rd edition of the mentoring program for entrepreneurial women I talked to you about some weeks ago. Among the women who went to the 31 Room of the DBS of the University of Deusto were: Ainhoa Martínez with her project Welkom; Nagore Espinosa, from in2destination; Maite De Blas, who has a home staging project in her hands; Laura Badiola, excited with her project about smart cities and intelligent parking; Ainhoa Alaña and her partner, with OriginalA; Itxaso Ron, with her project based on a cottage; and Giovanna Tunque, with Travel Cultura. This will be a crucial year for their projects. From here we want to thank you for betting on MET Community. We hope not to disappoint you.
I don’t want to end this post without mentioning other entrepreneurial women with whom I had interesting conversations last Saturday the 7th of October at the Yimby pop up: Ana Urgoiti, from Bilbao formarte, whom I was really excited to meet and will present you very soon; Marina Hernández, Belén Perez’s daughter, whom is following her mother very closely and whom I’m sure she will be a proper entrereneur, from Uyana (*); Paloma Aramburu, from Pope selection, of whom I got a very beautiful souvenir that I hope I will be able to wear how it deserves; and my great acquaintance –friend– and who couldn’t miss to this edition, Paula, from Corumahe (*), to whom I also owe a post.
Let’s keep breaking glass ceilings.
Enjoy the week and the bank holiday.
Translated by María Ubierna Quintanilla and supervised by Arantza Arruti.