South Summit: In search of new unicorns & the best ally of startups

South Summit has been fostering the international ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation for 10 years. For yet another year, we continue our commitment to an ecosystem full of opportunities. For yet another year, we continue to support the most innovative startups by promoting their projects to investors and corporations from all over the world.

At South Summit we have been consolidating our position as the main point of connection between the key players in the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem in southern Europe for 10 years. La Nave, Madrid, will be the stage in charge of hosting all the attendees in our most special edition from the 8th to the 10th of June, where we will celebrate our 10th anniversary.

 

Networking as the main protagonist

In a sustainable environment and in line with a green economy, South Summit 2022 will become, once again, a space where every corner will be an opportunity for networking among attendees, from the closest and most natural way in common spaces to the most exclusive and personalized as in 1 on 1 meetings and business lounges. Each type of ticket will allow attendees to enjoy certain benefits.

From 500 attendees in 2012 to 20.000 expected in Madrid in 2022. 8,000 entrepreneurs attending the meeting and presentation of 3,800 projects per year in the Startup Competition. 1,600 investors present at the last meeting in Madrid, 25% of which are international. +4,000 media appearances in 2021, with a media impact of 671 million audience. 6,500 M$ of cumulative investment in Spanish startup finalists, which support around 25,000 jobs:

• Generating economic activity and employment with the organisation and holding of the meeting
• Improving the country’s image and reputation through its media impact
• Creating connections that develop the national and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem
• And promoting a culture of open innovation within companies.

 

The best ally of startups

South Summit was born with the aim of providing opportunities to all those entrepreneurs who enrich the ecosystem with disruptive and innovative projects.

Thanks to the global nature of the investors and corporations that attend, the possibilities of growth of their projects are multiplied through funding or the achievement of strategic allies.

In addition, the Startup Competition serves as an international showcase for those projects that participate in it after being selected, allowing them to boost their exposure to attract potential new customers.

The Startups will have the perfect opportunity to make the attendees fall in love with them through their Pitch. South Summit will provide them with a Masterclass to help them get the most out of their pitch and reach their target audience.

 

An irresistible ecosystem for investors

Our long experience with startups gives us the ability to select the most promising projects, which allows investors the opportunity to bet on them and make the most of their investment.

The attendance of high-level speakers and investors from all over the world means that the commercial connections and business flows that are born at South Summit can be infinite. In this way, through the numerous networking meetings, lasting and quality relationships are created.

Last year we broke attendance and participation records, bringing together more than 22,000 physical and virtual attendees, 8,000 startups, 680 speakers, 7,000 corporate members and 1,300 global investors with a portfolio of 135 billion dollars.

#South Summit 2022 has broken records with more than 3,000 applications for our startup competition. A committee, made up of renowned investors and innovation experts, has overseen selecting the 100 finalist startups of our Startup Competition that will be presented from 8 to 10 June at La Nave, Madrid.

The selection has been carried out through a rigorous process in which the classification has been marked by criteria such as: the level of innovation of the startup, scalability, internal growth potential, investment capacity and the characteristics and values of the human team that makes up the startup.

 

The perfect space to showcase projects

The competition brings together projects from all over the world. Most of the finalists are national, coming from Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. The other half will come to the capital from 29 different countries.

The finalist startups in the competition belong to the main leading industries. South Summit is, once again, the space of possibilities to make connections where entrepreneurs make their projects visible to thousands of eyes that mark the ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation.

The selected startups will have the opportunity to showcase their projects through live pitches. This is key to transmit their potential, excite and attract the attention of key players in the ecosystem such as investors, corporations, and industry leaders.

#UnicornHunters: Searching for the next unicorn

At South Summit we have been supporting innovative projects that revolutionize their respective sectors for 10 years. Since 2012 we have discovered 6 unicorns, including the mobility technology service, Cabify, the first Spanish startup to enter the “Unicorn Club” and which currently moves more than 70 million trips per year.

Another of our success stories, Glovo, the company that has revolutionized the world of delivery, was a finalist in our 2016 edition. The company is now present in more than 29 countries and 200 cities around the world.

Job And Talent was a finalist in our 2013 edition. The platform was launched in 2009 to match job offers with potential demand.  In less than three years it raised more than 67 million euros.

The entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem are in full revolution, and, at South Summit, we play a key role as a creator of connections between the main players in this ecosystem. In our 10th anniversary we have a goal, “Decoding Complexity”, to bring the ecosystem as a whole closer to the great technological changes, the dizzying speed of innovation and the great challenge of fighting climate change, always from an innovative vision where we find the answers in the most groundbreaking solutions.