On June 15, the awards ceremony for the 2025-2026 editions of Gipuzkoa Ekin and Araba Ekin took place at BIC Gipuzkoa. These programmes aim to foster entrepreneurship among Vocational Education and Training (VET) students from both territories.
Promoted by TKNIKA, BIC Gipuzkoa, BIC Araba and UPTEK, both programmes have supported students since October through a series of training sessions. During these sessions, participants have had the opportunity to learn about real entrepreneurial experiences, acquire tools to transform their ideas into business projects and develop key skills for innovation and entrepreneurship.
Following this initial phase, participating teams presented their startup ideas to a specialised jury, once again demonstrating the students’ talent, creativity and ability to turn innovative ideas into projects with strong development potential.
In the case of Araba Ekin, the awarded projects were:
🥇 Dermo, from CIFP Mendizabala LHII, awarded €1,000.
🥇 Intelligent Façade A.O., from CIFP Construcción Eraiken LHII, awarded €1,000.
🥈 SmartColic, from Laudioalde Lanbide Eskola, awarded €500.
In addition, the projects Inklunet (IES Francisco de Vitoria BHI), Ecoweld (Laudioalde Lanbide Eskola) and Voodoo Doll (CIFP Mendizabala LHII) received diplomas in recognition of their work.
Beyond the cash prizes, all teams will receive support and mentoring from BIC Araba to continue developing their initiatives and explore the growth potential of their projects.
The event also served as a space for inspiration and learning thanks to the talks delivered by Unai Arambarri, co-founder of Neety, and Beatriz Crespo Ruiz (2 Ph.D.), who shared their experiences and reflections on innovation, entrepreneurship and the importance of turning knowledge into opportunities.
With the conclusion of this edition, Gipuzkoa Ekin and Araba Ekin reaffirm their commitment to promoting an entrepreneurial culture among Vocational Education and Training students by bringing them closer to inspiring role models, encouraging young talent and helping transform new ideas into the business projects of the future.
