- The event kicked off its fourth edition at Bizkaia’s B Accelerator Tower (BAT), with a full day focused on sustainability, digitalization, and the future of energy, Industry 4.0 and sustainable mobility.
- “Decades ago, our economy was heavy industry; today it is innovation, digitalization and sustainability thanks to a firm commitment to open innovation,” highlighted Joseba Mariezkurrena, Director General for Entrepreneurship, Talent and Business Competitiveness at the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia.
- South Summit Industry & Energy 2025, co-organized with the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, will conclude tomorrow with additional contributions from leading experts in the energy, mobility and Industry 4.0 ecosystem, including Elena de Pablo (Ecosystem Manager, EIT Manufacturing), Neil Du Preez (founder of MellowVans), and Ainara Basurko, Provincial Deputy for Economic Promotion at the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia.
South Summit Industry & Energy 2025, co-organized by South Summit and the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, opened today its fourth edition at Bizkaia’s B Accelerator Tower (BAT) with a day dedicated to innovation, energy transition, sustainable mobility and Industry 4.0.
During the opening ceremony, María Benjumea, President and Founder of South Summit, emphasized that “innovation and collaboration between all actors are essential to generate the kind of connections that lead to real business in a market that moves so fast.” She also underlined “the opportunities Bizkaia offers to connect with the ecosystem.”
For his part, Joseba Mariezkurrena, Director General for Entrepreneurship, Talent and Business Competitiveness at the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, stressed that “decades ago our economy was heavy industry; today it is innovation, digitalization and sustainability thanks to a firm commitment to open innovation. The energy sector today employs more than 15,000 people in Bizkaia and generates €25 billion in revenue.”
Mariezkurrena also highlighted that “South Summit is far more than an event. It is a platform that connects ideas with entrepreneurship, technology with the market, and people with the future.”
The day’s first keynote was delivered by Mateo Salvatto, founder and CEO of Asteroid Technologies. In his address, Structures for Impact that Scale, he shared his vision on building socially impactful companies through technology—and how such companies can transform entire industries. Salvatto noted that “when you understand that building a better world through technology depends only on people, that’s when you start changing the lives of those around you.” He also stressed that “changing the world is not just a motivational phrase, nor something reserved for heroes—it’s for anyone with a meaningful purpose.”
Mobility, Industry and digitalization: a shared vision of the future
Sustainable mobility, Industry 4.0 and technological integration were some of the central themes of South Summit Industry & Energy 2025.
In a conversation on the future of urban mobility and the decarbonization of transport, Vicente Pascual, co-founder of Cabify and Vice President of its Logistics division, noted: “Our goal was not only to make urban mobility more accessible, but to make cities better places to live. For an entrepreneur, the most important thing is being very aware of the problem you want to solve.”
In the panel Converging Forces: When Industry, Mobility & Energy Collide, Fernando Casado (co-founder and General Partner, Inclimo Climate Tech Fund), Paz Guzmán (Economic Advisor, European Investment Bank), Marisol Menéndez (Founder & CEO, Billakatu), and Joan Puiggros (Senior Business Development Manager, Multiverse Computing) discussed opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, transformative solutions, and how these interconnected industries are shaping a net-zero future.
The panelists agreed that “the only way to address major climate and competitiveness challenges is through real convergence between industry, energy and mobility, fostering multisector collaboration, strategic financing and the intelligent use of technologies such as AI to accelerate decarbonization and strengthen Europe’s leadership.”
In the industrial sphere, Joe Haslam, Director of the Owners Scaleup Program at IE Business School, and José Fernández-Díez, CEO of MONOM, offered a strategic perspective on how interconnected systems, data and digital innovation drive industrial growth and sustainability. Fernández-Díez stressed that “a solid data strategy will not only improve productivity—it will prevent errors. Many companies are still failing to take advantage of these processes, and it’s a mistake.”
Networking and closing ceremony
The opening day concluded with an exclusive visit to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, where guests explored some of its most notable exhibitions before enjoying a networking cocktail in a unique setting.
Tomorrow morning, attendees will visit several innovation hubs across the region—an opportunity for startups, corporations and investors to discover firsthand some of Bizkaia’s strategic spaces that foster talent, entrepreneurship and technological development.
Day two will feature additional experts from the ecosystem, including Elena de Pablo (Ecosystem Manager, EIT Manufacturing) and Neil Du Preez (Founder of MellowVans). Ainara Basurko, Provincial Deputy for Economic Promotion of the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, will also join the program.
Attendees will additionally meet the startup finalists of South Summit Industry & Energy 2025, an edition that has reached 95% international representation, the highest to date. Entrepreneurs from countries such as Germany, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, France, Mexico, and Chile will present solutions in renewable energy, sustainable mobility, Industry 4.0 and operational efficiency.
About South Summit
South Summit is the global platform that brings together all stakeholders across the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem to foster the development of business opportunities among them. Its flagship event is South Summit Madrid, co-organized with IE University, which over its fourteen editions has welcomed more than 42,500 startups. Through its Startup Competition—from which nine unicorns have emerged—more than 1,500 finalist startups have taken part, with a 90% survival rate and $19 billion in funding raised. Startups interested in applying to the next edition of the Startup Competition for South Summit Madrid 2026 can submit their applications until January 15, 2026.
After editions in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina, South Summit held its fourth edition in Brazil, also co-organized with IE University, in April 2025. This latest edition brought together more than 23,000 attendees from 62 countries, including over 3,000 startups, 800 speakers, and 900 investors with a combined investment portfolio valued at $215 billion. South Summit Brazil is already preparing its fifth edition, which will take place from March 25 to 27, 2026, in Porto Alegre.
