ACCIONA took the award in the “Best Corporation” category at the 6th annual Startup Olé, an international event for startups and entrepreneurship in technology.

 

Startup Olé, one of Spain’s biggest events for entrepreneurship in technology, with other events in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina, was held for the 6th year running on the 11th of September. 260 startups from 23 countries took part. Arantza Ezpeleta, Director General of Technology and Innovation at ACCIONA, virtually accepted the award for Best Corporation last Friday. She attributed the award to the teamwork at ACCIONA that supports and drives our entrepreneurial, innovative ecosystem.

Due to the pandemic, this year the event was held 100% online. “These are difficult times for entrepreneurs and for companies in general. However, technology has allowed us to stay connected and keeping driving the transformation and necessary adaptation to the new normal. In the light of this situation, at ACCIONA we are aware that both innovation and collaboration are the best weapons we have for taking on the countless challenges our society currently faces”, explained Arantza during the closing ceremony.

For years, ACCIONA has been developing the I’MNOVATION #Startups Program, an open and collaborative innovation model that allows for co-creation between ACCIONA’s businesses and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This year it has shown its resilience by successfully adapting to the different circumstances resulting from the coronavirus crisis. Arantza Ezpeleta said: “I want to stress that at ACCIONA we will continue to encourage innovation and be on the radar of all entrepreneurs who want to change the future. The energy transition, the circular economy, the future of our cities… These are areas in which ACCIONA is and will continue to be a leader. To achieve this we will continue to use the same tools that we have implemented to move forward during this crisis; working together with startups, partners, universities and other institutions to create projects that promote transformation within companies’ value chains, enhancing their sustainability”.

Over the last two years, ACCIONA has been recognised as one of the most active companies in open innovation, with the Open Innovation Challengers Award, and by the Startup Europe Partnership (SEP), the European platform for open innovation sponsored by the European Commission. In addition, last year ACCIONA received the “Innovative Approach Award” for success in integrating the startups that participate in its innovation programs into its operations with the company’s business areas.

Energía Positiva+, an initiative promoted by ACCIONA, among others, received recognition as the best anti-COVID-19 initiative at the “Recognition Awards” for the main players in the business ecosystem. Startup OLÉ has rewarded 12 emerging businesses that have received a ticket to the (Startup World Cup), which will be held in San Francisco (United States). They will compete with other projects to walk away with the prize: 1 million dollars in financing.