Entrepreneurship & Social Impact: Key Insights
Adrià Aymerich – Loading Corp
Entrepreneurship vs. Business Ownership: Adrià Aymerich uses a metaphor to explain the difference: entrepreneurs are like motocross riders (speed, growth, external investment), while business owners are like trail runners (consistent, strategic, long-term, using their own money).
Loading Corp Strategy: Companies grow through internal revenues and self-sustaining operations (bootstrap). This is a long-distance race requiring persistence over immediate speed. The strategic approach involves formalizing and stabilizing the business model before rapid growth, setting small, calculated goals for long-term success, and avoiding problematic partners. Failure can result from not protocolizing the model before growth, hiring unqualified staff, playing against the market, or lacking a contingency plan.
Patricia Ripoll – Social Entrepreneurship
Social Entrepreneurship: Patricia Ripoll discusses how businesses can create social impact and economic sustainability. Her foundation projects include Aireamos and The Faces of Migraine. She highlights the dual objectives of social entrepreneurship: social impact and economic profitability, measuring success by societal well-being. Key aspects include understanding real needs, prioritizing collective benefit, having a clear purpose, collaboration, and seeing opportunities others miss.
COVID Warrior: This initiative by Patricia Ripoll during the pandemic is a non-profit association connecting human intelligence to combat COVID. It mobilizes organizations, talent, and funding to address challenges. Its objectives are volunteering, connecting needs with resources, and accelerating initiatives through technology and expert teams. It influenced the health sector, particularly mental and respiratory health, and includes projects like Aireamos focused on air quality.
Thalia Leibovitz – Kala App
Kala App: Thalia Leibovitz presents Kala, an AI-powered app empowering women during menopause. It offers support, expert advice, and tools to manage physical and emotional symptoms, with both B2C and B2B models. Key features include clinical validation and hyperspecialization in menopausal health.
Kala’s B2B Strategy: This involves collaborating with hospitals, universities, and pharmaceutical companies, providing AI-driven data analysis for clinical and market research, and offering the app as a platform for studies and data collection.
Kala’s Four Pillars: 1) Information: A specialized encyclopedia with expert content. 2) Support: Community and access to specialists. 3) Resources: Techniques for symptom management and well-being tools. 4) Analysis: Includes a menopause test, symptom tracker, and AI for preventive recommendations.
Kala B2C Model: Offers a freemium version with limited features and a premium subscription for exclusive content. In-app purchases are available for consultations, courses, and workshops.
Gerard Font – Ciane Consulting
Entrepreneurship Essentials: Gerard Font emphasizes being versatile, having passion and commitment, needing a long-term strategy, taking risks, making decisions, and enjoying the process. Cons include financial insecurity, high responsibility, constant pressure, and decision-making solitude. Pros include flexible hours, autonomy, purpose, real contribution, and freedom to build a vision.
Harvard Method: This decision-making approach is based on three criteria: Viability (Can it work?), Feasibility (Do we have the resources?), and Desirability (Does the market want it?). It helps quantify decisions, avoid vague intuitions, and align actions with strategies.
Esther Comabella – HR in EMEA
Intrapreneurship & Soft Skills: Esther Comabella explains the shift from traditional job skills to soft skills, crucial for thriving in unpredictable, fast-changing environments. She highlights adaptability and emotional intelligence.
AI vs. Emotional Intelligence: While AI automates tasks, emotional skills like empathy, effective communication, and leadership are key differentiators. Companies seek flexibility, adaptability, problem-solving, clear communication, teamwork, and a proactive attitude.
FLUX Environment: Esther defines FLUX as a modern version of VUCA, representing constant, non-linear, and unpredictable change. Success requires agility, resilience, continuous learning, quick decision-making, and strong self-management.
Pol Gil Ortega – Graduate Advice
Career Entry Tips: Pol Gil Ortega provides practical advice for recent graduates. He stresses the importance of exploring beyond university internships, strategic networking, researching master’s programs based on career outcomes, and maintaining a resilient mindset towards job rejections.
Job Market Strategy: Start early with a clear plan, research industries, tailor your CV, and build your profile actively. Adaptability is key in the early years to navigate change and seize opportunities. Professional networking should be based on trust and mutual value.
Common Graduate Mistakes: Relying solely on university internships, sending generic CVs, not preparing for interviews, avoiding networking, and lacking a strategy. Avoid these by customizing applications, researching companies, and continuously improving skills.