Mondragon Unibertsitatea and TeamLabs have inaugurated this Thursday its new laboratory in Málaga Tech Park. During the event, several dialogue tables have been held with the participation of institutional representatives, companies and leinners, young people who are already graduated in the official university degree LEINN (Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation), available in Malaga from 2022. This degree has one of the highest employability rates, 97%, and the talent of its young people has been recognized by Forbes, among others.
During the meeting, among others, have intervened Alicia Izquierdo, councilor of the Area of Innovation, Urban Digitalization, Promotion of Technological and Business Investment and Investment Attraction of the City of Malaga; Lander Beloki, dean of the Business Faculty of Mondragon Unibertsitatea; Felipe Romera, general director of the Technological Park of Andalusia “Málaga Tech Park”; and César Camps, director of TeamLabs Malaga.
Alicia Izquierdo, Councilor for Innovation, Urban Digitalization, Promotion of Technological and Business Investment and Investment Attraction of the City of Malaga, said that “today is an important day for Malaga and its ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. Almost three years ago the commitment was sealed between the City Council and the University of Mondragon to have in our city one of the innovation laboratories of its Faculty of Business together with TeamLabs. After an initial successful start of the LEINN degree, today the presence of Mondragon and TeamLabs in Malaga is consolidated and we can feel proud that it does so by integrating into our Municipal Network of Incubators, and even more so that it is here, in Malaga Tech Park where it will develop its full potential, strengthening and enriching our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation”.
Lander Beloki, Dean of the Business Faculty of Mondragon Unibertsitatea, highlighted that “It is an honor for Mondragon Unibertsitatea and the Faculty of Business to inaugurate together with TeamLabs this innovation lab in Malaga Tech Park, a space where we train the entrepreneurial leaders of the future in an environment that fosters creativity and collaboration. With this opening, Malaga joins our network of 10 Mondragon Team Academy labs, with more than 1,100 leinners worldwide, consolidating the impact of the LEINN Degree in the city. This project, in collaboration with the City Council and Málaga Tech Park, will strengthen the local business and social fabric. We thank all the institutions and people who have made this lab possible, and we are confident that it will be the beginning of great achievements for all.”
César Camps, director of TeamLabs Malaga, said that “our learning laboratory is a hybrid space for creation and learning connected to companies and educational centers in Malaga, where young people are trained who, while studying the LEINN degree, create from the first day real companies and projects with an impact on countries in Europe, America and Asia. We hope to contribute, therefore, to the city of Malaga and the companies of Malaga Tech Park with a pool of young talent ready to face the new challenges of this society of uncertainty”.
Inauguration event
The day began with a warm welcome by César Camps, director of TeamLabs Málaga. This was followed by a round table discussion entitled “LEINNers entrepreneurship”, with the participation of Apurva San Juan, co-founder and CEO of Lup (successful technological solution for people with low vision and / or reading difficulties, winner of the “Impact Social Cup”); Paula Vera, co-founder and CEO of Escape the City (leisure and tourism alternative present in 16 cities in Spain, and recognized as the best young self-employed of Navarra 2022); Irene Ibañez, co-founder of Avantis (corporate cultural transformation consultant, included in the Guide of Women Leaders of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem 2024 of With and Enisa); and Pablo Oliver, co-founder of Dixus, a team company of 3rd year of the LEINN degree of Malaga. The session was moderated by Fernando Sanchez, co-founder of Nova and student of 2nd degree LEINN Malaga, and Berta Lazaro, co-founder of TeamLabs.
This was followed by the round table “LEINNers in corporations”, with the participation of Marta Dalmases, Open Innovation Lead at Iberia; Julia Montes, Project Director at Mindset; Max Papió, Key Account & Sales Specialist at Bûmerang; and Amaia Giralt, Digital Product Manager at LALIGA. Moderated by Isa Crespillo, co-founder of Dixus and 3rd year student of the LEINN degree in Malaga, and Aitor Lizartza, Academic Coordinator at Mondragon Team Academy (MTA), this session offered valuable insights on the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship in the corporate environment.
The event continued with a breakfast and networking session enlivened by a DJ, followed by a series of presentations on innovation in Malaga, with the participation of Lander Beloki, Dean of the Faculty of Business of Mondragon Unibertsitatea; Alicia Izquierdo, Councillor for Innovation, Urban Digitalization, Promotion of Technological and Business Investment and Investment Attraction of Malaga City Council; and Felipe Romera, Director General of the Technology Park of Andalusia “Malaga Tech Park”.
The day concluded with the intervention of Ibai Martinez, co-founder and General Manager of TeamLabs and the presentations of the companies of Malaga Tech Park, iUrban and HRider, located in the new TeamLabs building, and Torsa. This was followed by a visit to the showroom of entrepreneurial projects of the LEINN Degree in Malaga and a lunch with foodtrucks and live music, providing a dynamic platform for the exchange of ideas and networking among attendees.
The LEINN Degree in Malaga
The arrival of Mondragon Unibertsitatea and TeamLabs to Malaga was framed within the collaboration protocol signed with the City Council of Malaga two years ago, through Promálaga, to promote the city as an urban ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship reference at international level; as well as to boost employment generation hand in hand with the creation of new innovative business initiatives.
In September 2022, the first course of the LEINN Degree (Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation) began in Malaga and, in parallel, different activities were launched with which Mondragon Unibertsitatea and TeamLabs have managed to impact more than 3,100 young people from Malaga.
Mondragon Unibertsitatea and its learning laboratory TeamLabs are a benchmark in the area of entrepreneurship. One of its hallmarks in entrepreneurial education is the Official Degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation (LEINN). It has a methodology originating in Finland, in which students must create a real company as a team from the first day, combining it with trips to different countries. With a 97% employability rate, it trains young people to acquire a learning mentality that prepares them to face uncertainty successfully, naturally and without fear.
