Dossier - Face entrepreneurship

Index
01. Face Entrepreneurship
FACE Entrepreneurship is an innovative
communications campaign financed
by the European Commission looking
to promote ICT entrepreneurship
by addressing a key element:
the ability to confront fear of failure
02. Why FACE Entrepreneurship?
03. Project Objectives
04. FACEr
05. What does the project offer? / Web platform
06. What does the project offer? / Events
07. European Context
08. Collaborators & Contact
FACE Entrepreneurship
“At a time when so many people
are looking for work, remember
you don’t just have to apply for
other people’s jobs, sometimes
you can create your own. So, be
creative and fearless, focus on
success but don’t be scared of
failure.
Be prepared, passionate, and
persistent. (...) Let’s ensure
our entrepreneurs know they
can start in Europe and stay in
Europe”
Neelie Kroes
These words said by Neelie Kroes, former European
Commission vice president and commissioner of the
Digital Agenda for Europe allow us to introduce the
FACE Entrepreneurship project.
The European Union seeks to promote the
creation of sustainable jobs to increase growth
in the 28 economies that make up the European
mosaic. Financed by the European Commission
under Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation
Programme, Grupo Secuoya will implement
FACE Entrepreneurship. This initiative aims to
encourage ICT entrepreneurship amongst young
Europeans. Grupo Secuoya will develop
this multilingual project with the support of Telefónica
Open Future and Microsoft Bizspark.
This initiative will address a key element linked
to entrepreneurship: the ability to confront
a possible failure. By means of different actions,
FACE Entrepreneurship will seek to promote
a risk-taking culture among young Europeans.
The project will go beyond the simple promotion of
business or technology. FACE Entrepreneurship
will share real life cases from diverse European
ICT entrepreneurs. That is where the strength
of the project comes from, the experiences which
these entrepreneurs will share: their mistakes,
successes and uncertainties. These entrepreneurs
will have international reputations as well as local
profiles to guarantee that the distinct realities which
make up the European Union are represented.
FACE Entrepreneurship will collect all these
testimonials on an interactive digital platform which
seeks to become the community of reference
for young European ICT entrepreneurs. On this
website, they will embark on a learning journey
which simulates the path of the entrepreneur
through different online and offline actions.
Moreover, it will serve as a catalyst for young
Europeans to decide to invest in ICT as a means of
economic and professional development.
Why FACE Entrepreneurship?
Currently, it is still difficult for people to associate the
word entrepreneurship with the old continent. Over
the past years, multiple studies have been published
underlining the potential of entrepreneurship as a
means of economic development and the creation
of jobs. It is a reality: entrepreneurs are essential
players in the European economic ecosystem
and we must encourage their creativity and
provide them with the necessary tools to start
new businesses.
In order to enhance entrepreneurship in Europe
the European Commission launched the
ENTREPRENEURSHIP 2020 ACTION PLAN within
the Horizon 2020 programme. That document
reflects a key fact to bear in mind: “The information
and communications technology (ICT) is one of
the main sources of growth of economies and
therefore small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
in Europe which grow two or three times faster
opt for ICT”.
However, according to the annual 2014 report
carried out by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor,
Europe holds the lowest rate of media coverage
of entrepreneurship issues with an average of
53.3%.
FACE Entrepreneurship aims to change these
figures by motivating young Europeans to
become ICT entrepreneurs and face fear of failure.
The same annual report also emphasises that
“the highest rate of fear of failure corresponds
to the European countries highlighted in the
study”. The average is 40.7%.
In order to ensure the efficiency of the
initiative, a Delphi study was carried out by
a group of experts (entrepreneurs, mentors,
investors, professors) to identify the fears that
aspiring entrepreneurs often experience. This
study highlights the various fears of potential
entrepreneurs and the methods with which to
prevent and reduce such fears as well as
techniques which help stimulate entrepreneurship.
The information and communications
technology (ICT) is one of the main sources of
growth of economies and therefore small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) in Europe which
grow two or three times faster opt for ICT
Project Objectives
With this context in mind, FACE Entrepreneurship will promote ICT entrepreneurship among young
Europeans by implementing several online and offline actions. This is to achieve the following
objectives:
· Encourage young Europeans to start up their
own businesses by redefining the fear of failure
through the successes and failures that marked
the road to entrepreneurship of other entrepreneurs
through a wide range of advice and tips.
The goal is to redefine failure and see it from a
different perspective: a lot can be learned from
failure and future and current entrepreneurs can
draw strength from it. From this comes the slogan
“It’s worth it.”
· Identify the fears shared by young Europeans.
· Organize 7 events in 7 European cities (Madrid,
London, Dublin, Prague, Munich, Helsinki and
Copenhagen). These events will count on the
participation of ICT entrepreneurs who will share
their experiences related to lack of progress,
risk and failure.
· llustrate decisions and situations that any
and every entrepreneur faces in the process
of entrepreneurship.
· Encourage aspiring ICT entrepreneurs with
an interactive online digital platform that
includes a gamification system and redefinition
of the fear of failure. Just as reflected in the
Delphi study, failure is a possibility in the world of
entrepreneurship. However, it does not have to be
taken negatively.
· Design a final Roadmap incorporating the
common fears and current solutions to reduce
fears and obstacles by ensuring the continuity
of the project.
Redefining the fear of failure
through the successes
and failures that marked the road to
entrepreneurship of other entrepreneurs
FACEr
FACErs are young Europeans between 22 and 35
years old who consider themselves ICT lovers.
They are a new generation who have internalized
ICT in such a way that it is a core element of their
daily lifes. Being a FACEr is more than just
wanting to work in the ICT field, it is a way of life.
All FACErs think of ICT as a key element of their
professional and personal lives.
To be a FACEr is more than
just wanting to work in the ICT
field, it is a way of life
There are two essential things to keep in mind
when speaking about FACErs: social networks
and the internet. These young people have taken
up the following motto: that which is not shared
does not exist. Moreover, they are growingly
conscious of the relationship which must exist
between nature and technology and of the
importance of interpersonal relationships and
emotional intelligence.
FACErs have the possibility to become
entrepreneurs at national levels but also at the
European level. The European mosaic is their
community and their playground. That is where
they will be able to meet, start up business, create
synergies and initiate their innovative ideas. All
this thanks to ICT! They represent a new model
of entrepreneurship in which ICT is not simply
services and products but also the key to
develop new technology and products destined
to revolutionise the European Market (DSM).
What does the project offer? / Web platform
The FACErs are young people
passionate about ICT
and knowledgeable of social networks
The project will evolve around two fundamental pillars: an audiovisual and interactive web platform and
a series of events face to face between experienced and potential entrepreneurs.
The web platform will be the meeting place for
aspiring European ICT entrepreneurs who wish
to participate. The FACErs who join the community
will be able to embark on a learning journey which
will take them through the different phases of the
road to entrepreneurship.
It is crucial that the participants register on the
web to be able to progress and participate in
all of the phases. The FACErs are young people
passionate about ICT and knowledgeable of social
networks. For that reason, the campaign will be
based heavily on social networks to reach the
greatest number of users possible and ensure that
the published content is dynamic and interactive.
The protagonist of this space will be the road to
entrepreneurship. A virtual game board that will
represent the different steps that any and every
entrepreneur will take. Each square on the board
will host content related to the offline events and
online activities.
Most of the content will be audiovisual to ensure it’s
entertaining and attractive to all users. On top of
this, there will be a web series, capturing different
situations faced by a fun group of young European
ICT entrepreneurs who captures the ups and downs
of this learning journey in a comical and casual way.
Each episode will be discussed by both experts and
entrepreneurs.
This virtual path presents an interactive space
in which the user is the main character. He or she
will find various activities through which to share
his/her views and opinions. What’s even better,
their participation will be compensated through a
gamification system since each contribution will be
valued (both positively and negatively) by the rest of
the community.
Another key element of the platform is the blog.
We will share with our users interviews carried
out with ICT entrepreneurs in different fields
and other persons of interest related to ICT
entrepreneurship such as accelerators and
incubators. Advice, rankings, conclusions and
contributions by FACErs, as well as everything that
is important to future entrepreneurs can be found on
our blog.
In addition, the platform will include sections such as
a calendar of all events related to the project, news
and a knowledge box where we will share the latest
news and useful resources for entrepreneurs.
All of our content will be available in four
languages (English, Spanish, French and
German) to be able to reach the largest audience
possible within and out of the European Union.
Madrid, London, Dublin, Prague,
Munich, Helsinki and Copenhagen
What does the project offer? / Events
Events will take place each time our FACErs reach
a square related to the lack of progress, a risk, or
a failure. To fight against this fear, we will organize
seven events so that aspiring entrepreneurs
can hear about the experiences of other
entrepreneurs and see that we all go through
successful times, moments of failure, and fear.
The speakers will be young, well-known local and/
or international entrepreneurs that have founded a
successful company. This way our FACErs will be
able to identify themselves with the speakers and
understand that failure isn’t the last square on the
game board.
Each event will cover an area which causes
uncertainty to those who decide to enter the world of
entrepreneurship:
· FACE Entrepreneurship Madrid
“Starting up: how to overcome fear of failure?
Lessons from successful European ICT
Entrepreneurs”
· FACE Entrepreneurship London
“Money, Money, Money”
· FACE Entrepreneurship Dublin
“What about my future?”
As this project is aimed at young people throughout
the European Union, the offline events will take
place in seven different European cities. The official
launch of FACE Entrepreneurship will be held within
the South Summit event in Madrid (7-9 October).
The following events will then be held in London,
Dublin, Prague, Munich, Helsinki and finally
Copenhagen in mid-2016.
· FACE Entrepreneurship Prague
“Hem! I’ve gotta tell you something”
In the case that our FACErs are unable to attend,
the events will be streamed live so everyone will be
able to follow the lectures and get the most out of
the event.
· FACE Entrepreneurship Copenhagen
“Science= trial and error,
Entrepreneurship= trial and error”
· FACE Entrepreneurship Munich
“Because I am worth it… or not?”
· FACE Entrepreneurship Helsinki
“Spare time… what does that mean?”
European Context
In this section, we will describe some of the initiatives that will guide us throughout the project
because of their connection with FACE Entrepreneurship. In order to guarantee the effectiveness
of this initiative, we will keep these elements in mind.
Horizon 2020
Digital Agenda
The FACE Project was born out of the Horizon
2020 Research and Innovation Programme
which aims to foster the creation of employment
opportunities and generate a single market of
knowledge supporting innovation and research.
The program also intends to facilitate the
cooperation between public and private sectors
of innovation. In addition, measures which strive for
true common knowledge, innovation and research
will be supported.
The Digital Agenda for Europe established
by the European Commission endeavours to
increase the use and exploitation of ICT to
promote innovation, economic growth and
progress.
In that context, the European Commission launched
ENTREPRENEURSHIP 2020 ACTION PLAN to
encourage entrepreneurship in Europe. Thus arose
FACE Entrepreneurship (Failure Aversion Change in
Europe), a project whose objectives are to promote
entrepreneurship amongst young Europeans in the
ICT field and redefine fear of failure by promoting a
risk taking culture.
In order to ensure the scope and depth of this
project we will build on initiatives such as Startup
Europe and campaigns like “This is my future” or
“Startup Road Show” which also seek to promote
young European entrepreneurship. Likewise, the
“Digital Entrepreneurship Monitor” will help us to
identify entrepreneur icons from European digital
sectors and involve them in the project. Horizon
2020 is the most important research and innovation
program in Europe. With a budget of almost
80 billion euros, this program aims to bring
discoveries and technological advances from
lab to market.
To this end the European Commission has
developed a set of guidelines and programs which
member states can adapt and develop within their
government policies.
Backed by the European Union, Horizon 2020
serves as a tool for implementing the Innovation
Union, a Europe 2020 initiative to strengthen
Europe’s growth and competitiveness through
the creation of sustainable jobs. By associating
innovation and research, the European Union
wants to promote growth based on the pillars
ofscientific excellence, industry leadership
and the fight against social challenges.
Digital Single Market
The Digital Single Market (DSM) is one of ten
defined priorities of the European Commission. This
European strategy is designed to facilitate digital
opportunities for individuals and businesses
in order to promote Europe’s position as a
leading digital economy. The actions associated
with the DSM are based on the pillars of: access,
environment, economy and society. If the
implanted actions are achieved by the deadline of
2016, the DSM could generate opportunities for
startups and existing companies in terms of job
creation and transforming public services.
Collaborators
Contact / Press Contact
Grupo Secuoya will carry out the FACE Entrepreneurship (Failure Aversion Change in Europe) project.
With funding from the European Commission and the support of Telefónica Open Future and Microsoft
Bizspark.
Telefónica Open Future
Grupo Secuoya
Telefónica Open Future is the startup accelerator
from Telefónica. The program was thought up to
connect entrepreneurs, startup investors and
organizations from around the world with the
goal of developing new talent.
Grupo Secuoya is the leading independent
Spanish audiovisual content and service
provider. It is characterised by its constant search
for innovative solutions to create, produce or
manage any and all types of audiovisual products
and services.
This program combines the efforts related to open
innovation, entrepreneurship, and transformation of
Telefónica into the reach of all strategic partners to
develop joint venture projects through an accelerator
in the cloud.
Microsoft BizSpark
Microsoft BizSpark is a Microsoft program to
support the development of software through
young talent.
Accordingly, it offers companies different software
development tools, platforms, licenses and
professional support from Microsoft and its partners.
It also helps to visualize the projects to potential
investors, clients and partners.
The FACE Entrepreneurship project is
being developed by two of Grupo Secuoya’s
companies: Efecto Global and Nóvigo. Both
companies are leading the FACE Entrepreneurship
(Failure Aversion Change in Europe) project.
Efecto Global, specializing in communication and
marketing, is noted for its ability to develop any
project, both nationally and internationally. It has
extensive experience in institutional communication
as well as in various awareness campaigns.
Nóvigo, specializing in technological development,
provides innovative and interactive solutions for
the digital world. It has taken on multinational and
interactive projects, offering expertise service in
application development, second screen, webtv,
smartTV, corporate websites, games, NFC
and Business Intelligence.
Elisa Piñeiro Kruik
International Communications Manager for FACE Entrepreneurship Project
+34 630 256 905
[email protected]
www.face-entrepreneurship.eu
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