Thursday, January 15, 2026 - 18:30
- The Director of Igape, Covadonga Toca, took part in the inauguration of the accelerator’s ‘Startup Day Incubation’, where she highlighted Galicia’s innovation ecosystem and the support model for entrepreneurship promoted by the Regional Government.
- She underlined that this initiative offers comprehensive support for entrepreneurial projects, with specialised mentoring and financial backing.
- She stressed that the Business Factory Sport is part of the Galician network of sectoral accelerators, a model based on public-private collaboration that has already driven forward more than 830 innovative projects, creating over 1,400 skilled jobs.
- She recalled that Galicia’s R&D effort now stands at around 1.3% of GDP and that the region has consolidated its position as the sixth most dynamic ecosystem in Spain, with more than 400 technology companies and nearly 3,000 jobs created.
- Vigo, 15 January 2026
- The Director of Igape, Covadonga Toca, took part this morning in the inauguration of the ‘Startup Day Incubation’ of the Business Factory Sport (BFSport), where she highlighted the role of this accelerator as a strategic tool to boost innovative entrepreneurship in the field of sport and wellbeing.
- During the event, held at the Real Club Náutico de Vigo, Toca Carús stressed that Galicia is experiencing “a particularly favourable moment for innovation”, with an ecosystem that is “diverse, balanced and growing”, in which innovation is spreading throughout the whole territory and across multiple sectors.
- In this regard, she recalled that Galicia’s R&D effort now stands at around 1.3% of GDP and that the region has consolidated its position as the sixth most dynamic ecosystem in Spain, with more than 400 technology companies, nearly 3,000 jobs created and a turnover of more than 290 million euros.
- The Director of Igape underlined that these results stem from a clear strategy of the Regional Government based “on public-private collaboration, sectoral specialisation and continuous support for entrepreneurs and companies”, a vision from which the Business Factory Sport was precisely born.
- In this context, Toca Carús highlighted sport and wellbeing as a strategic sector, with the capacity to generate innovation, industry and quality employment. “They mean health, technology, industry and economy, but they are also a real opportunity to create innovative companies with a vocation for growth and internationalisation,” she stated.
- The Galician model
- The Business Factory Sport is integrated into the Galician model of Business Factories, a network of sectoral accelerators that has positioned Galicia as a benchmark in applied innovation and public-private collaboration, with consolidated initiatives in fields such as the automotive industry (BFAuto), the aerospace sector (BFAero), the agri-food industry (BFFood), sustainability (BF ClimaTech) or transversal entrepreneurship (VíaGalicia).
- Toca Carús also highlighted the financial and operational support that the programme provides to the participating projects. Through Igape, the Regional Government co-finances 80% of the accelerator’s operating costs, allowing the teams to focus on product development, business model validation and market entry. This support is complemented by the role of XesGalicia, which strengthens financial backing in the subsequent phases of growth and consolidation.
- With regard to the projects presented during the day, she pointed out that they are “a very good example of this approach and this ecosystem”, with market-oriented initiatives that have a strong innovative component and ambition to grow from Galicia.
- The head of Igape concluded by recalling that the Business Factory Sport is “a long-term bet on Galicia: on our talent, on innovation and on the future of sport and wellbeing in our land”.
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