Cecot, Autoocupació, and BANC present proposals to boost the Start-up ecosystem

• The Cecot Employers’ Association and Autoocupació, founders of the first Business Angels network in Spain, optimistically view the Government’s commitment to transform the country into an entrepreneurial nation at the European forefront of entrepreneurship and sustainable economic growth.
• The work carried out over the last fifteen years in the Start-up ecosystem of Catalonia, Spain, and the rest of Europe precedes and supports the two entities’ proposal for fiscal, labor, commercial, and corporate measures to create a framework that will definitively boost Start-ups in Spain.

Barcelona, January 25, 2019 – The Cecot Employers’ Association and Autoocupació, through the Business Angels Network Catalonia (BANC), have submitted a document of proposals and contributions for the recognition, promotion, and incentive of the Start-up ecosystem to the Minister of Economy and Business, Nadia Calviño. The document develops a proposal for measures to recognize and promote Start-ups as newly created companies that address social and economic needs, are based on values favorable to talent and meritocracy, contribute to the internationalization of the economy, and attract financial investment and foreign talent. The proposal also includes fiscal, labor, commercial, and corporate measures that would be appropriate to incentivize Start-ups and improve their funding channels. Cecot and Autoocupació consider that Start-ups play a fundamental role in the Spanish economy and in the European Union as a whole, constituting an important source of employment. For this reason, they have stressed that “Start-up companies and the entrepreneurial spirit are vital for the improvement of the Spanish economy insofar as they constitute one of the basic pillars of innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth. In this sense, although Spain is a country with a significant entrepreneurial culture, the number of entrepreneurs determined to become new business owners is still small.” The document is part of the public consultation period prior to the drafting of the preliminary bill for the “Law for the Promotion of the Start-up Ecosystem”, which the Spanish Government is promoting. According to the Ministry, the purpose of the Law is to transform Spain into an entrepreneurial country at the European forefront of entrepreneurship, job creation, and sustainable economic growth.