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Symba Attends South Summit and Takes Home “Best Startup”

Written by Aura Ordóñez Molina on October 14, 2021
5 min read

Last week, Team Symba traveled to Madrid, Spain to attend South Summit as a Top 100 startup. Under the motto “South Summit shape the future,” over 22,000 attendees, 1,600 investors, 8,000 startups, 680 speakers, and 7,000 corporate members traded the spotlight to introduce their innovations and network.

What is South Summit? 

South Summit emerged in 2012, at a time when Spain and the global economy experienced decline. The conference was created with the objective of bringing together forward-thinking entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and accelerate innovation and business opportunities. Through this platform of celebrating competition & collaboration, for nearly 10 years attendees at South Summit have gathered to propel a more sustainable future for business and the earth. This year’s theme was green, the topic of the climate crisis and strategies to reach zero net emissions as soon as possible taking center stage. 

Symba had the pleasure of pitching our mission and solution on South Summit’s international stage. It's with much gratitude that we share that Symba was crowned the Global Winner of South Summit 2021, as presented by the President of Spain Pedro Sánchez and South Summit founder and president María Benjumea! As our first conference outside the United States, we are proud to have shared the stage with organizations focused on shaping the ecosystem of disruptive technologies of the future. We are also thrilled to see growing enthusiasm for education innovation and talent development on a global scale. We had the opportunity to meet the King of Spain, his majesty Felipe VI, and answer his questions about the future of education and access to the workforce -- and how our software introduces a Symbiotic approach to talent development.

Symba was recognized among more than 8,000 companies that competed in 10 different global innovation categories including Mobility & Smart Cities, Health & Wellbeing, Connectivity & Data, Education (that’s Symba’s category!), and more. Four other startups earned finalist awards for the 'Most Sustainable', 'Best Team', 'Most Innovative' and 'Most Scalable'. Thanks to our Head of Partnerships and Business Development - Paula Mora Arias for introducing Symba and making us shine before hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors.

Keynote & Panel Session Take-aways

The summit’s three day agenda was packed with sessions featuring panelists and speakers who are transforming their industries with sustainable innovations and have a vision for the future. The panels covered everything from “Building the Cities of the Future,” to “Democratizing Access to Capital Markets Using Blockchain,” and “Tracing the Supply Chain: Ethics & Sustainability.” Our team found two sessions particularly insightful: “Catalyzing Innovation and Entrepreneurship” and “Supporting Sustainable Entrepreneurship.” They featured powerhouse speakers like Adriana Cisneros from Cisnero Group and Laura Gonzalez - Estefani from TheVentureCity who gave practical advice to fellow women shattering the glass ceiling and making an impact in the world of investing. Sessions like “Scaling up in LATAM: Learnings and Future Challenges”  with thought provoking leaders in the investing space were useful in learning the importance of being sensitive to culture and the needs of the new audience as you expand. Symba is invested in expanding our efforts globally and supporting more people with workforce development opportunities

We extend our sincere thanks to the founder and president María Benjumea and the South Summit coordinators for organizing the event. Thanks to the sponsors Wayra, Banco Sabadell, BBVA, Endesa and IE University. Congratulations to the impressive startups that shared the final stage with us; Wheel the World, Alerion, Weecover and IDOVEN.

It was encouraging to hear so much excitement around education reform and opening up the workforce. We look forward to helping more companies transform the way they deliver training experiences to talent in their countries. 

Curious to learn more about Symba’s solutions and resources for talent development? Book a demo to connect with our team.


Symba se Corona Mejor Startup en South Summit - Madrid, España

La semana pasada, el equipo de Symba viajamos a España para asistir a South Summit como una de las 100 mejores empresas emergentes a nivel global. Bajo el lema “South Summit da forma al futuro”, más de 22,000 asistentes, 1,600 inversores (con una cartera aproximada de 135,000 millones de dólares), 8,000 startups, 680 ponentes y 7,000 miembros corporativos intercambiaron el centro de atención para presentar sus innovaciones y su red.

¿Qué es South Summit?

South Summit surgió en 2012, en un momento en el que España y la economía mundial experimentaron un declive. La conferencia se creó con el objetivo de reunir a emprendedores con una visión del futuro para intercambiar ideas y acelerar la innovación y las oportunidades comerciales. A través de esta plataforma de celebración de la competencia y la colaboración, durante casi 10 años los asistentes a South Summit se han reunido para impulsar un futuro más sostenible para las empresas y para el planeta. El tema de este año fue la sostenibilidad y como seguir conservando y siendo más consciente; o mas “verde.” Es imposible no darle luz al tema de la crisis climática y las estrategias para alcanzar cero emisiones.

Symba fue nombrada entre más de 8,000 empresas que compitieron en 10 categorías de innovación global como: Biotecnología, Emprendimiento, Medio Ambiente, Energía, Educación (en donde calificó Symba) y más! Aprovechamos la oportunidad para agradecerle a nuestra Head de Partnerships y Business Development - Paula Mora Arias por realizar la presentación de Symba en el Summit y hacernos brillar en nuestro debut en la conferencia! La visita de su majestad Felipe VI a nuestro booth es un honor para Symba, valoramos su interés por la educación y el desarrollo internacional de talento de las nuevas generaciones. Nos honra haber tenido a oportunidad de haber sido coronados por el Presidente de España Pedro Sánchez y haber conocido a cientos de emprendedores e inversores que comparten la misma visión del futuro - de abrir la fuerza laboral para todos y crear cambio disruptivo con tecnología que dejará un hogar diferente para nuestro planeta y para los líderes de mañana!

Conclusiones de sesiones principales

La agenda de tres días incluyó solo sesiones innovadoras impulsadas por panelistas y oradores que brindaron discusiones interesantes sobre la creación de cambios positivos y disruptivos. Estas sesiones cubrieron temas como:  

  • "Catalizar la innovación y el espíritu empresarial" hasta "Apoyar el espíritu empresarial sostenible". 
  • Oradores como Adriana Cisneros de Cisnero Group y Laura Gonzalez - Estefani de TheVentureCity dando consejos prácticos y útiles a otras mujeres emprendedoras rompiendo el techo de cristal y teniendo un impacto en el mundo de la inversión.
  • Sesiones como “Escalando en LATAM: Aprendizajes y Desafíos del Futuro” con líderes en el espacio de inversión fueron útiles para aprender la importancia de ser sensible a la cultura y las necesidades de la nueva audiencia a medida que se expande. 

Extendemos nuestro agradecimiento a la señora Maria Benjumea, presidenta y fundadora de la conferencia South Summit. De igual manera extendemos nuestro agradecimiento a los coordinadores, y patrocinadores Wayra, Banco Sabadell, BBVA, Endesa e IE University por hacer el evento un éxito. Enhorabuena a los startups que compartieron la etapa final con nosotros como Wheel the World, Alerion, Weecover e IDOVEN. Ha sido un placer haber tenido la oportunidad de compartir nuestra misión como empresa y el cambio que queremos dejar para un mundo futuro. 

Fue enriquecedor escuchar tanto entusiasmo en torno a la reforma educativa, y estamos ansiosos por ayudar a más empresas a transformar la forma en que brindan experiencias de capacitación al talento de sus países. Un honor poder tocar a diferentes personas y poder traer este tipo de experiencias, soluciones, y recursos globalmente. 
¿Te interesa conocer más de nuestros recursos y valiosos programas de apoyo a los entornos laborales? Registrate a una demostración con nosotros!

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Aura Ordóñez Molina

Aura is a business development, grants, and partnerships professional dedicated to supporting social impact capabilities and initiatives. She is a political scientist and graduate from Florida International University and holds a Master of Arts in Global Affairs. Aura’s experience with partnership support and as a research-focused scholar have made her life’s passion rooted in education reform and the future of work. She is a Nicaraguan immigrant living in Seminole land in the heart of South Florida. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and reading.

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