9 months have passed since the last 25th of September of 2017 when the 3rd edition of the Met Community program in Bilbao started until the program’s closure day, on the 28th of June of 2018. They have been 9 months where the protagonists of today’s post have worked very hard to keep moving forward in their entrepreneurial dream and in their process of being entrepreneur women.
The chosen place for the program’s closure was, once again, the Garate Room of the University of Deusto, institution that supports the MET Community since its beginning. There we were, the MET Community president, Yanire Braña; the director of the MET Community in the Basque Country, Virginia Gómez; the dean of the DBS of the University of Deusto, Guillermo Dorronsoro; Garbiñe Henry director of the Deusto Innovación and Emprendimiento (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) of the same university; and me as the coordinator of MET Bilbao. Besides, we had 2 special guests, Aitor Urzelai, director of Emprendimiento, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información of the Basque Government, and Teresa Laespada, member of the Provincial Council of Empleo, Inclusión e Igualdad of the Provincial Government of Bizkaia, who spoke about “the strategic challenges for the future that institutions are thinking according to women’s entrepreneurship”. We specially thank Teresa and Aitor the time they dedicated to us.
There also was Irune Diez, responsible of Marketing and Communication of MET España, who on the same closure day handed over the baton to Marta Martín Trenor. Welcome, María, and good luck on your new journey, Irune. It’s been a pleasure to have you in charge of all our communications.
I think I’m not wrong if I say that the most emotional moments arrived when the different mentees took their diplomas from their mentors, having as the witnesses their families and friends who support them in this new adventure.
First, Ainhoa Martínez, a law graduate by the University of Deusto and professional of marketing, business development and law, took her diploma online. She has a 100% international profile that can be seen on her formation and training in Spain, the UK, Switzerland, Italy, China, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia and Latin America and the Caribbean as a region. Ainhoa has founded Welkom SHC, “a technology company that optimizes the processes of the organizations and systematizes the Big Data of the University, Research Centers, Economic Development Agencies and Health sectors”. Her mentor has been Txema Villate, Industrial Engineer and assistant to the Chairman in Innobasque, who has enjoyed mentoring Ainhoa this year.
Later went Patricia Astrain, a firm engineer who opted for innovating in the Circular Economy area and who has created recircular, “an active and collaborative platform that connects companies for the recovery of waste such as raw materials, giving a second life to the waste of companies, helping to reduce both waste management costs and the purchase of raw materials, and creating a positive social and environmental impact”. Her mentor has been Antonio Tena, founding partner of the Barrilero Asociados law firm and member of the Advisory Board of the Arbitration Court of the Chamber of Commerce, a person committed to MET Community since its beginning more than 10 years ago. His enthusiasm, positive energy and work have been fundamental in the MET Community in Bilbao.
Born in Peru and with a big background on business administration, consultancy and market research, was Giovanna Tunque’s turn, a perseverant and working woman. She is an important part of Travel&Kultura, “a touristic company leader on the integral management of international business trips for businesspeople and executives from different sectors who think that the best opportunity to know Europe is through different tours, focused on international businesses, intercultural learning and leisure”. Giovana has had Rocío Rivera as her mentor, also born in Peru and who got into MET with recognition. Thank you, Rocío, for accompanying us, how you’ve done it this year.
That’s how Maite de Blas Azofra’s turn came, a woman looking for a “radical” change in her life and who has shown that being brave, sensitive, perseverant, working, fighter and a compromised woman are her hallmarks; dreams can become true with effort. Thank you, Maite, for letting us accompany you in this adventure. She wanted to “portray the beauty” and she did it through her entrepreneurial project Akasha Home Staging. Her mentor, María Gutierrez, partner consultant and professional trainer in the Integra Group, has accompanied her in this first part of her adventure.
Itxaso Ron was the next one, a woman who carries art in her veins and who this year made her dream come true, TxokoEtxe, a project that combines art, the experimentation of nature, people and hostelry. Her mentor, Carlos Biurrun, founder and President of the Community of Insurance couldn’t accompany us in this occasion.
The last one to get her diploma was Nagore Espinosa, graduate in Tourism by the University of Deusto and teacher of the Tourism grade at the same university. She is a woman who doesn’t stop and who has a great formation in the tourism sector and in leisure facilities management. She charmed us with her project in2destination, a research and tourist consulting company whose goal is to “boost the development, strengthening and transformation of touristic destinies, resources and companies towards a smart, sustainable and inclusive management”, for which they offer a great list of services (training, strategical consultancy, measurement of tourism, coordination). Matxalen Acasuso, Dean and President of the Basque-Navarre Official School of Architects and Treasurer of Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain, accompanied Nagore. Her entrepreneurial spirit leaves a mark wherever she goes.
Apart from Carlos Biurrun, neither could accompany us the mentors Álvaro Ubierna, Jonatan Belarde, Tontxu Campos and Mertxe Ortiz de Zarate, nor the mentees: Laura Badiola, Idoia Iturbe, Josune Escaso, Ainhoa Alaña, Esti García and Patricia Draghici. But there was Marcos Ramajo, Amaya Baliño’s mentor, who neither couldn’t accompany us on this special day.
We thank all of them for their trust in MET Community and we congratulate them for the achievements they have made and for those that remain to be achieved.
And you, are you a woman and are interested in being entrepreneur and start your own business? Watch out for the launching of the 4th edition of the mentoring program of the MET Community’s web page.
Enjoy the month of July and the holidays, those of you who are already on them.
Translated by María Ubierna Quintanilla and supervised by Arantza Arruti.