A strong case exists for Barcelona to become a start-up hub, the Financial Times says. “Barcelona is known as the ‘north of the south’ – combining a cosmopolitan business-friendly city with Mediterranean coast sunshine. Two international business schools, Iese and Esade, attract talent from across the world. The city hosts one of the world’s top supercomputing centres.”
At our LaunchPad, local incubators itnig, Incubio, Connector, Tetuan Valley and Caixa Capital Risc picked 14 startups to attend. During the week, some 30 mentors work individually with them on their projects, as they are experts in their fields and in most cases experienced entrepreneurs. Workshops cover product strategy, UX/UI, technology and marketing.
This initiative underlines our commitment, once again, to Spanish entrepreneurship. Despite suffering a drastic downturn in the financial crisis, the country is emerging as strong start-up nation. According to the Map of Entrepreneurship in Spain 2014, 95% of entrepreneurs decide to become so out of motivation rather than necessity AND 16% of the new projects are launched Catalonia. Barcelona always will be a beautiful city. It is in the process of becoming a modern Internet hub.
Posted by Virginia Wassmann, Communications Manager, Madrid
In addition to global opportunities, we will run many new programs in our Madrid location, including Campus for Moms, CampusEDU and Office Hours with Googler mentors.
We decided to open a Campus in Madrid because of the thriving entrepreneurial spirit in Spain.
We have seen the booming entrepreneurial community in Spain and are excited to join the local community in making it even stronger. Our hope is that Campus Madrid will supercharge tech entrepreneurs, strengthen the startup ecosystem and encourage even more innovation in Spain, Europe, and beyond.
We look forward to opening our doors next year and filling Campus Madrid with startups!
Posted by Mary Grove, Director of Google for Entrepreneurs
Monestaries and abbeys led the way in spreading Romanesque constructions. In Spain, Romanesque cathedrals, churches, monasteries, cloisters and chapels mark the famed Camino de Santiago pilgrammage route.
Elsewhere in Europe, abbeys in Fulda,Lorsch, St. Gallen and Bobbio arose in the 11th century and became beacons for the new style, as did Europe’s first universities, beginning with Bologna in 1088.
Beside exploring Romanesque buildings, the new online exhibition includes drawings, photographs, films and video about Romanesque Europe.
We hope this present exhibition is only the first of a series, exploring other a series of exhibitions on life and art in Europe from Roman to modern times. Our goal is help everyone learn about and enjoy the beauties from the past.
Posted by Barbara Navarro, Director of Institutional Relations and Public Affairs Google
The exhibitions, curated by a historian appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tell the story of how the Spanish explorers arrived in America and what they did there in more than three centuries. In addition to Florida, Spaniards settled the entire U.S. Southwest: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. They built the region’s first cities and their missions, fortifications, and ranches left an indeliable mark on architecture. They build important roads. They brought new livestock and agricultural techniques. They even played a role in winning independence from the British.
Explore the Spanish legacy in the United States, and enjoy an example of how heritage and the Internet, old and new, can be combined to increase our understanding.
Posted by Barbara Navarro, Director, Public Policy, Madrid
The Institute, the Spanish government’s equivalent to France’s Alliance Francaise and Germany’s Goethe Institute, is dedicated to promoting the Spanish language and culture. Some 40 of the exhibition's books, the out of copyright works, already had been scanned in our Book Project. Others were found in the collection of the Institute’s London branch. Institute curators have prepared a detailed analysis of the texts and organized them by subject, ranging from the role women to bull-fights
The exhibition explodes many stereotypes about Spain. Most foreign observers found them hard-working, seeing the much-noted afternoon siesta as hiding the real truth. “This is not a fair ground for the charge of laziness, so often urged against the natives of the south of Europe, for the heat at this hour will induce drowsiness even in the active and stirring Englishman, especially when not inured to the relaxing climate,” wrote George Dennis in A Summer in Andalusia, published in 1839. “The Spanish working man is really a most sober, hard-working being, not much given to dancing and not at all to drinking. They are exceptionally clever and sharp, and learn any new trade with great facility,” concurred Louis Higgin, in 1902 in his Spanish life In town and country.
More than 100 people showed up for the exhibition’s launch this month. The Cervantes’s Institute’s General Secretary discussed the project via Google Hangout with the the director of Cervantes Institute in London. The exhibition demonstrates how the Internet helps allow access to previously overlooked or ignored documents. Many of the books, stocked in dusty library shelves, received few readers. Today, anyone, anywhere in the world is able, with a click of their computer, to find and enjoy them.
Posted by Esperanza Ibanez, Public Policy Manager, Spain
The new service lets you create an ad-free, interactive radio station from any song or artist. You can add, remove or re-order your station and see what’s coming next. Or browse recommendations from our expert music team and explore songs by genre. The “Listen Now” tab puts artists and radio stations we think you’ll like front and center allowing you to start listening the minute you open your library.
When millions of songs just aren’t enough, Google Play Music lets you combine our collection with your own collection. You can store 20,000 songs for free online, and listen to them alongside the All Access catalogue on any Android device, or via the web at play.google.com. You can even ‘pin’ specific albums and playlists songs so they’re available offline.
Try it today for free for the first month and -- as a special introductory offer -- pay only EUR7.99 each month after that. Regular pricing for those who sign up after September 15 will be EUR9.99 a month, with a 30-day free trial.
With today’s launch, Google Play moves one step closer to your ultimate digital entertainment destination, where you can find, enjoy and share your favourite apps, games, books, movies, magazines, TV shows and music on your Android phone or tablet. Go ahead and start discovering a whole new world of music.
Posted by Paul Joyce, product manager for Google Play Music
