More than seventy students from the School of Agricultural Engineering and Natural Environment of the Universitat Politècnica de València have gathered at the meeting “Think Emprende IDEAS UPV”. A forum that aims to inform the new generations of the ways that exist within and outside the university itself to help start a personal project, from coworking spaces, mentoring, personal advice, team building and, of course, funding.

Belén Vázquez, founder of lateuaterra, explained to the young students what crowdfunding platforms offer when launching a new project: “Within the Business Plan you have to be very clear about the funding you need. You can opt for the traditional way, asking for money from a bank, or from your parents, or make this request extensive to those who can trust in your project: uncles, cousins, brothers, friends … until the shock wave reaches people you do not even know”.

Lateuaterra crowdfunding is based on a system of donations and rewards. It is a crowdfunding system whereby, through small contributions, the promoters manage to raise the money needed to carry out their project, and in return, they deliver rewards to their patrons. “It is sometimes a pre-sale of the product you want to bring to market, a test of your niche and the possibilities it will have in the future,” said Belén Vázquez. Lateuaterra hosts projects that have an ecological purpose and respect and care for the environment.

Inmaculada Villalonga, an IDEAS technician at the UPV, a service that advises entrepreneurs, explained that the Polytechnic University is committed to an entrepreneurial ecosystem where start-ups and talent can be found. An example of this has been presented by Anton Garcia, founder of Casa de la Orxata and Suc de Lluna, who after different professional stages decided to found his own company, with the help of IDEAS-UPV.