Do you have an idea for an internet-based business? Do you live in Andalucia? Enter a new competition and you could win a first-year package to set up your own company. The prize includes the following free for one year: your own office, domain name, Linux server, and banner ad on andalucia.com's home page; professional advice; a financial risk study for a 10,000-euro microcredit by Unicaja's Investment Department; and 15 hours' web design. Interested? Then read on to find out more.
Each of the ten finalists of the competition, which is entitled Nuevos Talentos Andalucia, will enjoy a two-day training course to prepare for their final presentation with the participating companies and organisations: our own andalucia.com, Malaga University, the Camara de Comercio de Malaga (Malaga Chamber of Commerce), Unicaja bank, Martin Echevarria Perez Ferrero Abogados (Solicitors), Xforlinux, and our parent company Andalucia Web Solutions. This training will help the finalists to prepare a 2000-word business plan and 15-minute Powerpoint presentation, which they will make to a jury and various private investors.
The training will be divided into four areas: legal - Martinez Echevarria; promotion, marketing and sales - AWS; business plan creation - CCM; and risk assessment - Unicaja.
The jury consists of the following leading Andalucian business people and organisations: José Orbaneja, Investment Manager, CADE - Centro de Apoyo al Desarrollo Empresarial de Marbella (Marbella Centre for Business Development Support); Chris Chaplow, Director of Andalucia.com; Noemí Román, General Manager of Andalucia Web Solutions; Antonio Guevara, Vice Dean of the Tourism Faculty at Málaga University; Eugenio Martinez Echevarria of Martinez Echevarría Abogados; Beatriz Cestino of Unicaja; and Malaga Chamber of Commerce.
The jury will select the winner according to these criteria: commercial viability of the project, creativity of the project, and technology used.
The deadline for applications is 11 April, the training for the ten finalists will take place on 27-28 April, and these will make their presentations on 5 May. The winner will be announced on 24 May. You can find details here (in Spanish only). The only specification for entrants, whether individuals or groups, is that they are resident in Andalucia.
Just one question remains - who will be playing the role of Alan Sugar?