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Meetings for Madrid Technology Companies
Program part of larger effort to bring Spanish companies to the Bay Area
October 19, 2009 (San Francisco, CA)
StepOne Ventures, with offices in both Madrid and Silicon Valley, will bring 13 Madrid-based technology companies to San Francisco and Silicon Valley as a part of a larger effort to expose Spanish companies to the Bay Area. The event starts October 19th and is hosted by PromoMadrid, the Madrid Confederation of Employers and Industries (CEIM) and the Enterprise Europe Network, in collaboration with StepOne Ventures.
“It is a meaningful time to host Madrid-based technology companies as they contemplate expansion into the United States,” said Jennifer Aquino, CEO of StepOne Ventures. “Our efforts intend to reverse the trend of decline of technology company exports to the United States while exposing the U.S. market to the strong talent, services and innovation coming out of Spain.”
Companies from a wide variety of technology sectors will meet U.S. experts and form international business partnerships with key U.S. companies. Events planned as a part of the MadriTech Bridge Trip include group visits to Google and PlugandPlayTechCenter, as well as a group panel, hosted at Orrick, on VC funding and conducting business in the United States. Each Spanish company will also have its own tailored schedule of strategic meetings with U.S. companies. The MadriTech Bridge Trip will conclude with a cocktail event at the John Colins Lounge in San Francisco on October 22nd. The events scheduled for the tour are meant to build relationships and networks, and create possible partnerships between the Madrid-based and U.S.-based companies.
“In most cases, the success of foreign companies launching in the United States is hampered due to a lack of thorough knowledge of the U.S. market,” said Koldo García, Co-founder and CEO of Mad Pixel, one of the companies participating in the trip. “We are looking forward to presenting our interactive online video technology in the U.S. and discussing other innovative tools and services we have developed at Mad Pixel. We have a lot of confidence in StepOne Ventures, which has provided us excellent counsel and leveraged relationships with some of the top companies in the United States.”
The goal of StepOne is to fill the gaps that hinder the implementation of Spanish technology projects in the United States. StepOne assists Spanish firms in managing the entire process of internationalization: from the preparation and alignment of strategy and business plans, to the preparation of management teams to face U.S. business culture, through to the identification and meeting with appropriate targets and matching of strategic and venture funding in the North American market.
About StepOne Ventures
StepOne is a company that helps Spanish technology firms succeed in the US market. Founded by Bernardo Hernández (Director of Consumer Marketing at Google and founder of Idealista and Tuenti), StepOne provides the talent, experience, and access to essential companies to open the doors to the US market for companies in the IT, Internet, Biotech, and Cleantech sectors.
About PromoMadrid
PromoMadrid is a regional, government-owned company founded in 2004 for the purpose of economically promoting and developing the Region of Madrid internationally. PromoMadrid acts under the authority of the Madrid Regional Ministry of Economic and Financial Affairs. PromoMadrid’s objectives are to support local companies with their globalization efforts, to attract and retain foreign investment, to carry out and support actions which enhance the international reputation and economic potential of the region, its companies and institutions, and to protect the Region’s cultural heritage.
About CEIM
CEIM and the Madrid Confederation of Employers and Industries (CEOE) was founded 30 years ago with the purpose of representing Madrid’s business owners in various government bodies.
About Enterprise Europe Network
The Enterprise Europe Network offers support and advice to businesses across Europe and helps them make the most of the opportunities in the European Union. The network itself is made up of close to 600 partner organizations in more than 40 countries, promoting competitiveness and innovation at the local level in Europe and beyond.