Marta del Castillo Vázquez, the new director of the FPCM, appeared on May 8 before the community of the Park. The expectation raised by his arrival at the beginning of April was reflected in a great attendance and atmosphere. Thus, the FPCM Meet the CEO meeting brought together about 80 attendees from 30 of the incubated companies and from the foundation itself.
Desire to get to know each other
It was no wonder. In the last two months, not only has the new director joined, but the Park has also seen half a dozen new companies arrive, so the desire to get to know each other was great. In this spirit, the community of the Park responded to the call, to enjoy an informal meeting and a space for networking. The format of the event was conducive to this, proposing a brief introduction of the newcomer to give way to an aperitif with all the attendees.
Extensive background, great expectations
As he explained in his presentation, Del Castillo arrives at the FPCM after more than fifteen years of experience in multifunctional management. Throughout this journey, he has led global organizations with a great impact on innovation and financial results, from hundreds to billions of euros in annual revenue. The new director brings with her a professional career in Europe and mainly in the USA. In the latter country, he has led technological projects in New York and, in the last ten years, large-scale transformations in the mecca of startups and incubators in scientific-technological innovation: Silicon Valley (California). With this background, the expectation generated in the Park is understandable.
Three lines of action
In her speech, the new director outlined the three main axes that will guide her action at the head of the Park:
- To value and support the needs of companies and users of the Park;
- Seek and achieve synergies between incubated companies;
- To promote and intensify the relationship between the companies of the Park and the patrons of the FPCM.
In this sense, the FPCM is studying expanding the scientific, genomics, business development and communication incubator services offered to incubated companies. To do this, it will be essential to know first-hand the needs of companies. For this reason, the new director plans to meet individually in the coming months with all interested companies.
An aperitif with a full stop
The director’s presentation was followed by a relaxed and prolonged aperitif. It was time for the managements of the companies and the FPCM to have a first exchange. And also so that personnel from various companies could get to know each other and begin to weave possible collaborations. The Park has a rich innovation ecosystem that covers all sectors of scientific and technological activity. It is time to give a new impetus to this ecosystem, so that its companies and the Park itself are even more projected.
At the moment, the FPCM and its board of trustees are preparing the debut of the new management of the Park for next June. This meeting has been only a first step, the new stage of the Park has only just begun…
