To support the new edition of the Rising Up In Spain program, ICEX Invest in Spain has announced a competition to select an accelerator of recognized prestige and proven experience in the acceleration of startups in the Spanish market.

In its three previous editions, the Rising Up in Spain program (formerly Rising Startup Spain) received a total of 850 applications from over 70 countries. Of this number, 40 projects were selected to form part of the program, which has now become established as an effective tool for attracting foreign startups and – by extension – their know-how and knowledge transfer.

The aim of this new call for bids is to find an accelerator with a demonstrated capacity to ensure funding for the accelerated projects.  It must provide an advisory service during the selection, and a subsequent acceleration service for the 15 winning startups in the Rising Up in Spain program.

The successful company must perform the following tasks:

•    Support the selection of the 15 winning enterprises according to the criteria and standards established in the specifications.
•    Provide a co-working space for the employees of the 15 winning enterprises in major work centers in the Spanish ecosystem, for a period of six months.
•    Carry out the landing, mentoring and acceleration service, which must be specifically tailored to each enterprise to enable it to develop its business more rapidly and thus facilitate its launch in the Spanish market. The successful company should already have an acceleration program for startups and ideally be able to invest directly in the enterprise's shareholder equity, or else indirectly through a network of investors with close links to the accelerator.

The maximum contract amount that will be awarded is 200,000 euros.

The deadline for submitting proposals is September 20, 2019. A detailed description of the tasks to be carried out and the entry requirements for the competition can be found at the following link