It is the world’s largest competition for university entrepreneurs and is organised by the Entrepreneur’s Organisation (EO)

Nicolás Rodríguez, who is in his 4th year of the LEINN (Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation) degree at TeamLabs and Mondragon Unibertsitatea in Madrid, has been chosen as the best university entrepreneur in Spain at the international Global Students Entrepreneurs Awards (GSEA), organised by the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO). The final, in which there were three projects from Madrid and three from Barcelona, was held on 7 February at the UPC Tech Talent Center. This recognition will allow him to participate with his startup Goatedlink in the European final, to be held in London from 5 to 7 March, and to opt for the possibility of going to the world final to be held in May.

The winning project is a disruptive and innovative clothing brand that develops sweatshirts, T-shirts, caps and other accessories with a totally differential component: the implementation of technology through QR codes and NFC tags. Thanks to this innovative idea, users can add a personal and unique touch to their clothes by linking a song or playlist to Spotify or the customer’s Instagram profile.

During 2023, Goatedlink experienced strong growth, reaching six countries and placing 15,000 orders, which is 700 % more than in the previous year. Today, it has a turnover of more than 650,000 euros. Undoubtedly, these numbers have consolidated and positioned the brand internationally.

LexDoka, accelerated and invested by Bcombinator, finished in second place

In this edition there were two more award-winning projects. Denise Brieva, from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, finished second with LexDoka, a project accelerated and invested in by Bcombinator. A platform that brings automation to the entire document lifecycle, from creation and review to negotiation and signing, ensuring a fluent and efficient process. Carlos Flores, also from LEINN, was the third winner with Asperis Security, which safeguards the digital future of SMEs in Spain by providing advanced and customised cybersecurity solutions.

In the case that Nicolás Rodríguez could not travel to the capital of England or more places were offered, the second classified and even the third could have a ticket for the final in March.

The Barcelona semi-finals were held in our coworking space

Bcombinator, apart from managing the entire event, hosted the Barcelona semi-finals of the championship, which took place on Monday 5 February. In them, apart from Denise Brieva with LexDoka and Carlos Flores with Asperis Security, Manuel Vila, CTO and co-founder of Sappin, and Carlos Trias, CEO and co-founder of Cooper Barcelona, took part. The first of them qualified for yesterday’s final, although he was not rewarded, and the second did not get in. Check out the post on LinkedIn of the celebration.

Bcombinator’s commitment to the entrepreneurial ecosystem is unquestionable. As an accelerator, investment fund and coworking space in Barcelona, it was a pleasure to organise an event of such calibre. Find out more about our space here.