Open innovation challenge programmes to highlight top entrepreneurs
Together with Banco Santander, our Foundation has been running a series of short, lean, high-impact open innovation programmes to source innovation for Banco Santander's own departments as well as for major banking clients, since 2021. A further aim was to support and highlight top entrepreneurs working in specific challenge areas and publicise their activity in entrepreneurship support in major challenge areas.
Our Foundation worked collaboratively with our client to launch the first international programme within 14 days and then took over the operational running of the programme. Since the first Challenge, we supported external marketing and running the competition through:
Through the years there have been various different Challenges topics, including, Artificial Intelligence (partnered with Microsoft), Sustainable Mobibility (partnered with F1), Education, Employability and Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity and Blockchain.
Our client reached over 5,000 entrepreneurs, who are now aware of their entrepreneurship support programmes. Nine challenge programmes produced 180 finalists and 36 winners. These winners have joined the bank’s flagship entrepreneurship programme and have been directly connected with the bank’s open innovation team to connect them to relevant departments within the bank.
