AI-generated summary
The Bankinter Innovation Foundation’s Akademia program stands out for its rigorous student selection, innovative curriculum, and exceptional instructors, fostering a passion for innovation among its alumni. One notable graduate, Mercedes Egea, transitioned from a corporate marketing and consulting career to embrace technological entrepreneurship. Two years ago, Mercedes joined a Demium bootcamp, where she developed a startup idea aimed at bridging the gap between labor market demands and available training platforms by matching required skills with relevant courses. Although the project did not advance, the experience proved invaluable, highlighting the challenges of securing investment and managing teams, and teaching her the importance of starting with manageable projects before scaling.
Mercedes’ marketing approach has evolved significantly from corporate to startup environments, emphasizing creativity and authenticity over large budgets, with a focus on personal connection and storytelling. Beyond entrepreneurship, she engages in projects like a Discord community for remote workers and a music trends podcast, which enrich her personal and professional growth. Looking ahead, Mercedes is currently focused on content and communication rather than launching new startups, believing in the potential of solopreneurship empowered by AI and No-Code tools. She advises aspiring entrepreneurs to gain experience in startups, develop side projects, and build their personal brand to successfully navigate the startup ecosystem.
An Akademia alumna and passionate about marketing, she shares her vision on entrepreneurship and innovation
At the Bankinter Innovation Foundation, we are very proud of the alumni who have been part of our Akademia programme.
The uniqueness of the program lies in its design and execution: it ranges from a meticulous student selection process to a practical and avant-garde approach to the content of the classes, complemented by the excellence of the teachers. This results in students who are enthusiastic about innovation, ready to bring new ideas and creative solutions in their respective fields.
On this occasion, we interviewed Mercedes Egea, an Akademia alumna and passionate about marketing and the startup ecosystem. After more than six years immersed in the corporate world, she decided to turn her professional career around and immerse herself fully in technological entrepreneurship. It was two years ago when he applied to participate in a Demium bootcamp, an experience that would mark a turning point in his career. The main idea behind their project was to create a bridge between the skills in demand in the labour market and the platforms that offer specific training to acquire them. By carefully analysing the job offers, they matched the required skills and the schools or online resources that teach them, thus facilitating the orientation process for those looking for continuous training aligned with the needs of the market. Although the project did not progress, the experience was very enriching.
With a background that combines her solid experience in consulting and corporate marketing, added to her recent immersion in the world of startups, Mercedes Egea Lara brings a unique and valuable perspective. In addition, Mercedes shares her vision through her newsletter “#DesdeCero“, offering a close look at the marketing strategies of the most successful startups.
Below, we summarize the interview we had with Mercedes:
Having studied Akademia 8 years ago, how did this program influence your vision and approach to entrepreneurship and innovation?
Participating in Akademia greatly influenced my journey towards entrepreneurship and innovation. It served as my introduction to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and gave me the opportunity to interact with real entrepreneurs. Although my own entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin until several years later, Akademia played a crucial role in inspiring me and preparing me to take the plunge into creating my own company.
Of all the things you experienced at Akademia, what did you like the most?
Mainly the opportunity to interact weekly with real entrepreneurs, an aspect that I lacked in my academic education. In addition, the process of conceiving, developing and finally presenting our project to a jury was also very enriching.
You started your professional career in consulting and marketing before launching into the world of startups. What motivated you to leave the corporate world and venture into the startup ecosystem with UpGrowz and then into your current project?
The transition of my career into entrepreneurship began during the period of reflection provided by the pandemic. This moment allowed me to reconsider my career aspirations and encouraged me to venture into the startup ecosystem, looking for change and the opportunity to impact more directly and meaningfully.
Your startup’s mission to match in-demand skills with available training is innovative. How did this idea come about and what was the process to identify this need in the market?
The genesis of our startup emerged after a thorough process of exploring and identifying an idea that resonated with both me and my team. The inspiration came from our personal experience and direct observation of the difficulties faced by ourselves and by people around us. Through a process of interviews, we detected this need in the market. However, I recognize that the solution we proposed failed to fully address the problem, leading us to shut down the project.
On your path from consulting to leading a startup, you’ve surely faced many challenges. Which have been the most significant and what lessons have you learned from them?
The most difficult thing about creating a startup is the need to obtain a significant investment for technological development and the introduction of the product to the market. But leading teams and maintaining strategic alignment with partners is definitely the most critical challenge. This experience taught me that entrepreneurship in the startup space, especially as a first project, can be too ambitious. It’s like trying to put the cart before the horse. Over time, I’ve learned that starting smaller, more manageable projects can be a more accessible route to entrepreneurship, reserving the possibility of scaling into a tech startup if a specific need is identified that can be solved in this way. In short, I personally believe that a gradual approach based on specific skills can offer a more sustainable path to entrepreneurship.
How has your marketing approach evolved from your days in the corporate world to your current focus in a startup environment?
Radically. In the corporate sphere, the budgets with which we work often do not reflect the economic reality of most companies, especially SMEs, which constitute the most common business fabric. When leading a startup or managing an SME, limited resources demand much greater creativity and adaptability. Far from being a disadvantage, it aligns more closely with market trends, where authenticity and personal connection have a higher value. People tend to identify and connect more quickly with small businesses and entrepreneurs than with big brands, because narrative and emotional proximity become more relevant. In short, I believe that having fewer financial resources encourages more ingenious and genuine marketing and, on the contrary, “money makes you dumber”.
You’ve built a Discord community for remote workers and co-founded a podcast about music trends. How do these initiatives contribute to your professional and personal development?
Both projects have significantly enriched both my professional and personal development. I believe that participation in personal projects reveals more about a person’s character and capabilities than their academic background or work experience. Not only do these types of projects satisfy your personal interests and allow you to collaborate with friends who share the same passions, but they also drive autonomous learning beyond your everyday work environment. Through these experiences, you acquire knowledge and skills that are not directly related to the job or to what your employer prioritizes in your training.
Looking to the future, how do you see your evolution in the coming years? Are there new areas or technologies that you are interested in exploring or integrating into your project?
Right now I’m not interested in setting up another startup at all. I think the solopreneur model is here to stay. Thanks to AI, No-Code and all the innovations we are seeing, one-person projects can be set up that can be as successful as a “traditional” company and that are more flexible and adapt more to people’s lives. Right now, I am fully immersed in the world of content and communication and that is the area in which I am specializing and with which I feel most aligned right now.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to those who are considering leaving the corporate world to embark on the startup adventure?
First, I would advise them to work for other startups and analyze if that is really the path they see for them. At the same time, I would create personal side-projects for them to start setting things up, either alone or with friends, and above all to invest in their personal brand to start getting into the entrepreneurial ecosystem because creating a name and establishing relationships with others are assets that always add up.
Thank you very much, Mercedes!
If you want to know the testimonies of other Akademia alumni, you can see them here.
And if you want to know more about the Akademia program, we invite you to visit the Foundation’s website.
