Bankinter Innovation Foundation

Initiatives with a tangible impact on society

The Bankinter Innovation Foundation continued working in 2024 to transform society through innovation and development, via initiatives that generate a tangible impact in multiple sectors.

The new InspiraTech programme marked an important milestone in last year's activity. Developed in collaboration with the CSIC General Foundation, its main objective is to help researchers transform their knowledge into real solutions applicable to the market.

The Cre100do Foundation, which continues to receive the support of the Bankinter Innovation Foundation as its ex officio trustee, celebrated its tenth anniversary, consolidating its mission to drive the growth of the Spanish middle market.

The Bankinter Innovation Foundation's think tank invited international experts to the Future Trends Forum, who participated in two of the main events. In addition, key reports were published, such as the third Megatrends Report, the quantum computing guide for enterprises and the report of the smart agriculture forum held at the end of 2023.

The Akademia programme continued to bring innovation and technology to Spain's most talented university students. The programme rolled out for the second half of 2024 hit a historic record registration figure. One of the new features of the programme was the real challenges posed to students by the companies participating in the Cre100do programme. The face-to-face activity was increased with practical sessions organised at universities, bringing the academic world even closer to the professional world.

The Foundation's commitment to the entrepreneurial ecosystem remained firm through the Startups and Scaleup Spain Network programmes. The Startups Observatory reached a turning point in the investment market, showing a slight recovery after the downward trends of recent years. 12 new startups joined the network of the Scaleup Spain Network in its fifth year, reaching 62 companies that have received funding worth 1 billion euros to date.

Board of trustees

The Board of trustees of the Bankinter Innovation Foundation gathers a Group of leaders, experts and international benchmarks in the field of innovation, from the business, academic and scientific fields. Their knowledge and experience provide a fundamental strategic vision that guides the Foundation's activity and its impact on society.

In 2024, the former Chairman, José María Fernández Sousa, and the Patron, Stephen Trachtenberg, key figures in the development and consolidation of the Foundation for years, decided to discontinue their collaboration with the Foundation to focus on other projects. Juan Antonio Zufiria became the new Patron and Chairman of the Foundation, bringing a solid track record in innovation and technology.

Composition

The Board of Trustees is made up of the following highly prestigious professionals from various disciplines and countries, whose experience and leadership enrich the work of the Foundation:

• Juan Antonio Zufiria (Spain) – Chairman
• María Dolores Dancausa (Spain)
• Pedro Guerrero (Spain)
• John de Zulueta (Spain)
• Rafael Mateu de Ros (Spain)
• Ángel Cabrera (United States)
• Antonio Damasio (Portugal)
• Dongmin Chen (China)
• Charles Bolden (Estados Unidos)
• Emilio Méndez (Spain)
• Carlos Mira (Spain)
• Gloria Ortiz (Spain)
• Philip Lader (United States)
• Richard Kivel (United States)
• Eden Shochat (Israel)
• Jens SchulteBockum (Germany)
• Soumitra Dutta (India)
• Tan Chi Nam (Singapore)
• Wilfried Vanhonacker (China)
• Sheila Stamps (United States)
• Grace Xin Ge (China)
• Scott Simon (United States)

The diversity of the Board of Trustees, both in terms of its profiles and international origins, guarantees a global and strategic vision that drives the development of the Foundation's programmes. The Board of Trustees, as the central body, continues to be an essential pillar guiding the activity and impact of the Bankinter Innovation Foundation on society

“Future Trends Forum”

With more than 800 internationally renowned experts and a proven track record with over 43 successful editions, the Foundation's think tank remains a unique platform for anticipating global challenges and offering a strategic vision to participants.

Forums held

• Water: our vital resource in jeopardy (June). Thirty-six international experts analysed how climate change, population growth and resource scarcity require innovative and resilient solutions. Some of the most important proposals include desalination technologies, water recycling, digitalisation of water management systems and the exploration of alternatives, such as atmospheric water capture methods.
• Embodied AI: Embodied Artificial Intelligence (December). Twenty-four experts participated, exploring the latest advances in physical AI, its applications in key sectors and the ethical and social implications of this emerging technology. The forum's analysis highlighted the opportunities of AI for the transformation of industries, such as healthcare, logistics or manufacturing, and its challenges in terms of security, regulations and ethical responsibility.

Reference reports

• Megatrends (March). The third Megatrends report identifies and analyses the innovations with the greatest potential for impact in the near future.
• Smart agriculture: The challenge of sustainable food and farming (April). This report was drafted with the conclusions of the 2023 forum, focusing on how technology is transforming agriculture and food, offering solutions to ensure a more sustainable and efficient food system.
• Quantum computing roadmap for companies (September). Developed in collaboration with two of the experts from the "Future Trends Forum", it offers a practical guide for companies, helping them understand and adopt quantum technologies
• Water: Our vital resource in jeopardy (October). From the June 2024 forum onwards, it will delve deeper into the innovative solutions needed to guarantee water sustainability in a context that is increasingly affected by the impact of climate change.

In addition to the forums and reports, the "Future Trends Forum" expanded its scope in 2024 by holding 15 webinars, reaching over 10,000 viewers, on the latest topics, such as neurotechnology, AI, smart agriculture and water management. High public interest and satisfaction are reflected in an NPS of 74.5.

Akademia

In the first call for applications for the 2024- 2025 academic year, Akademia reached a historic participation record, with 159 students. The call for applications for the previous academic year, for its part, closed with an NPS of 84 and a recommendation rate of 100%, thus consolidating the excellent reputation among participants.

One of the main new features of last year's programme was the replacement of the traditional practical case with a real challenge posed by a company, as part of the Cre100do programme. Students worked in teams, using what they have learnt to solve specific problems in a business environment, using innovative tools, such as the development of AI algorithms. This methodology allowed participants to face real-world situations, acquiring skills that can be used in the professional world.

In its effort to bring the programme even closer to academic and professional environments, Akademia increased face-to-face activities during the first four months of the course. Sessions were held at different universities, such as Santiago de Compostela, Loyola, Instituto de Estudios Bursátiles (IEB) and Pontificia de Comillas, where students attended practical sessions held in collaboration with other companies.

The success of Akademia would not be possible without the participation of its experts, who share their knowledge with students in each session. In 2024, there were new additions, mostly from the Akademia Talent alumni network. In this way, not only is the sustainability of the project guaranteed, but the sessions are also enriched with up-to-date perspectives and real examples of innovation and professional success.

Startups

Since its launch in 2013, the Startups programme has been a benchmark in supporting innovative projects, helping secure investment and helping disruptive technology companies grow. Throughout its history, it has invested in 49 startups, in collaboration with Bankinter Capital Riesgo, offering them not only financing facilities, but also key tools and knowledge to help them grow their businesses.

The programme ended at the end of 2024, after having achieved its initial objective of securing professional investment for startups during their earliest stages after inception, with the aim of driving the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Spain. However, the last startup joined the programme before it was closed: MiResi, an innovative platform that facilitates access to nursing homes and home care services, simplifying an essential process for many families.

Observatory

The Startups Observatory, a benchmark tool used to analyse and understand the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem, continued to grow and establish itself as a benchmark portal of the business ecosystem information.

According to 2024 data, the total investment in startups exceeded 3 billion euros, showing a return to the path of growth. The average size of the funding rounds increased by 62%, reaching 9.9 million euros, mainly driven by the rise in mega-rounds (transactions worth over 50 million), which grew by 54%, with 14 large transactions signed. However, the total number of transactions dropped by 22%, down to 294, due to lower support for smaller funding rounds

This context highlights a shift in the investment dynamics, in which the capital concentrates in larger transactions, while earlier-stage startups are facing more demanding environments.

Scaleup Spain Network

The fifth programme was organised and held in 2024, in collaboration with Wayra and Endeavor. The initiative, aimed at startups with a high growth potential, offers entrepreneurs the tools and knowledge required to make the leap towards their consolidation as scaleups.

The fifth programme added 13 new startups to its network, reaching a total of 63 participating companies since its launch. These companies represent a real driver of economic growth and job creation, accumulating 1 billion euros in financing and an average of 65 employees per company.

Key activities include:

• In-person bootcamp (October), where entrepreneurs participated in practical sessions on the definition of organisational charts, operations management and OKR methodologies.
• Networking sessions and workshops on core topics, such as B2B sales, talent and recruitment, fund-raising and international expansion.

Thanks to this network, participants gain access to a unique collaborative and learning environment, where the exchange of experiences and knowledge between entrepreneurs, mentors and experts is essential to their success.

In addition to the investment and scale-up programmes, the Foundation maintained its commitment to reaching out to the entrepreneurial ecosystem through Breakfast meetings with Entrepreneurs in 2024. Four online meetings were held, with a total audience of 214 viewers and an average satisfaction index (NPS) of 81.25. These events serve to bring successful experiences and lessons from the entrepreneurial ecosystem closer to a community that is increasingly interested in innovation and entrepreneurship.

InspiraTech

In 2024, the Bankinter Innovation Foundation launched InspiraTech in collaboration with the CSIC General Foundation, an innovative programme designed to transform scientific research into real and applicable solutions, capable of generating a tangible impact on society This programme connects the academic and scientific world with the business environment, promoting the transfer of knowledge and the creation of innovative products and services.

The programme is aimed at PhD students with at least two years of advanced experience or recent PhD graduates (less than three years since graduating), researchers at CSIC centres and laboratories and projects focusing on industrial and deep tech areas, with the potential to solve real market challenges.

The InspiraTech methodology combines in-person bootcamps and online sessions, ensuring a practical and applied approach. Twenty researchers were selected for this first bootcamp, who are developing projects in high-impact areas, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and energy.

Cre100do

Ten new companies joined the Cre100do community, each selected for their excellence and capacity for innovation: Lantania Group, Galenicum, Aluman Group, Matachana, Instituto Español, Making Science, Fain, Matarromera, Kaleido Ideas & Logistics and Salicru. With these new additions, the Cre100do community now has 130 companies, and is consolidating its role as a benchmark of the Spanish middle market, while demonstrating that ETIs are key players in the creation of wealth and jobs.

Furthermore, it also has a proven ability to generate a positive impact outside large cities. 40% of the Cre100do member companies are based in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, which reinforces their role in the fight against depopulation and in their commitment to create local jobs.

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Cre100do Foundation, Felipe VI received some of the members who attended on behalf of the Board of Trustees at Zarzuela Palace. The Foundation's Annual Event, held on 15 November at the Mutua Madrileña auditorium in Madrid, also served to commemorate the anniversary and recognised the achievements of the last ten years of this community of excellent enterprises.