The initiative led by Grupo Baskonia Alavés, promoted by the Arab Provincial Council and developed together with BerriUp, Easo Ventures and BIC Araba, has opened its call until June 12 for startups with technological solutions applicable to sports, entertainment, and sustainable events.
The program is aimed at both early-stage startups with disruptive ideas and those that already have developed solutions ready for implementation. Applications can be submitted through the official program website: startupchallenge.baskoniaalaves.com
Grupo Baskonia Alavés reinforces its commitment to innovation with the launch of a Startup Challenge, an initiative developed in collaboration with the accelerator BerriUp, the Arab Provincial Council, the venture capital fund Easo Ventures and the BIC Araba. The goal is to transform the sports ecosystem into a smart sports district by collaborating with startups that bring innovative ideas and solutions applicable to sports, entertainment, and sporting events.
Through this initiative, Grupo Baskonia Alavés is looking for tech startups willing to validate their products and solutions in a real environment, in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The program is open to both early-stage startups with disruptive ideas and those with developed solutions ready for implementation, especially in areas such as smart mobility, fan experience, and sustainable sports events.
The selected startups will take part in an acceleration program designed together with BerriUp, which will include specialized mentoring, strategic support, and access to funding opportunities through Easo Ventures, with the aim of turning their solutions into solid, applicable projects within the group. In addition, BIC Araba will provide support as an entrepreneurship center to facilitate the landing of selected projects in the territory.
In the words of Aitor Jiménez, Innovation and Technology Director at Grupo Baskonia Alavés, “this Startup Challenge was created with the aim of opening our doors to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and working hand in hand with startups that help us continue evolving as a group. We want to identify and incorporate real solutions that bring value both to the organization and to our fans.”
The collaboration of all partners involved in the Startup Challenge is key to driving open innovation, connecting entrepreneurial talent with the sports industry, and generating real solutions that transform the future of sports and entertainment.
For his part, Jon Ander Merodio, CEO of BerriUp, highlighted that “through this program and the alliance between all collaborators, we aim to create a tool that, through innovation, fosters the business impact of a territory that is a benchmark in the sports field.”
Saray Zárate, Deputy for Economic Development and Sustainability at the Arab Provincial Council, emphasized that “initiatives like this help strengthen Álava’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem by testing disruptive solutions in real environments. The connection between companies and startups is key to generating new projects that bring dynamism, employment, and value to the territory.”
The deadline to submit applications is already open and will run until June 12 through the official program website. Once the deadline closes, the organizing company and its collaborators will form a jury to review all submitted projects and select the finalists. Finalists will pitch their projects before the jury, which will select the winning projects, one per challenge and per category (“MVP or existing product” / “disruptive idea”).
Subsequently, the acceleration phase and pilot development will begin in September, allowing selected startups to work alongside Grupo Baskonia Alavés in a real environment.
With this initiative, Grupo Baskonia Alavés continues to position itself as an active agent in promoting innovation, creating new collaboration opportunities and contributing to the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
More information: https://startupchallenge.baskoniaalaves.com/
