Abastores (Turleque, Toledo), the first online exchange for agricultural commodities, Agrolinera (Llanera, Asturias), a technology platform for the collection, logistics and valorisation of livestock and dairy waste, and CultuAR (Granada), an app that combines immersive technologies to explore rural destinations and promote sustainable tourism, have been named the winners of the first edition of the Rural Startup Awards.
The jury, made up of leaders from the entrepreneurial ecosystem and representatives of public and private organisations from a range of disciplines, assessed the more than 200 applications received against criteria such as the degree of innovation and disruption, the growth and maturity of the project, and the business model and its impact.
Promoted by the Spanish Startup Association (Asociación Española de Startups) and the agency Yellow, these awards, inspired by the success of the Women Startup Awards, were created with the aim of narrowing the territorial gap in innovative entrepreneurship.
For Carlos Mateo, president of the Spanish Startup Association, innovation and technology are part of the solution to the problem of depopulation: “We can reverse this trend and encourage development and the attraction of talent in rural communities. Our goal is to create role models who can be real agents of change and who contribute to the growth of local economies.”
The awards ceremony, held at the Palacio de Congresos in Oviedo, was attended by institutional representatives, startups, companies and investors from sectors such as agriculture, sustainability and rural tourism.
“Our goal is to create role models who can be real agents of change and who contribute to the growth of local economies”
Carlos Mateo, president of the Spanish Startup Association
Begoña García Bernal, Secretary of State for Agriculture and Food, who opened the event, stressed the importance of fostering public-private collaboration and the need to implement more efficient public policies “so as not to leave our villages behind”.
“We have a common goal: that rural areas stay alive, that new initiatives keep emerging, that businesses consolidate and that those that want to, grow.” Today, we are here, she said, “to reaffirm our commitment to our rural towns and villages. There is life, and plenty of talent, beyond the M-30″.
Her speech was followed by a round table on the funding challenges facing startups with Susana Luke, Vice-Rector for Transfer and Business Relations at the University of Oviedo; Maite Ambrós, Deputy Director General for Agri-food Innovation and Digitalisation at the Ministry of Agriculture; Inma Moretón, Head of Communications at ENISA; and Sandra Figaredo, Director of Public Affairs and Institutional Relations at the Spanish Startup Association.
Marcelino Marcos, Regional Minister for Rural Affairs and Agricultural Policy of the Government of the Principality of Asturias, who closed the event after the awards were presented, acknowledged that “it is essential to work as a network to energise the socio-economic fabric, improve the quality of life of people who want to keep living in rural areas, encourage entrepreneurship, seek territorial balance and facilitate the use of ICT in rural areas”.
The Rural Startup Awards also turned the Palacio de Congresos into a gastronomic meeting point, with an espicha (traditional Asturian cider feast) organised in collaboration with the agri-food innovation think tank KM ZERO Food Innovation Hub.
KéWater, a producer of probiotic water kefir; Vanetta, sustainable plant-based foods; Hidromiel Zángana, craft mead; Panduru, pastries made with surplus bakery bread; Sr. Valley, hemp-based products; Villa Melba, traditional jams, preserves and fruit conserves; Terramor Kiwinbio, products made with organic kiwis; Neoalgae, marine-species derivatives; Pink Albatross, natural vegan ice creams; and Väcka, high-quality plant-based cheeses, were the 10 startups competing for the two awards, which ultimately went to Terramor Kiwinbio (jury award) and Vanetta (public award).
Support from experts in the entrepreneurial ecosystem
The jury was made up of leading professionals from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, of different disciplines, genders, ages and backgrounds: a diverse jury that ensures neutrality in the assessment of each entry. They are: Francisco Hortigüela, president of AMETIC; Inmaculada Moretón, Head of Communications at ENISA; Pablo Rodero, president of the European Pellet Council – AVEBIOM; Alejandra Cruz García, Innovation Specialist at UN Tourism; Catalina Valencia, Head of Community at KM ZERO; Fernando Garrido, director of the Public Programmes area at EOI; Juan Antonio Tejada, president of Málaga Tech; José Manuel Santamans, board member of Innsomnia; María Calvo, president of FADE; Fernando Corral, vice-president of OTEA; Carlos Martín, president of the Oviedo Chamber of Commerce; Isabel Santos, vice-president of Clúster TIC Asturias; Pablo García, president of AJE (Ceaje) Asturias; Carlos Romero Dexeus, Director of Tourism Research, Development & Innovation at SEGITTUR; Raúl Jiménez, managing director of the Agencia Digital de Andalucía; Ignacio Azorín, Director General for Innovation of the Community of Madrid; and Carlos Mateo, president of the Spanish Startup Association.
Funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU, within the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and led by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism through the EOI School of Industrial Organisation, the Rural Startup Awards strengthen the role of public-private collaboration and open innovation in the transformation of rural areas. They are also supported by sponsors such as: Spain Up Nation, Enisa, UN Tourism, Innsomnia, KM Zero, Ametic, Avebiom, Clúster TIC Asturias, Málaga Tech, FADE, Otea, JTI, the Oviedo Chamber of Commerce, Segittur, the Community of Madrid, Ceaje and the Agencia Digital de Andalucía. The Spanish Startup Association, which organised the event together with the agency Yellow, aims to make Spain a global benchmark for innovative and inclusive entrepreneurship.
Source: https://www.elespanol.com/invertia/disruptores/ecosistema-startup/startups/20241217/rural-startup-awards-trio-talento-disruptor-abastores-agrolinera-culturar/909159748_0.html