The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator is an initiative financed under the Neighborhood, Development & International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe) in the framework of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, focused on fostering multi-stakeholder and private sector collaboration, competitiveness, digital skills and innovation, through the establishment of a regional EU-LAC Digital Accelerator.
The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator works as a multi-sided platform connecting business opportunities from corporates with innovative startups and SMEs between the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean. The initiative is formed by 10 organisations distributed in these 2 continents consolidating 1 strong team.
Do you want to know who is involved? Do not miss our ‘Meet the Team’!
Today we are interviewing Mr. Abel Fernandez, EU Projects Director at EBAN.
Look what he told us in this short video and read more details of our talks in the article!
Hi Abel, can you tell us about your position at EBAN?
As the EU Projects Director, I am responsible for managing and coordinating EBAN’s involvement in various European projects that support the early-stage investment ecosystem. I also oversee the communication and dissemination activities of these projects and liaise with different stakeholders and partners. Additionally, I work on the development of new EU project proposals that align with EBAN’s mission and vision.
We would like to know more about your organisation, what are you focused on and what is your field of expertise.
EBAN is the pan-European representative for the early-stage investor community, gathering over 111 member organisations in more than 50 countries today representing more than 7000 individuals. EBAN fuels Europe’s growth through the creation of wealth and jobs. Our main focus areas are advocacy, professional development, networking, and research. Our field of expertise is early-stage investing, covering angel investing, crowdfunding, venture capital, and corporate venturing.
Now, how is this linked to the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator? Can you explain the role you envision to play at this meaningful project?
EBAN is one of the partners of the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator. Our role in this project is to engage companies and corporate ventures, identify and disseminate collaboration needs and initiatives, and establish initial matching for collaborations. We also contribute to the communication and dissemination activities of the project. Additionally, EBAN can leverage its network of business angels, incubators, accelerators, and other organisations to involve them in the project, either by providing acceleration services or by connecting them with relevant public and private investors.
What are the main actions/activities you are working/will work on in the project that you are most excited about?
Now we are busy with identifying challenges and engaging early adopters for our project. We also have some exciting online and offline events planned to share best practices, success stories and opportunities for digital cooperation. Don’t miss our upcoming webinars. More details are coming soon, and we will use the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator channels to broaden the audiences! Besides, we are eager to join the mentoring and coaching sessions that will support the selected startups and SMEs to grow their businesses.
At the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, what is the positive impact you hope to generate?
We hope to generate a positive impact by strengthening the ties between the innovation ecosystems of Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, creating new business opportunities, fostering knowledge exchange and promoting cross-border collaboration. We also hope to support the digital transformation of both regions, addressing common challenges such as sustainability, social inclusion and competitiveness.
What do you think are the biggest challenges to boosting digital cooperation between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean? And the keys to solve them?
Some of the biggest challenges are: overcoming geographical distance and cultural differences; ensuring regulatory alignment and legal certainty; providing adequate funding and infrastructure; enhancing digital skills and capacities; increasing trust and awareness among potential partners; and addressing social and environmental issues related to digitalisation.
The keys to solving them, ja, that’s not an easy one, I would say: building a common vision and strategy and using a bottom-up approach to ensure a correct engagement with the end-user; facilitating dialogue and coordination among stakeholders; providing support for innovation; fostering best practices and standards; and of course the promotion of social responsibility and real impact.
Do you have previous experience managing European projects? What is the most rewarding thing about it?
Yes, I have previous experience managing European projects. I have been working on EU Projects for 3 years now. Currently we are involved in 12 projects in different domains such as entrepreneurship education, social innovation, women empowerment, circular economy and smart cities. The most rewarding thing about it is being part of a diverse and dynamic community of changemakers who share a common goal of making a positive difference in society.
To conclude, how would you describe the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator in one sentence?
The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator is a visionary initiative that brings together innovators from Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean to collaborate on digital solutions for a better future. That’s the official description, but for me, as a Spaniard, it’s also a chance to repay LATAM and the Caribbean a small fraction of what we took during the Spanish empire, the perfect opportunity to rebuild the bridge and the connections.
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