The Awards +50 Undertake are an entrepreneurship initiative for senior talent promoted by Generación SAVIA, the Endesa Foundation project in collaboration with the máshumano Foundation, and the production company 02:59 Films. In its last edition, they had the participation of 281 senior entrepreneurs, with an average age of 54 and a half years, who have presented a total of 107 initiatives. In addition, the practically equality between the participants stands out, 47% women and 53% men.
Among the projects we find sustainable, technological initiatives that emphasize local crops and local commerce, as well as businesses aimed at promoting emptied Spain trying to alleviate the rural depopulation. The Silver Economy has also become one of the sectors where the largest number of projects have been presented, as well as those related to mental health.
The person in charge of the Savia Generation project at the Endesa Foundation, Anthony Mera, has stressed that “the projects presented in these awards show the talent present among the seniors, capable of being used in favor of the whole of society”.
For his part, the director of the +50 Emprende Awards, Fernando Lallana, has affected the value of senior entrepreneurs: “They have a lot to contribute, their experience and their capacity for resilience and adaptability are a plus for the business fabric”.
The awards, which feature a financial endowment of 30,000 euros (of which, 18,000 euros in cash prizes and another 12,000 euros in advisory services) will be awarded next February, at an event to be held at Endesa’s headquarters in Madrid. At the gala, the finalists must present their projects to the jury chaired by Leopoldo Abadía and made up of professionals and experts in the field of entrepreneurship and business ideas.
The 10 finalist projects
The 10 selected finalist entrepreneurs are the following:
- Cesar Aguilar (51 years old, Madrid). His project is included in the Silver Economy sector and consists of a technological application called Agnes Care, aimed at caring for the elderly both at home, as well as those who go to life centers and residences. Its objective is to support family members, directors and assistants, accompanying them at each of the stages, reinforcing communication and improving the care model for the elderly and dependents.
- Ana Atienza (52 years old, Madrid). He has launched The Sky Garden project, after observing the need to improve our environment by covering rooftops and buildings with green. Its objective is to help clean up pollution in large cities, promote energy savings and collaborate in the cultivation of their own organic products. It is an idea that would seek to design and implement green roofs and urban gardens for companies with SDG objectives or individuals seeking to contribute to improving cities.
- Ana Cabezas (59 years old, Valladolid) 10 years ago he emigrated to Peru and during his work there he realized the need to implement the automation of ISO standards. From here, he created SOY Calidad, a technological development company to help companies digitize these quality regulations and improve organizational efficiency. Currently, it seeks to position itself among the best national and international alternatives.
- Paloma Cava (50 years old, Barcelona). After his own personal experience after the death of his mother, the Empath idea was born, to accompany and advise people who are at the end of their lives and their families, managing and solving problems and procedures that arise on an emotional, organizational level , administrative and tax.
- Julio Estalella Otero (55 years old, Seville). Former director of a multinational in the infrastructure sector. After a radical change in the sector, he formed his own project with the aim of offering a new hot sauce option called Salsas Quietud, made with Mediterranean products that add flavor and enhance our recipes thanks to vinegar and oloroso wine from Jerez.
- Manuel Lencero Valle (56 years old, Alicante). With a long history as an entrepreneur, his next project seeks to help emptied Spain and boost economic activity in the Marina Baja region in Alicante, through sustainable agricultural production of avocados. Bolulla Valley is a project that grows, manages and markets avocados and which seeks to become a benchmark initiative at the regional and national level.
- María Pérez Arenaza (52 years old, Madrid). His business idea consists of a travel agency specializing in immersion routes through rural Spain. The objective of Singular Spain is to make visible the local talent and products that value the territory with their experiences and trajectory. They also seek to bring closer the cultural and natural heritage that is far from conventional roads and, therefore, is unknown to travelers.
- Carlos Piñeyroa (52 years old, Madrid). Together with Gustavo Vaquero, a computer scientist by profession, but a gardener by vocation, Gus&Flowers emerged with the purpose of transforming the world of flowers through an atelier of innovation in floral art where they carry out their activity unifying flowers with technology and sustainability. turning previously sold flowers into ceramics, boosting the circular economy.
- Daniel Sáenz Löbsack (55 years old, Madrid). Former executive of the industrial sector in a multinational, but with the soul of an entrepreneur. His Thumb Ray project consists of the development of a portable electronic device based on bioimpedance analysis that detects and interprets data and commands through a thimble with sensors and sensor rings in contact with the skin. This development will help people with functional diversity in handling electronic devices and will evolve virtual keyboards. The project has a European patent.
- Miryan Wodnik Valdés (57 years old, Madrid). With the purpose of facilitating access to online psychology for anyone, Ubuntumind was born. In Spain, there are five million people with anxiety and depression, so thanks to this digital platform they could carry out therapy, benefiting from the flexibility that this format provides. Part of its benefits will be reinvested in people who cannot access it due to lack of resources.
