Google for Startups Campus Madrid Opens Again

After being shut since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Google for Startups Campus in Madrid finally reopens with a new look. New designs were adopted in order to continue the support for the country’s entrepreneurs. 

The COVID-19 proved to be a threat not only to public health but to the economies, as well. As economies are trying to regain their footing, startups have become an asset in many countries’ attempts for economic recovery. The challenge had been real. As such, even when the Google for Startups Campus in Madrid had been forced by the pandemic to close its doors temporarily, the team did not cease to find ways to connect with founders. Hence, Google for Startups Academies was launched. It is a virtual program intended to help startup founders, focusing on sectors most affected by the pandemic and those serving to boost economic recovery.  

Two years later, however, Google for Startups Campus Madrid is ready to open again in order to foster entrepreneurial talent with a focus on inclusion and diversity. To sustain the objective, however, it had to be redesigned to meet current challenges. 

Campus Madrid’s New Look

One key difference as Campus Madrid reopens is the space’s exclusivity now for alumni and partners. The spaces which used to be open to the general public before the pandemic are now limited to the alumni startups who have already completed one of the in-depth training programs. This decision was driven by the fast growth of the entrepreneurial community in Madrid with about 100 startups. This will allow alumni to maximize available opportunities to push their skills and businesses to the next level. 

Entrepreneurs are going to have more opportunities to grow through mentoring and training from experts. Some of the product experts will be moving their offices to Camus Madrid to provide more personalized mentoring. Training events will also be available, along with customized mentoring on Google products such as Google Cloud or Google Ads. These Startup School Sessions shall not be limited to the residing startups but will also be open to a broader audience.   

First in-person program to promote women as leaders

Google for Startup Campus Madrid’s first in-person program will be Women Founders Academy which intends to promote women’s leadership. This is a three-month leadership and development program for women founders which aims to help women nourish leadership skills in their growing businesses and strengthen their valuable connections in this network.  

In this program, women founders will be able to access workshops and one-on-one coaching with industry experts and Google advisors to help them overcome the challenges in leading their businesses to the next level. This program will commence on March 21, with 11 women founders already selected. 

Support for Social Innovation

Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, will grant support to Ashoka for a more inclusive, diverse, and accessible social entrepreneurship in Spain. This project aims to tackle territorial, socio-economic, gender, and generational gaps in social entrepreneurship by creating three social innovation labs. Google.org also provides support to an international nonprofit, INCO, to offer capital and mentoring for social entrepreneurs from Spains’ disadvantaged communities. 

These are enabled by the support from Google.org and Social Innovation fund, which helped secure €2.5 million to support organizations that champion social innovation in Spain.