The Erasmus for young entrepreneurs, a great help for the HORECA sector

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Anke De Mulder and Sebastian Malieni are two entrepreneurs who started collaborating through the Erasmus program for young entrepreneurs in July 2020. On that date, the first Covid wave had already passed and the HORECA sector had the possibility to reopen in Belgium. However, a few months later, bars and restaurants were closed again, and they had to adapt their activities to this new situation.  

Anke De Mulder registered in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program with the Chamber in May of the same year. She was looking forward to sharing her experiences and knowledge with the new generations of young entrepreneurs and explore possibilities to enlarge her professional network at the European level. 

When we first interviewed her, she told us about her vegetarian restaurant, Shyam, located in Brussels and the new services and products that she was trying to develop. A few weeks later, thanks to the platform of the program, she got in contact with Sebastian Malieni, an enthusiast new entrepreneur from Spain interested in learning by doing about HORECA company management. He told us that his interest was to go extend his knowledge of the food business.  

A few months after the start of their exchange, the sanitary situation changed. Anke had to adapt her business to the new situation, and she and Sebastian had to also modify the activities they had planned to develop. Despite this setback, they were very motivated to continue collaborating. They worked exclusively for take away orders, behind closed doors, and complying with all the necessary regulations.  

“Our office is a kitchen, and, on a normal day, of course, we cook, but we also focus on organizational issues, orders, procedures, etc.” Additionally, they told us that they did not see the need to stop collaborating. “It is precisely at this time that he (Sebastian) is being of great help”, Anke told us.  

According to Sebastian, “for better or for worse, it has been a great experience for me to participate in the exchange in times of pandemic, since I have learned how to overcome complicated situations in the best possible way.” 

Now that the exchange is over, neither of them sees an end to their relationship. They will stay in touch and Sebastian confirmed to us that since his next step is to open his own business, he will continue to be in contact with Anke in case he needs any advice. 

 

Click here to discover more about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. 

Contact us to register in the program by sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com  

The Chamber presents the EYE programme at KU Leuven University

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On 16 November, the Chamber presented the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme to 35 students of the Master’s in Business Economics in the specialisation of entrepreneurship and innovation at KU Leuven University.

During the class “Foundations of Entrepreneurship”, Paula Úbeda, Project Assistant of the Chamber, gave the students information about what the EYE programme is, who can participate, the registration process and the benefits of this programme. Furthermore, as an additional element, the Chamber presented the profile of a Dutch host entrepreneur interested in new entrepreneurs in the sustainable design sector in Belgium.

This presentation and collaboration with the department of administration, strategy and innovation of the Katholieke Universiteit de Leuven demonstrates the importance of cooperation between universities and organisations to continue promoting and supporting future entrepreneurs in Europe.

The Chamber appreciates the invitation of KU Leuven University and Professors Michael Moedl and Pieter Vermeulen to present this international entrepreneurship opportunity to their students and looks forward to continuing collaboration with them to promote entrepreneurship and enterprise among university students.

If you would like to know more about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, please contact Soraya Bravo (project manager) sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com.

The Chamber presented the EYE programme at the University of Antwerp

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On the 22nd of October, the Chamber presented the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme to 24 masters students of the University of Antwerp.

The objective of this online session was on one hand, to discuss with the students about entrepreneurship and what does to be an entrepreneur mean. And on the other hand, to help them develop their business model canvas.

The students also had the possibility to present their business ideas to the project manager of the Chamber, Soraya Bravo, who gave them individualized recommendations to improve their business plans.

The result of this session will be known in December 2020, when the students will present their business projects in a pitching session. The project manager of the Chamber will attend the final presentation as an advisor for the students.

The Chamber thanks invitation to the University of Antwerp, and to Lieve Vangehuchten, Head of Spanish Business and Professional Communication at the Institute of Academic and Professional Communication (IPAC) of the University of Antwerp and looks forward to continue collaborating with them to promote entrepreneurship among university students.

If you would like to know more about the program Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, please contact: Soraya Bravo

erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com 

The Chamber helps entrepreneurs to improve their business projects through the EYE programme.

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Fernando Chico and Emanuel Lemus-Monge are two entrepreneurs who have worked together thanks to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) programme between July and September.

Emanuel Lemus-Monge is one of the Chamber’s young entrepreneurs within the EYE programme. He enrolled in the programme in May of this year because he wanted to discover more about the working dynamics in a start-up. In addition, he wished to improve his Spanish and discover a new culture for him, such as the Spanish one.

A few months after his registration he was put in contact Fernando, a passionate Spanish entrepreneur and founder of Focus360, thanks to this EU programme, which aims to promote the exchange of knowledge between entrepreneurs from different European countries.

Fernando, who has been participating in the programme since 2019, believes that one of the main advantages of this programme is its usefulness for entrepreneurs looking for to improve and perfect their project. In his case, his company, Focus360, is dedicated to facilitating and helping companies to manage their business in a simple and comfortable way.

Fernando and Emanuel began their collaboration in mid-July in Denia, Valencia. During their exchange, they worked mainly on promoting good communication within the team, organising meetings and visits with clients and future project partners and identifying potential investors. In addition, they have carried out research in databases and analysis, where Emanuel has been able to share his most academic point of view thanks to his studies.

Due to the Covid-19, Emanuel had to shorten his exchange and return to Belgium early. “Being on an exchange abroad during this particular time was a bit stressful at times,” he says. In spite of this, they were able to continue working and this situation didn’t have a great impact on the objectives they had set for this exchange, because as Fernando indicates “the team already had largely operated remotely, the adjustments were minimal”.

Now that the exchange is over, neither of them sees an end to their relationship, “We began to explore several interesting points for the future of Focus360° with Emanuel, I hope to be able to conclude most of those points with him and see what can be done to maintain that collaboration. Emanuel is now a partner in our project,” says Fernando. Emanuel is starting a master’s degree in data analysis this year and hopes to return to the Focus360° project in the future for a longer time and with more experience.

Click here to discover more about the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs.

Contact us to register in the program by sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

The Chamber presents the Erasmus program for Young Entrepreneurs in the Midis de l’emploi of the ULB

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On July 3 the Chamber participated in the Midis de l’emploi, a series of workshops organized by the Université libre de Bruxelles with the aim of informing their students about the different employment options after their studies.

During the workshop entitled “Is the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program for me?“, the Chamber had the opportunity to discuss about entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills with the students, in addition to presenting this mobility program for entrepreneurs in Europe.

The workshop was also attended by Emanuel Lemus-Monge, a young entrepreneur who registered through the Chamber who will begin his exchange in Spain in the coming days.

The students were very interested and presented their questions to the manager of the project at the Chamber, Soraya Bravo, who gave them individualized recommendations for their exchanges abroad.

Lunch&learn: How to attract talent trough mobility schemes

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On June 29, the Chamber, in collaboration with the Incubator of Luxembourg City, organized a briefing on mobility programs for SMEs and Startups.

The session was divided into individual meetings with each of the interested companies to answer their questions about the different participation requirements in each of the programs managed by the Chamber:

– Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, a cross-border exchange program that gives new entrepreneurs the opportunity to work with experienced entrepreneurs who run small businesses in other EU countries.

– The PICE Mobility Plan, a program created by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and co-financed by the European Social Fund, whose main objective is to offer opportunities for personal and professional development to young people who participate in the program and, at the same time, improve the productivity of partner companies.

 

For more information about our mobility programs, contact us info@e-camara.com.

The entrepreneurial spirit in the times of COVID

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José Serrano and Jaime Kelly are two entrepreneurs who were working together thanks to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) program before the COVID-19 crisis started. They share with us their experience and how this crisis has affected them.

José Serrano is the founder of Dlinea and one of the Spanish Chamber’s hosting entrepreneurs within the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) program in Luxemburg. Thanks to this EU program, whose objective is to promote the exchange between entrepreneurs from different European countries, he got in contact with Jaime Kelly passionate new entrepreneur from Spain.

José joined the program two years ago because it seemed interesting to him to give young architects the opportunity to get to know better Luxemburg and its architecture since there are fairly quality buildings.

In December, he started to collaborate with Jaime, whose professional experience was limited to two architectural firms and one design firm, but who had the idea of setting up an architecture and design office on his own. Before embarking himself on that adventure he began to look for programs that would allow him to achieve this goal and he registered in the EYE.

For the first months, they were working on the conception of project plans, whether they were new construction or renovations or transformations of buildings. During the last months, due to COVID-19, they decided to renovate their working plan, order to get the best of their exchange considering the security measures imposed in Luxemburg and reduce the risk for both.

Site visits were canceled and meetings with clients started to be online. Jaime also took advantage of the situation to getting even better acquainted with ArchiCad, the program they use at their office.

José highlights that the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs “Without a doubt, has been very beneficial, to introduce a new person to our team with new ideas and other experiences in order to provide solutions to all kinds of problems and challenges”.

For Jaime, the good ambiance and teamwork that they had are what he values the most. “The energy and good humor of the office team is very stimulating and has allowed me to develop ideas and acquire knowledge at a much higher rate than I was used to. José was able to explain to me the process of creating an architecture firm from scratch and it has opened my eyes to a different type of architecture and design than I was used to”.

After facing these uncertain times together, they have decided to continue collaborating in architectural projects in Luxemburg.

 

Click here to discover more about the EYE.

Contact us to register in the program by sending an email to erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

Two passionate entrepreneurs working for youth education thanks to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program

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Paloma Cantero is the co-founder of YouthProAktiv and one of the Spanish Chamber’s hosting entrepreneurs within the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) program.

This initiative financed by the European Commission, whose objective is to promote the exchange between entrepreneurs from different European countries, put her in contact with Lenka Blichová a brilliant new entrepreneur form Slovakia.

Passionate about leadership and entrepreneurship, six years ago, Paloma created YouthProAktiv with the main aim of supporting proactive individuals ready to invest their talents for the betterment of society and focusing on developing their professional and entrepreneurial skills.

Lenka, after finishing her studies and having different exchange experiences in Spain, was looking for an opportunity less theoretical and more practical about entrepreneurship. Her dream is to create her own company focused on connecting events and non-formal education.

The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs has given them the opportunity to pair up in this win-win collaboration whereby both will have the opportunity to work together for 6 months.

 

¿A normal day at the office?

Lenka and Paloma are working on EU projects related to mobilities, mainly Erasmus + projects.

This has given Lenka not only the possibility to have an insight view on entrepreneurship, but also to practice and improve her writing and analytical skills.

Paloma, as an experienced Host entrepreneur, highlights that the program has helped her to develop her leadership skills and to adapt her management style. She is grateful for the contributions of Lenka and Thomas (the former new entrepreneur she worked with) to YouthProAktiv.

 

If you had to define the EYE program in few words…

Paloma- I would say opportunity, challenge, and innovation.

Lenka- I would say innovation and improvement.

 

Discover more about the EYE.

Contact us to register in the program. erasmus4youngentrepreneurs@e-camara.com

The Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg participates in the SME Open Day in Luxembourg

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On November 28th, the Official Chamber of Commerce of Spain in Belgium and Luxembourg participated in SME Open Day: L’Europe au service des PME in Luxembourg during the European SME week. This annual initiative coordinated by the European Commission aims to highlight European SMEs by promoting entrepreneurship and helping to create a more favourable environment for small and medium enterprises. This year the different events of the campaign took place throughout Europe from November 25th to 29th.

To the event attended Mr. Lex Delles, Minister of Middle Classes and Tourism of Luxembourg, Sabrina Sagramola , Manager of Enterprise Europe Network-Luxembourg, and Giacomo Mattino, Head of Unit – Enterprise Europe Network and Internationalisation of SMEs – Directorate General for Growth (DG GROW), who highlighted the importance of the Erasmus program for young entrepreneurs as a tool to promote entrepreneurship.

The attendees to the event had the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of EYE at the Chamber’s stand. In addition, at the demo corner of the program attendees could share their questions with the program manager, Soraya Bravo, who highlighted the flexibility and ease of the program to register and participate and who invited the attendees to be part of the program.

Social entrepreneurs team up thanks to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs

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Riccardo Raffaele Bozano and André De Giorgi are two social entrepreneurs participating in the European program Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) through the Chamber.

Riccardo Raffaele Bozano is the director of Ianus group, a consultancy group who supports innovative entrepreneurs, NGOs, public and private organizations to optimise resources and processes at disposal to maximise benefits and profits in line with the new global trends and needs. He is now working on the creation of an association to support children in Spain and in US.

André De Giorgi is an ambitious Portuguese entrepreneur who has the objective of launching his own football academy to help young adults, boys, girls with or without disabilities to be the best version of themselves. Few months ago, he decided to take part in the EYE program to put in practice all the knowledge he acquired in university.

They found each other through the platform of the program, and now their objective is to work together in Brussels in different projects, so André can better understand the different actors involved in the third sector. This exchange will also allow Riccardo to broaden his network in Europe and US and to get insights from the new entrepreneur.

The exchange between Riccardo and André will last 5 months. It will be an excellent opportunity for both entrepreneurs to share their experience, move forward with their projects and explore potential collaborations.