What we will do at the second anniversary event of Startup Grind Barcelona

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If you're reading this, it might mean you're thinking about attending the Startup Grind Barcelona second anniversary event. You don't want to miss this very special event. Here's what's in for you!

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

Some basics

At Startup Grind, we do a monthly event where I interview an entrepreneur, but this event is special: it commemorates our first two years in Barcelona.

We started in April 2014 with Marc Vicente (ex-CEO of Rakuten Spain), and we have hosted an event consistently month after month. You can see all our past events in the Startup Grind Barcelona website.

That's right. Month after month, and that means 24 months in a row, we have hosted a 100-person event at Mobile World Center mostly, but not exclusively. Sometimes we held the event at Barcelona Activa or at Itnig.

This time, because the event is so special, we will do it at Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm (C/Roselló, 515), like our First Anniversary Event. It's a wonderful venue, you can see it in the pictures of our First Anniversary Event!

The event is going to be conducted in English, which is something that we have been testing this year, and it seems to have a very positive response, and the event will run between 18.30 and 22.30.

We are charging 10 euros to cover the running expenses of the event: photographers, transport, food, material and other unplanned (and oftentimes unpleasant) surprises.

Let me detail what you will find at the event.

First hour: community hour

As you will arrive, you will meet a room with 200 people. There will be the Startup Grind team, our sponsors and partners, the speaker, entrepreneurs, VIPs, and mostly friends you haven't met yet, if you allow me.

We will welcome you in a very cozy and warm ambience, with some music, while we wait for the rest of the attendees.

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

The first hour of the event is always devoted to putting our entrepreneurs in the spotlight. You are so important to us, and this is our way to pay it back to you. In fact, our speaker is always in the first hour in the middle of the audience, among you all, to listen to your projects and watch the event.

This is what we did last year, and what we will do this year, in our Anniversary Event.

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

Event" class="fit image"> Carlos (the handsome bearded guy in the picture) will welcome you all and conduct the Open Mic session, where we will select ten entrepreneurs that will come on stage and ask for help for their projects. Each entrepreneur has got only one minute to do it! If they go over that minute, we massively boo at them!

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

Doing the Open Mic, we can showcase some of the coolest projects in Barcelona, and the networking part is more driven. They get to also practice their pitch!

Right after that, we will have our CEO Derek Andersen say some words to the audience. Full disclaimer: last year they included bald jokes.

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

This means a lot to us: we are connecting to Silicon Valley, where Startup Grind originated, and we prove the global reach this huge network has. Anytime we want, we've got a friend in over 200 cities in 80 different countries willing to help out.

Despite leading the biggest network of entrepreneurs ever, Derek has always time for everyone. He's a fairly accessible person despite his status and has got good words for every single soul out there. You can tweet at him to ask him stuff!

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

After Derek's speech, we will get back to Barcelona and offer some time to our sponsors. But, fear not! They're not there to talk about boring stuff or give institutional messages: they know our values, and they will show how they Connect, Educate and Inspire entrepreneurs.

As for now, we only have got one sponsor: Haufe. Haufe is a company that focuses on talent management and recruitment that is expanding to Barcelona, where they are creating a nearshoring development team. Therefore, if you're looking for a new job, make sure you bring business cards or your CV.

Haufe, and the rest of sponsors (if we have them), will give valuable content to you in their keynotes and will stay from beginning to end to meet you all.

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

Last, but not least, I will wrap the first hour by giving a keynote where I will share some stats with you, review our first two years of Startup Grind in Barcelona, and lots of funny cat pictures. And memes. Lots of memes.

Second hour: fireside chat

The fireside chat - an informal interview - is the trademark of Startup Grind. If you have attended any of our events, you will know what it is.

In the fireside chats, I am interviewing a famous person, mostly entrepreneurs, but we have also hosted investors, marketers and corporate people. As long as they share our values and want to spend some time meeting us all by sharing their experiences from the stage, we will welcome to the Startup Grind family.

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event fireside chat with Miguel Vicente

This is a good example of fireside chat I did with Jordi Miró (CTO at Wuaki.tv), and you can find the rest of our fireside chats in our Startup Grind Barcelona Youtube channel.

The fireside chats last for about 45 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of questions & answers.

In this Second Anniversary event, we will host Iñaki Ecenarro, ex-CEO and founder of Trovit, the most famous search engine for classified ads from Spain, which is now operating in 46 countries. Iñaki sold the company to NEXT Group in 2014 for 80M€.

Right now, one year and a half past, Iñaki is looking for a new challenge. Maybe you can help him find it?

Third hour: networking, dinner, and beers!

We typically wrap up the event with a good session of quality networking, where we serve catering and cold beverages.

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

Of course, we are at Estrella Damm headquarters, who not only lend us kindly one of the coolest venues in town, but they will also offer our attendees all sorts of beers.

As for dinner, our sponsors will help cover the costs, so thanks again to Haufe for being so kind and helping us out. Buying dinner for 200 people is not precisely cheap, but for such an important event, and as a reward for spending so many hours with us, we want to thank you by filling your belly.

Also, drinking with an empty stomach isn't what we'd call a best practice.

Startup Grind Barcelona First Anniversary Event

In the networking part, we will have a DJ to mix things up, and you will be able to greet & thank our sponsors in their booths, mingle with like-minded people, ask Iñaki more personal questions and network with past speakers and other VIPs from the Barcelona entrepreneurial scene.


You will find this and much more next Thursday!

I hope I've changed your mind and that you will join us! Get your tickets while they last NOW.

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Àlex Rodríguez Bacardit

Àlex Rodríguez Bacardit

CEO and Founder at MarsBased and Director at Startup Grind Barcelona. I run a team of 20 people, where I spearhead the sales and strategy areas. My background in consulting and development (ex-Deloitte, ex-VASS) and my international profile help me with the technical and the business perspective. I love loud guitars, cats, travelling and tacos.