South Summit Industry & Energy Bilbao highlights the opportunities of new energy, mobility and industry models

South Summit Industry & Energy  Bilbao, the meeting for the entrepreneurial ecosystem of these sectors organized by South Summit and  Biscay Startup Bay, held its second day today at the  B Accelerator Tower (BAT)  international entrepreneurship center in Bilbao,  where it brought together the main leaders, representatives of companies and startups and experts in the Industry 4.0 sectors.  Energy Transition and Mobility.

The aim  of the South Summit Industry & Energy Bilbao was to bring together, for two days, the main protagonists of these fields to discuss the trends, opportunities and challenges they face in an innovative format of open conversation, where the attending public has also been able to participate and contribute their ideas.

During this second and final day, the participation of Owen Reynolds, director of Teklas Ventures, a venture capital fund specialising in automation, robotics, automotive, Industry 4.0, energy and decarbonisation, stood out. "Industry and transport are shifting towards a sustainable and technological model in which we are opening new business frontiers. Now is the perfect time to get involved in change and join the economy of the future," he said.

Another of the highlights of the closing day was provided by Liz Fleming, Director of Ecosystem at South Summit, together with Silvia Pérez, Director of Innovation at Repsol; Óscar Fernández de Retana, Director of R+D at Arteche, and Carlos Garrido, Director of Innovation at Saitec Offshore Technologies. All of them participated in a round table on the role of companies as drivers of change, and agreed on the importance of large companies collaborating to achieve change.

In addition, those attending the closing day of the South Summit Industry & Energy Bilbao were able to meet some of the startups that are leading the changes and trends in these sectors, such as the Spanish Nanostine, Bit Metrics and Imageryst, the German VanOnGo, and the Israeli Elssway.

"Collaboration between all the actors involved is essential for the development of entrepreneurship; therefore, we have a long way to go in this successful union between South Summit and Bizkaia. This alliance has only just begun, and from here we want to promote entrepreneurship and innovation," said María Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit, during the closing ceremony of South Summit Industry & Energy Bilbao. In addition, Benjumea also valued the fact that in Bizkaia "all the actors are united, from the public administrations to the largest companies".

Benjumea was also joined by Joseba Mariezkurrena, director of entrepreneurship and business competitiveness at the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, who stressed that "Bilbao is industry, talent and innovation. 25% of GDP belongs to the industrial sector, and we are the eighth region in the world in terms of talent retention. The goal, from now on, is to internationalize and reach abroad. That's why we strengthen these partnerships with South Summit, as they put us on the map of the ecosystem."