H-FARM, an Italian innovation platform, has opened an innovation hub in Spain.
It will support the evolution of business models for Spanish companies through Open Innovation and Corporate Innovation.
The hub will be managed by Aleix Valls, former CEO of Mobile World Capital Foundation. In 2018, an increasing number of foreign companies, both large and medium-sized, chose H-FARM as a strategic partner to create new competitive business models, increasing foreign revenue by 13%.
H-FARM told RoboPro Magazine that to foster international growth, it has chosen Spain, a country that has had sustained economic growth since 2014, exceeding +3% per year, thus returning to pre-crisis levels and positioning itself well above the average of the Eurozone. This trend is also confirmed for 2019, with expected growth of over +2%.
It added that in recent years, Barcelona has become one of the most important centres for technology and innovation in Europe, thanks to an entrepreneurial ecosystem that continues to attract investments, a wide pool of talent and a high quality of life. Rankings indicate that the Catalan city is the third most -preferred by European entrepreneurs in which to create start-ups and fourth in the ranking of the ten technological hubs in the EU by number of startups.
H-FARM’s goal in Spain is to become a reference point for companies that want to raise their competitiveness in the marketplace and innovate their business models through increased attention to digitalization and emerging technologies. A dedicated team will accompany the companies in each stage of their growth path, from the definition of the strategy to the design of new services, from the development of applications and technology solutions. The projects will have a focus on Innovation Culture – the growth of human capital – and Open Innovation, in order to create processes of collaboration between Corporates and Startups as an answer to the challenges and objectives of each company.
Aleix Valls (above left), CEO of H-FARM BCN, said: “We are really proud to become part of H-Farm family. With this joint venture effort we assure H-Farm position as a leading digital innovation platform into Spanish market”.
Timothy O’Connell (above right), Head of Global Business Development, commented regarding the opening of the new company, which is 51% owned by H-FARM: “We are very happy to have the opportunity to open a hub in Barcelona: we aim to create a strong synergy between our experience of over 14 years as an innovation platform and that of Aleix as a key player in promoting digital transformation in the Spanish economic and business system”.
