Interview with María Benjumea: “South Summit is a Global Collaboration Movement in the Ecosystem”
4 min
Connecting people, promoting innovation and creating business opportunities constitute the pillars of South Summit, one of the world's largest entrepreneurship and innovation events. María Benjumea, president of South Summit, shares the vision behind this global movement that is shaping the future of business around the world.
South Summit Madrid, which will take place from June 5th to 7th, 2024, promises to be a milestone for entrepreneurs, venture capital executives and high-potential startups, bringing together more than 16,000 participants from more than 100 countries across five continents. This event is not just an opportunity for networking, but a hub for innovation and collaboration that aims to transform the future of business.
Empreendedor.com, our sister company, spoke with María Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit. Since the beginning of her professional career, María has been an entrepreneur.
María Benjumea, speaking at the South Summit Scaleup Series Lisbon
After completing his degree in Geography and History at the Complutense University of Madrid, at the age of 25 he started his first project, Taller del Arte, an innovative space that combined a business based on antiques, art gallery and restoration. She later founded Infoempleo, which became the leading active job search site. Now with South Summit, María Benjumea dedicates her professional career to celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation.
“The foundation of South Summit are the connections. We define ourselves as a platform that connects all the people present in the ecosystem – the entrepreneurs, that is, the founders of startups – and connects them with the corporations that make up the global economy and that need innovation, new products and services. They need to transform themselves and, therefore, they need to collaborate with startups. Furthermore, investors, who are the third economic actor – or the second, since both startups and corporations are companies – are also part of the ecosystem. Thus, South Summit promotes all types of activities that multiply connections, creating real business opportunities that benefit startups, investors, corporations and all sectors involved in the context of innovation and collaboration.”
If the essence of South Summit lies in the connection between entrepreneurs, corporations and investors. María Benjumea highlights the importance of creating an ecosystem where everyone can prosper, driving innovation and generating real business opportunities. In this sense, the startup competition is one of the highlights of the event, offering emerging companies the opportunity to stand out and raise significant investment to expand their businesses.
María Benjumea, president of South Summit
“Competition is a very important part of South Summit and the impact results are very significant. In recent editions, we had an average of 4.000 companies competing each year, of which around 80% are from outside Spain, representing different regions of the world. It should be noted that the selection process of the 4 thousand applications until reaching the 100 finalists is very rigorous, involving successive evaluations and a committee made up of investors and experts. This program results in spectacular quality for the finalist startups. Over the years, these finalists managed to raise almost 15 billion dollars in investment, demonstrating the positive impact of the competition.”
“It wasn’t at South Summit that they raised all this money, certainly not. But they certanily it raised a lot of money at South Summit since the finalist startups are very good and, as I mentioned before, the goal of South Summit is to connect people, by presenting these startups to all participants, so that they can relate, ant the we have this result. And the results are spectacular”, she highlights.
In addition to the main event in Madrid, South Summit also expanded to other regions, such as Brazil, and launched the “Scaleup Series”, a set of events in several European cities, including Lisbon. María Benjumea highlights that this expansion reflects South Summit's commitment to strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world and creating global connections without borders.
Photo: South Summit Madrid 2023
“We organize the Scaleup Series in Europe because we want people to come not only to Madrid, but also to Lisbon. These events are an opportunity to connect with the ecosystem, share innovation, contact with corporations, investors, unicorns and entrepreneurs. We are working to increase collaboration in the ecosystem and offer opportunities for all stakeholders”, he highlights.
“The two Iberian countries constitute an extraordinary gateway to Latin America. We brought South Summit to Brazil three years ago and we are here to stay. Our idea now is to expand and connect other regions across the Iberian Peninsula, including North America, Europe and other parts of the world. We are a global connection platform, without borders.”
In a world where technological advances, especially in the area of Artificial Intelligence, raise concerns about the future of work, María Benjumea emphasizes the fundamental role of humans in the creation and use of these technologies. Innovation is driven by the human mind, and it is through global collaboration that we can harness the full potential of technologies for the good of humanity.
“The more technologies we have, the better. Innovation is fundamental, hence our motto for this year’s edition is ‘Human by Design’. Despite concerns about whether technologies will replace humans, it is important to realize that it is we humans who developed them. Technologies result from our capacity and talent. We have always been at the center of innovation and technologies. This is what we must continue to promote: innovation and collaboration at a global level.”
Recognized as one of the world's main platforms for entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as one of the most important networks of connections with the main players in the demanding innovation and venture capital ecosystem, South Summit becomes essential for detecting opportunities, developing businesses and contributing to a positive impact.
South Summit 2024 is taking place from June 5th to 7th, 2024 in La Nave, Madrid.
South Summit Madrid, which will take place from June 5th to 7th, 2024, promises to be a milestone for entrepreneurs, venture capital executives and high-potential startups, bringing together more than 16,000 participants from more than 100 countries across five continents. This event is not just an opportunity for networking, but a hub for innovation and collaboration that aims to transform the future of business.
Empreendedor.com, our sister company, spoke with María Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit. Since the beginning of her professional career, María has been an entrepreneur.
After completing his degree in Geography and History at the Complutense University of Madrid, at the age of 25 he started his first project, Taller del Arte, an innovative space that combined a business based on antiques, art gallery and restoration. She later founded Infoempleo, which became the leading active job search site. Now with South Summit, María Benjumea dedicates her professional career to celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation.
“The foundation of South Summit are the connections. We define ourselves as a platform that connects all the people present in the ecosystem – the entrepreneurs, that is, the founders of startups – and connects them with the corporations that make up the global economy and that need innovation, new products and services. They need to transform themselves and, therefore, they need to collaborate with startups. Furthermore, investors, who are the third economic actor – or the second, since both startups and corporations are companies – are also part of the ecosystem. Thus, South Summit promotes all types of activities that multiply connections, creating real business opportunities that benefit startups, investors, corporations and all sectors involved in the context of innovation and collaboration.”
If the essence of South Summit lies in the connection between entrepreneurs, corporations and investors. María Benjumea highlights the importance of creating an ecosystem where everyone can prosper, driving innovation and generating real business opportunities. In this sense, the startup competition is one of the highlights of the event, offering emerging companies the opportunity to stand out and raise significant investment to expand their businesses.
“Competition is a very important part of South Summit and the impact results are very significant. In recent editions, we had an average of 4.000 companies competing each year, of which around 80% are from outside Spain, representing different regions of the world. It should be noted that the selection process of the 4 thousand applications until reaching the 100 finalists is very rigorous, involving successive evaluations and a committee made up of investors and experts. This program results in spectacular quality for the finalist startups. Over the years, these finalists managed to raise almost 15 billion dollars in investment, demonstrating the positive impact of the competition.”
“It wasn’t at South Summit that they raised all this money, certainly not. But they certanily it raised a lot of money at South Summit since the finalist startups are very good and, as I mentioned before, the goal of South Summit is to connect people, by presenting these startups to all participants, so that they can relate, ant the we have this result. And the results are spectacular”, she highlights.
In addition to the main event in Madrid, South Summit also expanded to other regions, such as Brazil, and launched the “Scaleup Series”, a set of events in several European cities, including Lisbon. María Benjumea highlights that this expansion reflects South Summit's commitment to strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world and creating global connections without borders.
“We organize the Scaleup Series in Europe because we want people to come not only to Madrid, but also to Lisbon. These events are an opportunity to connect with the ecosystem, share innovation, contact with corporations, investors, unicorns and entrepreneurs. We are working to increase collaboration in the ecosystem and offer opportunities for all stakeholders”, he highlights.
“The two Iberian countries constitute an extraordinary gateway to Latin America. We brought South Summit to Brazil three years ago and we are here to stay. Our idea now is to expand and connect other regions across the Iberian Peninsula, including North America, Europe and other parts of the world. We are a global connection platform, without borders.”
In a world where technological advances, especially in the area of Artificial Intelligence, raise concerns about the future of work, María Benjumea emphasizes the fundamental role of humans in the creation and use of these technologies. Innovation is driven by the human mind, and it is through global collaboration that we can harness the full potential of technologies for the good of humanity.
“The more technologies we have, the better. Innovation is fundamental, hence our motto for this year’s edition is ‘Human by Design’. Despite concerns about whether technologies will replace humans, it is important to realize that it is we humans who developed them. Technologies result from our capacity and talent. We have always been at the center of innovation and technologies. This is what we must continue to promote: innovation and collaboration at a global level.”
Recognized as one of the world's main platforms for entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as one of the most important networks of connections with the main players in the demanding innovation and venture capital ecosystem, South Summit becomes essential for detecting opportunities, developing businesses and contributing to a positive impact.
South Summit 2024 is taking place from June 5th to 7th, 2024 in La Nave, Madrid.
Miguel Cordeiro
Entrepreneur and Investor. Founder of Empreendedor.com a leading Portuguese Entrepreneurship Magazine and managing partner of Media Invest where is actively developing digital and ...
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