Good ideas are capable of positively transforming our world. But for ideas to flourish, they need support. Carrying out your own project is usually exciting, as well as uncertain. Adversities do not diminish an iota of enthusiasm for those who are truly convinced. Despite the logical initial difficulties or the current economic situation, entrepreneurship captivates more and more people around the world, and also in our country. At the same time, many recent projects are already beginning to show their solidity, as confirmed by the 2022 Entrepreneurship Map, which indicates that national startups have already managed to reach an average life of 3 years.
In most cases, even the most defined projects require help and guidance, so that what is still a dream can become a reality. In this work, entities and organizations with experience and resources that understand their work with a vocation of firm commitment to progress and inclusive and sustainable growth must play a fundamental role. Banco Santander's 26 years of supporting education, employment and entrepreneurship are an example of this type of involvement in society as a whole.
Every year, the entity convenes a series of global challenges that have already allowed it to discover numerous projects that it has been able to help, offering training and also visibility. All the initiatives are included under the umbrella of Santander X, the entrepreneurial ecosystem created to support and help startups, scaleups, micro-entrepreneurs and SMEs to obtain the resources they need to grow.
An example of how these Banco Santander initiatives can help projects capable of benefiting the whole of society to see the light is the experience of Tucuvi Scaleup Spain. María González, CEO of this young technology company that has been in existence for 3 years, highly values the support of the entity, which contributed to giving visibility and confidence to her innovative proposal based on a clear principle that she herself does not hesitate to clarify: “We are convinced that the proper use of technology can help and facilitate people's lives”.
Tucuvi has worked on the development of a technology based on Artificial Intelligence applied to the health sector, which allows the elderly or chronic patients who need monitoring at home to have it available, regardless of where they live or their abilities. and technological skills. The objective is that it is the technology that adapts to the patient and not the other way around. "For this we have created a virtual assistant or caregiver, called Lola, which allows health professionals to monitor their patients remotely," explains González.
For the CEO of this scaleup (a term used to designate those companies that have experienced growth, in the three previous years, at an annual rate above 20%, and that seek to "rescale" the dimensions of their business), His product does not seek to replace personalized attention, but rather to the contrary, “to give greater continuity to the medical visit. At the same time, she also offers structured information to healthcare professionals about the condition of their patients so that they can make appropriate decisions about whether their intervention is required”.
For now, Lola has already achieved more than satisfactory results: almost 95% of users complete the call process, and their ratings reach 4.7 out of a total score of 5. This is possible thanks to the fact that it is about an immersive technology that combines advances in Artificial Intelligence with a form of communication that all patients are used to, telephone care, thus eliminating the need for the Internet or other devices. In addition, “Lola does not work based on a limited number of options to choose from, but is capable of creating a true conversation, replicating a natural language. This makes the patient feel truly comfortable in their interaction”.
To form part of Banco Santander's entrepreneurship support project, in Tucuvi they participated in a pitch, in which they presented their main lines, based on "contributing to increasing the capacity of nursing teams and providing better service to patients". . At present, they continue working to expand their services. Recently, they have incorporated "the possibility that the patient can also return the call, if he considers it necessary to communicate any change in his state of health," adds González.
The Santander X Global Award has been organized for several years around this commitment to entrepreneurship by the financial institution to recognize the most outstanding and innovative university projects. With local and global editions, these awards are divided into two categories: Launch, for those entrepreneurs who are preparing to go to market; and Accelerate, for high-impact technology startups with sustainable growth.
Among all those who are part of the different programs, awards and global challenges that exemplify the entity's commitment to entrepreneurship, the best join Santander X 100, an exclusive entrepreneurship community designed to promote networking, connecting entrepreneurs with the resources they need to grow: advice and training, capital, clients, talent and other sources of value.
Another star of Santander's drive for entrepreneurship is the Explorer program, Youth with Solutions, which aims to encourage young entrepreneurship and support the conversion of good ideas into truly effective solutions. In its 11 years of existence, Explorer has already supported more than 8,000 projects in the 8 countries in which it currently operates: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Uruguay.
A wide range of proposals, ranging from training to financing through facilitating contacts, which confirm Banco Santander's desire to continue contributing to building our future through determined support for entrepreneurship and, in particular, to young, creative and disruptive companies like Tucuvi, who see innovation and technology as essential allies for a better world.
