UPC presents EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa, with support of Terrassa City Council

UPC presents EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa, with support of Terrassa City Council
+
Download

Students working at EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa

UPC presents EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa, with support of Terrassa City Council
+
Download

The EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa facility

UPC presents EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa, with support of Terrassa City Council
+
Download

Presentation of the EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa

UPC presents EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa, with support of Terrassa City Council
+
Download

Left to right: Amadeu Aguado, Enric Fossas and David González.

The UPC and the Terrassa City Council have signed an agreement to create a facility called EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa—an initiative that will help UPC students make their business ideas a reality, foster entrepreneurial talent, attract investment, and strengthen the business sector in the city of Terrassa.

Oct 23, 2017

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) students can now develop their entrepreneurial talent and work on implementing their business ideas in the city of Terrassa, in a 200-m² facility known as EMPRÈN UPC that includes three workrooms and is staffed by an entrepreneurship facilitator whose role is to guide students in the early days of their business projects. The EMPRÈN UPC facility is located in building TR10 (Carrer Colom, 2), on the UPC Campus, just opposite the Industrial School.

EMPRÈN UPC aims to promote entrepreneurship, especially initiatives based on technological innovation with a high social impact, and to support business projects developed by UPC students in Terrassa. The initiative fosters the formation of technology-based companies and encourages them to put down roots in Catalonia.

The EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa facility is one of a set of actions undertaken by the UPC to promote entrepreneurship. Other initiatives that have been launched include the EMPRÈN facility on the North Campus in Barcelona, a model the University plans to replicate on other campuses. The two facilities for nurturing entrepreneurship are aimed at students and recent graduates who have a business idea and need a place to develop it.

In the three years that Emprèn UPC has been up and running on the North Campus, students and recent graduates have set up 18 companies and generated 49 jobs. The facility has hosted 103 entrepreneurs, and 204 have received support and advice on business creation projects. In addition to co-working facilities, the UPC offers a range of resources and programmes to boost entrepreneurship and the culture of innovation among the students and encourage them to pursue technology-related business ideas.

The new facility on the Terrassa Campus is also part of the 'Innovation Ecosystem', a programme supported by the Terrassa City Council that includes initiatives such as Yuzz, Kautic and Tic.Lules Business.

An incubator with new business projects
EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa works as a business project incubator, with a five-month incubation period. Over this time, students receive 12 hours a month of mentoring for each project; 10 training sessions; and seminars on funding, success stories and communication. They also present their projects in a final session attended by potential investors.

At the new facility, 30 students have started working on nine business projects. Participants are mentored by the programme’s consultant, who guides them through the process of making their business ideas a reality. As stipulated in the agreement signed by the UPC and the Terrassa City Council, as well as mentoring participants throughout the pre-incubation period, the consultant provides them with comprehensive training on the basics of entrepreneurship, including the origin of ideas; value propositions; action and strategic plans; how to put together an operating account; how to design marketing, communication and sales plans; legal issues; how to attract partners; funding; and presenting projects to potential investors.

In short, UPC students receive comprehensive guidance to help them put their business ideas into practice.

The following nine projects are currently being incubated at the EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa facility:

The following nine projects are currently being incubated at the EMPRÈN UPC Terrassa facility:

  • VEVAMORE is the first company in Terrassa to make handmade jewellery from recycled wood. High-quality pieces for women feature engraved drawings with organic and geometric forms. The focus is on offering items with character, and pieces can be made to order.

  • VICTU is an app that connects dietitians and personal trainers with people who want to know more about their health status, diet and physical fitness. The app helps professionals engage with their clients in a more flexible way.

  • FABLAB Mallorca will be a facility for digital manufacturing and the dissemination of new technologies. The company will organise workshops, talks and training courses aimed at people from different fields and age groups who have an interest in rapid prototyping.

  • CYGNUS VOID is a company that develops and markets 3-D video games for action and adventure platforms. Its first creation, Project Infinite, involves elements of mystery, exploration and psychology. Players will have to use their wits to solve puzzles, escape from aliens, and learn about the history of a civilisation of extra-terrestrial beings, as well as confronting themselves and their own nightmares.

  • SENSOR CUBE will be the first Rubik’s Cube with sensors linked to a mobile application. The app will read cube moves in real time, offer tutorials, and allow cubers to see how long it takes them to solve a cube. Users will also be able to share the experience with friends, take part in competitions, and play mini-games. The project is a digital platform that revolves around the Rubik’s Cube, with leisure, educational, competitive, therapeutic and other applications.

  • INSUREAPP is the first app that facilitates on-the-spot reporting of traffic collisions. It can be used to send required data concerning vehicles involved in traffic accidents to insurance companies and speed up claim submission and processing. 

  • MOUDY is a mobile application that provides an advertising service for fashion shops and will help small clothing businesses grow.

  • FIESTA TODAY is an online marketing application for social events.

  • TICKET LESS is the first app that allows users to store receipts with a simple gesture, in an easy, intelligent way.