Applications open for Santander X Explorer to validate your business idea

Do you have an idea and want to find out whether it could become a viable project? The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) is once again taking part in Santander X Explorer, the Banco Santander programme that supports entrepreneurs in the earliest stages of their projects. It is particularly suitable for students, but is open to the entire UPC community (teaching and research staff, professional administrative and support staff, students and alumni), provided participants are aged between 18 and 31.

Over twelve weeks, participants follow online training based on the learning by doing methodology to validate their business idea and develop the necessary skills to grow it. The programme includes Q&A sessions with experts, teamwork sessions, and talks with start-up founders and internationally renowned figures.

Participation is completely free of charge. The programme is open to entrepreneurs from 13 countries across Europe and the Americas, who join an international community that many participants highlight as one of the main highlights of the experience.

UPC has been participating in this initiative since 2021. Emprèn UPC promotes the call across the university community, supports projects during their training and, upon completion of the programme, organises a Demo Day where teams present their initiatives publicly and network with other participants and professionals from the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In the latest edition, 21 entrepreneurs 'graduated', having developed 14 projects, nine of which were presented at the Demo Day held at Diagonal-Besòs Campus. The winning project was TUMED, a smart pillbox featuring a wearable device and mobile application for polypharmacy elderly patients. Furthermore, UPC ranked 20th in engagement out of more than 200 participating institutions worldwide.

How to take part

Applications can be submitted until 10 December using the Santander X Explorer application form. For further information, please contact the Emprèn UPC team: empren@upc.edu.