Special Advertising The ‘apps’ are decisive for promoting innovation

The paths to go through the digital transformation are multiple and varied. An open mind is crucial to understanding the moment of change that organizations have been experiencing for years. Startups, companies, investors, Public Administrations … An ecosystem that asks to meet and collaborate to bring to fruition the business opportunities brought about by digitization. As María Benjumea, founder of Startup Spain, organizer of the South Summit since 2014, remembers, the advantage is that everyone is more or less at the same point. “Innovation comes from different actors and the traditional company knows that it has to open up to open innovation. They are aware that they have to work hand in hand with startups, “he says.

This evolution would border on the impossible, at least that’s how Benjumea understands it, without the applications. “They are determining. We have everything on mobile. When we started in 2012, almost all the projects we received were from apps. The advantage is that they come from almost all sectors and entrepreneurs seek to be able to develop them properly, ”he says. To understand the interest that startups arouse, Benjumea goes through the figures that surround the South Summit. From some 2,100 international investors attending the event to 120,000 million dollars ready to land on the most attractive projects. “The ecosystem is boiling. To identify these opportunities, we are all necessary: the startup, which provides rapid growth, the investor’s gasoline and the platform of a corporation ”, ditch.

For an app , or any disruptive initiative, to enter the environment, it needs some visibility. This is where contests and stores , like Huawei’s AppGallery, play a determining role. “The higher it is, the greater growth lever it will provide. You have to use it to get in touch with whoever is really interested, be it an investment fund or a multinational company, ”he argues. The advantage, for example in Spain, is that this exhibition does not simply come from cities like Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia, Bilbao and Malaga have also joined the transformation. They house large industries and verticals that should be identified in order for an application to be successful.

Defining where the future of innovation will go is almost impossible. Benjumea, yes, warns that there is no going back, that this world trend will only go forward. “We will not know how fast. It would be absurd to forecast it. What we will see are many opportunities, which will require a very open mind. You have to listen and observe to rigorously identify opportunities ”, he concludes. The entrepreneurial ecosystem has become increasingly relevant. The applications, despite being the first to add to this reality, have not ceased to be valid. Any sector lives at the expense of one that transforms it more if possible. Together they have the ability to achieve it.