The ADSA Mentor Network complements the acceleration programme and lasts until the project end, giving companies the chance to receive feedback and help from experts in the topics of scaling up, internationalization and specific competences from the business world.
The ADSA mentors provide assistance to ADSA companies interested in developing their activity in the mentors’ regions.
The ADSA Mentors
Ana Suárez Lena
Assistant Director and EU Projects, CEEI Bahía de Cádiz
Ana has been working in CEEI Bahía Cádiz February 1998, being involved in the different departments (Consultancy, Training, Projects, …). In 2011, takes over the responsibility of leading the Training and Education Department, responsibility that combines with the previous responsibilities and the coordination of the Cádiz Business Angels Network.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Strategic and Business Planning; Partner’s search and Networking opportunities; Good knowledge of the local Entrepreneurship ecosystem; Local and regional public sources of finance; Private financing: Business Angels.
CONTACT
Telephone: +34 956 860654 (office) / Email: asuarez@ceeicadiz.com / Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anasuarezlena/
Bretagne Commerce International
BCI (BRETAGNE COMMERCE INTERNATIONAL) is the correspondent for Business France in Bretagne. They provide free confidential assistance to foreign companies through the different stages of their project to expand their business. As part of ADSA project, they will provide support mainly in two different areas (see below).
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Data collection : Information on key economic sectors in Brittany (IT, Health, Agriculture, Food Industry, Biotech…) and basic information on law and fiscal regulation in France.
Business meetings : Set up B2B meetings with key business leaders in the region.
If ADSA startups need further assistance, they can put them through a consulting company.
CONTACT
First Contact Point: Pauline PRESSE pauline.presse@tech-brest-iroise.fr
Carrie McCafferty
Business Development Executive, Enterprise North West
Carrie McCafferty has 9 years experience in Enterprise North West on successive business start up programmes and international trade links programmes. She is a mentor on a number of different growth and innovation programmes, and is a director of a few of companies in her own right.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Innovation Management & Business Development; Entrepreneurship.
CONTACT
First Contact Point: Claire Costello claire@enterprisenw.com
Ignacio Paton
Foreign trade advisor & Enterprise Europe Network, Andalusian Council of Chambers of Commerce
Bachelor on Business Administration, working in Innovation and Business Development Department at the Andalusia Council of Chambers of Commerce, providing support to entrepreneurs and SMEs, senior staff of Enterprise Europe Network, KAM of SME Instrument. Dealing with innovation, business centers and regional administration stakeholders; and mainly focusing on providing SMEs with a competitive advantage through out innovation and internationalization.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Strategic and Business Planning; Partner’s search and Networking opportunities; Good knowledge of the local Entrepreneurship ecosystem; Local and regional public sources of finance; Business oportunities. Fluent in Englsih and Spanish.
CONTACT
Telephone: +34 954 501 303 Email: misiones@camarasandalucia.org
Jean Noel Nunez
CEO of Promoparcs
Graduated with a double Master in Business Administration and Local Economic Development. Jean Noel has created a company in the field of entertainment, PromoParcs, and has currently 5 employees and has experienced double digit growth since its creation.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Entrepreneurship.
CONTACTS:
First Contact Point: Alexis Nault alexis.nault@spn.asso.fr
João Pereira
Director, Digital @ Portugal Ventures
João is Investment Director with a focus on Digital at Portugal Ventures, considered by CB Insights the most active venture capital team in Portugal. He has 20 years of accumulated venture capital investment experience, having managed and led the Finicia, Actec and Call for Entrepreneurship initiatives, intervening in more than 100 early stage investments. Of its current investment portfolio are startups such as Aptoide, Bitsight, B-Parts, DefinedCrowd, Displax, Fever, GetSocial, JScrambler, Mapidea, Science4You and Zaask. Examples of recent exits: Shiftforward (acquired by Velocidi), Outsystems (acquired by North Bridge), Anubis Networks (acquired by Bitsight) and Gleam (acquired by Farfetch). He is regularly invited as a trainer and lecturer in the areas of investment, strategy and marketing, collaborating with Porto Business School (Digital Business), IPAM (Global Marketing) and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (Technology Commercialisation). He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Economics from the Faculty of Economics of University of Porto.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Digital startups, venture capital investing, marketing, strategy
CONTACT
First contact: cjsantos@reit.up.pt t: +351 220 408 272
John Magee
Head of Enterprise, Mayo Local Enterprise Office
John’s primary focus is to further develop Mayo’s indigenous enterprise sector. John brings a breadth of experience and knowledge of the sector and an excellent working relationship with many of the small businesses in County Mayo. Mayo Local Enterprise Office offers a range of supports to new and existing businesses in Mayo including: Training, Mentoring, Advice & Financial Assistance. John’s work includes providing a strategic overview of the challenges and opportunities that face the County’s businesses and then working with his team to develop and roll out accessible and pragmatic responses to these challenges and opportunities. John’s academic background includes a BA in Sociology & Geography, a Masters in European Social Policy Analysis (both from NUI Maynooth) and Certificates in Managing Change and Local Government Studies.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Management and Business Development; Strategic and Business Planning
CONTACT
Tel: +353 94 9047555 Email: jmagee@mayococo.ie
Jorge Pimenta
Project Manager, growing disruptive startups@IPN
Entrepreneur, speaker, mentor and startup enthusiast. Forecasting innovation and entrepreneurship at IPN. Previously, also a strong track record regarding business development in B2B channels/markets and in defining sustainable go-to-market strategies, combining national and international experience in various geographies (mainly Europe and Brazil) and segments (Retail, Media&Publishing and IT).
AREAs OF EXPERTISE
Generation of innovative business models; Management and Business Development; Funding and Venture Capital
CONTACT
First Contact Point: Ana Seguro aseguro@ipn.pt
Marina Espinosa Traverso
Senior consultant at CEEI Bahía de Cadiz
Graduated in Chemistry Science. Technician in prevention of risk at workplace with specialization in work, industrial hygiene and ergonomy and applied psicosociology. Internal audit of quality, environmental, food security and security and health in the workplace management systems. Masters Degree in industrial technology and management. Senior consultant at CEEI Bahía de Cadiz since 2007, providing support to entrepreneurs and SMEs.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Strategic and Business Planning; Good knowledge of the local Entrepreneurship ecosystem; Audits of Quality, Environmental, Security and Food Security Management Systems; Socioeconomic studies; Information on local and regional public sources of finance.
CONTACT
Telephone: +34 956 860654 (office) / Email: mespinosa@ceeicadiz.com /
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinaespinosatraverso/
Paul McGuirk
Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Cork City
Paul has worked in the local economic development sector for over 20 years and has a good knowledge of the local entrepreneurship ecosystem as well as local and national sources of finance. Paul oversees the implementation of a wide range of initiatives that help to strengthen and grow businesses based in Cork City. Supports range from grant aid for manufacturing and internationally traded service companies to a suite of soft supports such as mentoring and management development training for all small businesses.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Management and Business Development; Strategic and Business Planning.
CONTACT
First contact Ivan McCutcheon, LEO Cork City Tel: +353 86 8546717 Email: ivan_mccutcheon@leo.corkcity.ie
Paulo Santos
Executive Director of IPN Accelerator
Paulo has got an Undergraduate Degree in Economics by the Coimbra University (1998) and a specialization in Financing & Investment Projects by the same institution (2004). He started his career in 1998 -1999 as junior consultant in investment projects and some Portuguese programs for SME’s competitiveness, working for local and national development entities in the Coimbra Region. Since 2001 he assumed the Executive Direction of Instituto Pedro Nunes Business Incubator where the main responsibilities and tasks assumed are: general coordination of the Business Incubator activities and staff; consultancy, to provide support and assessment services to entrepreneurs in the fields of general management and business planning; to provide brokerage services in order to promote the cooperation between incubatees and the different research groups and departments in the Coimbra University; general promotion of the Business Incubator activities; coordination of training courses in the fields of entrepreneurship, business planning, etc.; to provide management support to national and UE R&D projects. In July 2008 Paulo assumed also the Direction of Business Development & Internationalisation activities at Crioestaminal – Saúde e Tecnologia, S.A., a very successful start-up created in IPN-Business Incubator.
AREAs OF EXPERTISE
Management and Business Development; Strategic and Business Planning ; Entrepreneurship
CONTACTS:
First Contact Point: Ana Seguro aseguro@ipn.pt
Rui Miranda
Coordinator of IPN TECBIS-BUSINESS ACCELERATOR
Rui has graduated in Business Administration by FEUC (2005) and has a Master’s in Business Administration with a major in Finance, Accounting and Control by Universidade Católica Portuguesa (2009). He was an Assistant Professor at FCTUC, between 2013 and 2017, lecturing Entrepreneurship and Business Administration at the Masters in Informatics Engineering. Rui has more than 10 years of experience in business consulting, especially focused on supporting technological based startups and scaleups. Today, he manages the IPN Business Accelerator, an initiative of IPN, that fosters innovative tech-based firms with high growth potential by offering a set of diversified services focused on improving their internationalisation capabilities and increasing their technological intensity through cooperation with the national and international scientific and technological system.
AREAs OF EXPERTISE
Entrepreneurship and Business Administration; Internationalization
CONTACT
First Contact Point: Ana Seguro aseguro@ipn.pt
Sean O’Coisdealbha
Regional Development Executive, Údarás na Gaeltachta
Sean’s main role is in supporting the development of new and existing business in the Gaeltacht Region of the West of Ireland, and helping them to develop new markets, technologies, products and strategic alliances. He has worked in a number of sectors including regional development, micro enterprise development and SME development which has helped him develop a broad understanding of business from early stage development, start-up, systems management (specifically quality management) development to innovation and market discovery. He has also been involved in a number of European Projects (Digi2Market (Augmented & Virtual Reality) GREAT (Smart Grid), ANCOIRM (Coastal Zone Management) and others. In his spare time Sean is a director of a number of local social enterprises including a bi-lingual Arts Facility (Aras Inis Gluaire) and a world-class golf complex (Carne Golf Links)
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Management and Business Development; Strategic and Business Planning.
CONTACT
Tel: +353 97 81418 Email: socoisdealbha@udaras.ie