Startup OLÉ 2023: The 10th Anniversary celebration with CEO Emilio Corchado

Startup Olé is one of the largest tech events in Europe, the biggest outside the capital cities. The event offers a unique platform for networking, allowing attendees to get in touch with significant players in the tech industry and form long-lasting, rewarding relationships in the charming town of Salamanca in Spain. It features both startups and scaleups from a wide range of verticals, showcasing incredible technologies and the edition of this year was a special one: The 10th anniversary.

In an exclusive interview with GLOBALS, Emilio Corchado, the proud Founder and CEO of Startup Olé, shared with us the insights and the future of this wonderful event, which he calls a “celebration of innovation and collaboration”. Networking opportunities, showcases of startups across various verticals, and free content accessible to the public are some of the great features the event year to year has to offer.

A Celebration of Success and Unity:

“We are very happy,” Emilio began, his voice brimming with joy and pride as he spoke about the 10th anniversary. “We have blown the candles of the 10th anniversary, I believe, from our point of view, very successfully.” For Emilio, the success of the event was mirrored in the congregation of over 230 startups, 150 investors, and numerous corporations, all immersed in “doing pure and hard business.”

Salamanca, the host town, is not just any town; it’s a place steeped in history and education, home to one of the first universities in the world and the first one with a public library, standing today as a global beacon in education. Creating a relevant event in such a small, significant town, in the middle of “España esperanzada” as Emilio calls it, was a monumental task, but the rich educational heritage of Salamanca made it the perfect backdrop for an event celebrating innovation and learning.

CYL-HUB: Unifying and Elevating Castilla y León:

Besides Startup Olé, Emilio passionately spoke about the transformative work done through CYL-HUB in Castilla y León. “We have done a very beautiful job in Castilla y León these two years,” he shared, highlighting how it has been instrumental in bringing together and elevating the region’s ecosystem. Before CYL-HUB, regions like Madrid, Catalonia were the focal points of the entrepreneurial map of Spain, but Castilla y León was not in the map. Emilio emphasized, “Now CYL-HUB is talked about,” illustrating how it has enabled Castilla y León to gain powerful national projection and recognition.

Emilio Corchado — Emilio Cochado after our interview at StartupOlé 23

Dreams, Aspirations, and Emilio’s Drive:

Emilio’s words were a reflection of his relentless spirit and his dreams for Startup Olé. “We want to push ourselves to the limit,” he said, his voice imbued with passion and determination to elevate Startup Olé to unparalleled heights.

“We have two challenges, two dreams,” Emilio revealed with a twinkle in his eye, hinting at the future editions of Startup Olé. His dreams are not just about expansion; they are about creating inclusive and diverse platforms for pushing the Spanish ecosystem forward, making an editon by the beach and another in a Spanish-speaking city in the USA.

The next edition of Startup Olé is going to be held in April. “Be my guest! You are super invited already,” he concluded, leaving an open invitation to the world to join him in this journey of innovation and collaboration. Club GLOBALS is going to be there as every year!

Insights:

For more profound insights we spoke with very interesting individuals! Delve into the series of interviews we conducted, each offering a unique glimpse into the world of innovation and entrepreneurship: