La Nave Madrid: a benchmark in innovation and technology
The Leaders visit one of Madrid's most dynamic innovation centers, created by the City Council to support entrepreneurship, social impact, and smart city solutions | VIII edition activity summary
Madrid City Council promotes entrepreneurship and technological development through a series of innovation centers. The most renowned of these is La Nave, considered the capital's major innovation and entrepreneurship hub.
Located in the Villaverde district, on the site of what was once an elevator factory, La Nave was created as part of a program to revitalize this part of the city. Currently, this 13,000-square-meter space hosts events, acceleration programs, and training.
At La Nave, startups, institutions, and citizens collaborate to transform the city through open innovation. The Leaders visited the center to learn about its features and how it operates.
The group was welcomed by La Nave Director Azucena Elbaile, accompanied by Sonia Demet, Head of Ecosystems. Together they toured the center's facilities and learned about some of the activities it offers, such as the summer camp, which welcomes around twenty children every week, teaching them the process required to launch a startup. "They follow the same process as a startup. We believe it's necessary to work and raise awareness among children, schools, and universities. Because if we don't, we'll lack entrepreneurs in the future."
La Nave's social work focuses not only on children but also on the elderly. "We have a program for grandmothers, so they can learn how to send a WhatsApp message or make a doctor's appointment. Since we're funded by citizens' taxes, we need to connect all the citizens of Madrid with technology."
The work with universities consists of "connecting people from universities with our startups so they have their first work experience with a startup instead of going to Deloitte, IBM, etc. Simply so they understand that there is another way of working."
The Leaders also visited the startup areas: both the La Nave tower and the parking lot, where the iconic shipping containers serve as headquarters for startups spanning a wide range of sectors. “We have hardware startups, which is really unusual in Madrid, because more than 80% of startups are SaaS (Software as a Service). Hardware startups represent approximately 80% of the ecosystem here, as they are more scalable and have an easier time raising funds.”
The Leaders were able to speak with the managers of some of these startups, learn about their goals, and how they obtain funding to carry out their projects. Some of the conversations led to a commitment to future contacts to develop joint projects and provide support in their respective countries.
In particular, the Leaders were interested in startups dedicated to drone manufacturing. For example, Ruchi Saxena became interested in a company developing a drone capable of carrying up to 500 kilograms of cargo. Initially designed for firefighting, this vehicle could be adapted to transport medicines and even patients, something that would be extremely useful for the founder of Caerobotics.
With a focus on sustainability, digitalization, and openness to global talent, La Nave Madrid has become the capital's major driver of urban innovation. Its ability to attract international startups and connect key technology players positions La Nave as an example of urban transformation and innovation.
