“The most important challenge of our days, and a race against time: if we want to fight global warming, we have to aim for carbon-neutrality by 2030.”
This time we have twice the pleasure! Meet Elisa Navarro Carrillo and Ana Horta Bellido. Passionate about entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and of course sustainability, Elisa and Ana share with us their journey, talk about the Clean Cities ClimAccelerator programme, and highlight the importance of start-ups in the fight for a greener environment.
7 min read
Shall we kick off by talking about your career backgrounds?
Elisa:
Of course! I’m Lead Entrepreneurship and Accelerator Manager at UPM (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid). I have twenty years experience in management and entrepreneurship in public and semi-public institutions. At UPM, I’ve coordinated the Entrepreneurship Program, detecting innovative deep-tech projects, supporting entrepreneurs and promoting new competitive business. I’ve also developed activities in technology transfer, working with companies and university in order to transfer the research results to the market. Nowadays, I’m leading the development and implementation of European projects in topics about innovation and entrepreneurship at EIT, EU Interreg Programme and EELISA European University. I’m Lead Manager of Clean Cities ClimAccelerator. In 2022 I was recognized as one of the Leading Women of innovative entrepreneurship in Spain by the Spanish government.
Ana:
I’m a project manager at the Technological Innovation Support Center (CAIT) of UPM. I’m responsible for the promotion and management of European projects in the fields of technological innovation and entrepreneurship. I’m currently pursuing a PhD in entrepreneurship, focusing on the analysis of the collaboration and co-creation between startups and public entities within the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. I also took part in several European projects, such as the Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator program, led by UPM and supported by EIT Climate-KIC. I’m passionate about fostering innovation and entrepreneurship as drivers of social and environmental change.
“Start-ups in the sustainability sector are playing a vital role in propelling change with their smart technologies and climate positive solutions”
So what is the Clean Cities ClimAccelerator?
The Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator is an acceleration programme launched in 2020 with the support of the EIT Climate-KIC. It aims at impacting climate change in urban areas, as well as commercialising clean technologies (clean tech). The programme is aimed at startups that develop solutions with special emphasis on transforming urban ecosystems so that they are climate neutral, from mobility to waste, energy or health. There are already more than 70 startups from more than 15 different countries that are members of the Clean Cities community. The programme is expected to exceed a total of 100 supported companies by the end of 2024.
What are the main challenges in your field?
The most important challenge of our days, and a race against time: if we want to fight global warming, we have to aim for carbon-neutrality by 2030. Cities are facing an enormous challenge in becoming resilient, healthy places to live, while reaching net-zero-emissions in a very short period of time.
Start-ups in the sustainability sector are playing a vital role in propelling change with their smart technologies and climate positive solutions, yet overcoming the obstacle of implementing them at scale is another challenge to overcome.
Speaking of start-ups… What do you think about volvero?
We were glad to meet and work with volvero twice, during the 2022 and 2023 editions of Clean Cities ClimAccelerator. Volvero, and the team behind it, is characterized by a dynamic spirit. Volvero has participated as attendee and speaker in several national and international events, providing a great visibility within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Volvero was and is always open to discuss new opportunities and potential synergies with different stakeholders. There’s been great engagement between volvero and the partners of this programme.
We can assure that one of the keywords that most represent volvero is sustainability. With a differentiating business model, this project provides a more green and clean approach to mobility in urban areas.
“We can assure that one of the keywords that most represent volvero is sustainability. With a differentiating business model, this project provides a more green and clean approach to mobility in urban areas.”
Last but not least… what are your thoughts on sustainable mobility?
Transportation is part of the daily lives of millions of people and it is, at the same time, one of the factors that most influences the path towards a more healthy and clean future. It is key to rethink and switch our mindset towards a more sustainable approach, especially in urban environments.
The way we move around is changing and this change should be aligned with climate actions for a more positive impact. In the future, it is expected to have a greater shift which includes a wide innovative range of mobility options and the boost of some popular climate measures through more competitive strategies.
Definitely, sustainable alternatives like volvero help reduce traffic in cities, reduce the carbon footprint and promote the circular economy.
And we will keep working towards that!
“The way we move around is changing and this change should be aligned with climate actions for a more positive impact.”
Alice Franzon @volvero
