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Vicente Chiralt, an alumnus of the Akademia program, exemplifies successful entrepreneurship by co-founding Onarc, a startup focused on designing and building sustainable housing. His motivation arises from a desire to transform traditional construction methods into environmentally responsible processes. Vicente’s journey began during his university studies and involvement in the Akademia program, where he developed practical skills, collaborated with multidisciplinary teams, and cultivated a mindset of continuous innovation. Prior to launching Onarc, Vicente contributed to the award-winning Azalea UPV team in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2019 competition, which deepened his awareness of construction’s environmental impact and inspired him to pursue sustainable solutions.
Vicente highlights the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork and strong university support in fostering entrepreneurship. He notes that Spanish culture often prioritizes traditional employment over startup creation, posing challenges for student entrepreneurs. However, initiatives like Marina de Empresas and university programs such as IDEAS UPV and START UPV provide valuable resources and mentoring. Vicente emphasizes that successful startups depend more on execution and team dynamics than solely on the initial idea. Looking ahead, Onarc plans to expand its range of prefabricated, eco-friendly cabins targeting rural tourism. Vicente encourages students with entrepreneurial ambitions to embrace the challenge, underscoring the transformative power of innovation, collaboration, and practical experience gained through programs like Akademia.
Vicente Chiralt, an Akademia alumni, tells us about his sustainable venture: onarc, a startup that designs and builds environmentally friendly homes.
Many of the alumni of our Akademia program launch themselves into the world of entrepreneurship successfully, as is the case of Vicente Chiralt, who has set up, together with other entrepreneurs, onarc, a startup dedicated to the design and construction of sustainable housing. His motivation stems from the importance for him of adapting current construction systems to more responsible and environmentally friendly processes.
Vicente participated in the Akademia program when he was studying at university and during this time he learned how to put into practice the knowledge he was acquiring, enhancing and developing his skills and collaborating with other students, who, like him, sought to make a difference.
Before launching himself into the world of sustainable entrepreneurship, Vicente was part of the Azalea UPV team, a sustainable housing project for the international Solar Decathlon Europe competition, which won awards in architecture, energy efficiency and engineering and construction during the 2019 edition.
After that experience, Vicente became aware of the impact that construction has on the environment and felt the need to contribute his knowledge and energy to change the current paradigm.
We interviewed Vicente to learn about his career, learnings and plans:
1. After your time at Akademia, did your way of seeing innovation and how to carry it out change?
I was in the first edition in which the objective of the program was the development of an algorithm. In addition, previously, we received training that made me rethink the meaning of innovation in every way. These trainings, which dealt with everything from telecommunications to energy, including
2. What did you like most about the program? Why?
For me it is difficult to choose one aspect of the program. As an architecture student, all the training I received was either new to me or practically new. If I had to choose only one thing, I would choose the development of the algorithm with the team that makes up different members of the program. A completely multidisciplinary team in which each one of us came from different backgrounds and thanks to that we were able to develop together. It was an incredible stage.
3. What would you say to a student who is considering signing up for the program?
As a student at the Polytechnic University of Valencia I have continued to recommend the program to classmates. The program is one of the most cutting-edge of the University itself, since it deals with topics that in the day-to-day of the classes are not deepened and that are really the ones that we should develop the most. Motivation for constant innovation, teamwork and training with the best speakers at a national level are three of the characteristics that define the program and that students will have the opportunity to experience with the program.
4. You have set up a startup (onarc) from the university environment: What has the experience been like? What lessons learned would you like to share?
After my time in the Azalea UPV team, with which we achieved great results at Solar Decathlon Europe 2019, we decided to join four colleagues to transfer all the knowledge obtained during the previous two years to a company idea, with which to formalize the entire learning process. First of all, I would highlight the importance of multidisciplinarity in any company or team. At Azalea UPV we structured the team into four areas, which were later the basis of the startup.
Next, I would also highlight the importance of the relationship that all startups born from the University should have with the University itself, since all the people I have met at the University, regardless of whether they have been professors or colleagues, are the ones who have helped me the most.
5. In Spain there is a deficit of initiatives and trajectories like yours: from students with entrepreneurial concerns to taking the step to set up a company: what are the greatest difficulties you have encountered?
In Spain we are still very internalized that the next step to finish your studies is to work in a company of your liking. On the other hand, in other countries people have internalized that the best way to find a job is to create it yourself. I think that the universities themselves do not motivate us enough to find real problems and develop our own company to solve them. I would also add that the greatest difficulty I have encountered and find myself with today is being able to combine studies with the challenge of developing a company. In my opinion, education would be of a higher degree if it was focused on a more practical sense, since through practice and all the problems that we found in the development of Azalea UPV was where the idea of setting up a company came from.
6.- What kind of public-private initiatives do you think could be implemented to accelerate this process and make it more accessible?
In the private sector, in Valencia we are privileged to have Marina de Empresas. Formed by EDEM, Angels and Lanzadera, it provides a service to the whole of Valencian and Spanish society that allows not only to develop one’s own ideas, but also to have training, mentoring and direct contact with other entrepreneurs with the same problems that one faces or who have surely already gone through them before.
On the public side, all the work they do at the University with IDEAS UPV and START UPV helps to make entrepreneurship more accessible even before leaving the University.
In Valencia we are truly privileged to be able to count on both public and private initiatives. At the national level, we would have to have many more of this type to have a more entrepreneurial society.
7.- From the UPV you participated in the international competition Solar Decathlon Europe. Are our initiatives and our students at a good level? What could be done to encourage Spanish participation in European innovation competitions?
On a technical level, I would dare to say that in Spain, thanks to the technical education we receive, we are among the best. To give an example, during our time at Solar Decathlon Europe we won the three most important awards in the Technical Level Competition: Architecture, Engineering and Construction and also Energy. On the other hand, on how to sell a project or how to convince the jury that we are the best, there are other countries that have an advantage over us.
In my opinion, we have the technical level, what is missing in society as a whole is knowing how to tell the idea in a correct way.
One initiative that is improving this is Spontaneous Generation. It is a group that encompasses almost 2,000 students, which has 50 groups with restless minds to solve day-to-day problems or participate in competitions such as Solar Decathlon Europe. It is a pity that even within the University so little is known about Spontaneous Generation, since the purpose of the program is to take everything learned in class further.
Finally, another aspect that we have at the University is the campus that encompasses all the schools. I think that if we didn’t have all these facilities together at the University, a program like Spontaneous Generation would be impossible. The most cutting-edge teams and universities at European level are always those that have a campus that encompasses all the schools of the different degrees that the University has.
8.- Onarc is a really promising project: what are your plans for the next few years?
At onarc we offer sustainable and prefabricated cabin solutions for rural tourism, respecting nature to enjoy it.
The first model we have developed is Liten. Liten is a fast and sustainable solution to rural tourism. A factory-built cabin transported to its installation site, ready to be used the same day.
The plans for the future are to have more models, along with the development of bespoke projects. In principle, they will all be focused on tourism.
9.- Finally, we ask you for advice for students who want to become entrepreneurs.
The main advice I would give would be the importance of the team when it comes to devising and developing a startup. Thanks to everything I have been able to read and learn after starting a business, I can confirm that of a 100% total startup, the idea represents only 10%. On the other hand, the other 90% would be the execution and the team with which you face the challenges.
We spend all our time wanting to have a perfect idea, whereas a big part of success is execution, team, and having the ability to pivot on the main idea.
Finally, I would encourage all colleagues with a restless mind to face, at least once, the adventure of entrepreneurship.
Thank you very much, Vicente, for this interview!
At the Bankinter Innovation Foundation we are very proud of the trajectory of Akademia’s alumni.
