Startups Mansion is the brainchild of Spaniards Pascual Aparicio,
Ignacio Hojas and Carlos de Ory, who say they grew tired of the problems
they faced trying to get their tech startups going in Spain, and so
moved to San Francisco. To fund their projects they decided to set up a
business incubator with other like-minded Spaniards. They put the idea
out on the social networks, and soon found 750 people in Spain prepared
to make the move. After selecting 31, they then decided on Brooklyn,
where they found a large house with a garage owned by a Chinese family.
The three-month stay in StartupsMansion costs around €2,000,
including flight, lodging, a work-station, and the contacts needed to
make a start. The program has three phases: an initial contact where
participants meet and get to know each other; the development stage,
which sees an idea either take shape or be abandoned; and the close,
when the results are evaluated. “Our philosophy is: make a lot of
mistakes, make them early, and do so as cheaply as possible. The idea is
to see if we can do something with the resources at our disposal. We’re
satisfied. We want the program to last,” says Aparicio.
So far;
Eduardo Jorgensen, aged 22, is a medical student trying to apply
technology through his startup MedicSen. He came to StartupsMansion to
find backers for a sticking plaster that helps diabetics manage their
blood sugar levels. He has since joined forces with Merche Sánchez to
set up Mistery Tour, a travel platform that provides last-minute cheap
airline tickets.
Xavier Barata is the 32-year-old founder of King of App, a cellphone
applications platform. He’s looking for investors, and has so far
managed to secure a stand at the upcoming MobileWorld Congress in
Barcelona.
as well as;
Abdón Rodríguez, 22, says he has made major improvements to his videogame War of Sides
after testing it out on his roommates. Manuel Zafra has used his time
to launch a subscription app, as well as to develop a cellphone
application that, once you provide it with your measurements, tells you
which clothing brand best suits you. His floor-mates Miriam Alcaide and
Elena Yepes, aged 31 and 32 respectively, are working on Tweettohelp,
which links business, NGOs, and social network users to work on
corporate social responsibility. “For each tweet, a company plants a
tree. The idea has been well received by NGOs over here,” says Miriam.
The socialist Spanish Earth wasn't so fertile, after all.
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