[dropcap letter="L"]
a business mentoring is a process of professional development and learning in which, thanks to the convergence between the mentor, the mentee, and the company, an exchange of knowledge, skills, and experiences takes place. That is why it is a particularly enriching process since a synergy is produced between all parties.
This practice is already common in many companies where experienced professionals transmit their "know-how" to young apprentices to develop the company's competitiveness. Currently, however, this activity takes the form of a business model with programs oriented, above all, to new companies entering the market with good ideas but lacking experience. It should be said that in Catalonia, some of the programs carried out are formed from a network of volunteers eager to transmit their knowledge and develop new communication and leadership skills, as well as personal satisfaction and enrichment. At the very least, it is a type of activity that creates a virtuous circle in the region, fostering innovation and the democratization of business knowledge. In fact, according to National Mentoring Day, an English organization founded by Chelsey Baker, 70% of small businesses that participate in such an initiative live twice as long as those that do not, and up to 67% of companies have reported an increase in their productivity.
[subscribe_newsletter_esp]
The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Barcelona gives rise to the growth of this type of activity, further promoting innovation and the development of ideas. This is how ACCIÓ, the agency for business competitiveness of the Generalitat de Catalunya, becomes part of this whole mechanism through programs such as Barcelona and Catalonia Startup Hub, one of the most important startup portals in Catalonia, aimed at giving visibility to the more than 1,000 Catalan startups. This program provides new entrepreneurs with support throughout the process in various areas such as financing, visibility, and networking.
On the other hand, in Barcelona, there are also programs such as Accelera el Creixement, from the PIMEC foundation, Barcelona Mentoring or the Barcelona Activa initiative, BizBarcelona, a platform that allows the creation of networking with more than 13,000 entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs and freelancers to create business opportunities as well as advise those who want to create or grow an idea and transform the way of doing business. In 2019, its fairs and congresses stood out, organized with round tables and conferences where they discussed growth topics or trends such as e-commerce, blockchain technology or the use of artificial intelligence. This 2020, with the economic downturn, a consequence of Covid-19, Barcelona Activa reinvents itself and proposes solutions for those who run the risk of closing their business, as well as an "action plan to face the de-escalation". On the other hand, Autoocupació, which was already in contact with business mentoring through the Baix Llobregat Business Center in collaboration with the Barcelona Provincial Council, in 2020 created SOS Mentoring, which consists of volunteering to help entrepreneurs face the situation derived from Covid-19. Similar programs have also been carried out in other autonomous communities such as HelpForStartups, from StartupValencia, which altruistically connects mentors with companies affected by this situation. Also in the Valencian Community, there is AjeValencia, a program that represents more than 250 young entrepreneurs and is dedicated to contributing to the socioeconomic development of their companies. It currently focuses on advice to minimize the negative effects of Covid-19.
Additionally, other programs focused on young people are carried out through universities. Hubbik Entrepreneurship at UOC focuses its objective on open innovation and is based on the collaboration of the entire UOC community, that is, students, alumni, teaching staff, etc. ESADE and IESE also create a student-alumni mentoring space where young people can develop their ideas seeking support in their own study center. On the other hand, specific initiatives for young women have also emerged, such as Telecom's "Yo, Jefa" (I, Boss) or the UPC's M2M initiative, a program coordinated by the Club de Dones Politècniques (Polytechnic Women's Club) that focuses on fostering the personal and professional development of students or recently graduated women from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. All these initiatives are a further stimulus for young entrepreneurship and are becoming, every day more, essential pieces of this virtuous circle of the Catalan ecosystem.