The Álava Emprende initiative presented its 2026 programme of activities last week. With this edition, 23 years of promoting and fostering entrepreneurship in the territory are being celebrated, years that have turned this initiative into a benchmark and a unifying space for agents and initiatives related to entrepreneurship in Álava. The Provincial Council of Álava, the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, the Basque Government—through the SPRI Group and BIC Araba—and Vital Fundazioa presented today at a press conference the details of this programme, which in 2026 will be held under the title “Entrepreneurial Contagion.”
With this central idea, Álava Emprende aims on this occasion to emphasise the need to focus on existing examples of entrepreneurship in the territory, to support and give them visibility, and to highlight their value so that their example contributes to an expansion—to that “contagion”—to other people who may have a business idea and are considering launching it.
Alongside this idea, the importance of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Álava is also highlighted, where the wide range of agents, support schemes, spaces and initiatives represent an exceptional breeding ground for launching new entrepreneurial projects.
The Provincial Councillor for Economic Development and Sustainability of the Provincial Council of Álava, Saray Zarate; the Councillor for Economic Promotion, Trade, Employment and Tourism of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, María Nanclares; the Director of Entrepreneurship and Internationalisation of the Basque Government, Ane Miren de Ariño; and the Executive Director of Vital Fundazioa, Idoia Aguillo, outlined the details of this edition, which took its first steps on January 28 with the School Companies Fair and which today announced its main events to be held this spring.
Idea competition with 11 awards
One of the core actions of this programme is the Tu Idea Cuenta competition, which celebrates its 22nd anniversary this year. The presentation launched the 2026 edition of this competition, which rewards the best entrepreneurial ideas and projects in the territory. There will be a total of 11 awards, with prize money exceeding €10,000, made possible thanks to the collaboration of various sponsoring entities: Vital Fundazioa Foundation, Aclima (Basque Environmental Cluster), Gasteiz ON, Eroski, Michelin Foundation, i+Med, RPK, University of Deusto, Mobility Lab Vitoria-Gasteiz and Data Value Management.
Main categories for the 2026 edition:
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Vital Fundazioa Award for Best Idea
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Aclima Award for Most Sustainable Idea
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Gasteiz ON Award for Commerce and Tourism
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Eroski Award for Best Agri-food Initiative
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Michelin Foundation Award for Best Industrial Initiative
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i+Med Award for Best Health-related Initiative
All main categories are endowed with €1,000.
In addition, several special and cumulative awards will be granted:
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RPK Special Award for Business Social Transformation
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Vitoria-Gasteiz Mobility Lab Special Award for the Promotion of Sustainable Mobility and Logistics
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University of Deusto Special Award (through Deusto Emprende) for Best Project Presentation
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Data Value Management Special Award for the project that best incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Each special award is also endowed with €1,000. In addition, there will be a Public Choice Special Award, worth €300, chosen by the audience attending the finalist presentations.
The application period is now open and will run until March 13. The rules can be consulted at alavaemprende.com. The jury, made up of different entrepreneurial agents from the territory, will select the finalists in early April. The process also includes an event to announce the selected projects for public pitching and specific training for the people responsible for these presentations, helping them to synthesise their ideas and gain confidence when defending their projects.
During the first half of May, the finalist ideas presentation event of the 22nd edition of “Tu Idea Cuenta” will take place. Entrepreneurs will have five minutes to present their ideas to the audience and jury and demonstrate that their projects deserve the award. The event is open to the public with prior registration via alavaemprende.com.
It is worth noting that nearly 1,000 entrepreneurial initiatives have taken part in this competition throughout its history, reflecting the creative potential and innovative capacity of the people of Álava, of all ages and from very diverse fields.
Guidance and inspiration at Ekin Day
As every year, Ekin Day will be the central event of Álava Emprende. On this occasion, it will be held on May 21 at the Europa Conference Centre, becoming a meeting point and a space for inspiration and networking. The event will have two clearly differentiated parts:
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A first part focused on guidance for entrepreneurs, with special attention to financing.
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A second part focused on inspiration, featuring a person with an outstanding entrepreneurial track record, as well as a significant space for recognition and award-giving.
At the event, the awards of the “Tu Idea Cuenta” competition and the Álava Emprende 2026 Awards will be announced and presented, recognising a young entrepreneurial initiative and an outstanding professional career.
Attendance at both parts of the day will be free with prior registration on the Álava Emprende website. The full programme will be announced in the coming weeks.
Ekin Coffee: Entrepreneurship meet-up programme
Álava Emprende will also run a new programme of Ekin Coffee, small free thematic meet-ups on different sectors and aspects of entrepreneurship in the territory. Last year, five in-person meet-ups were held, with around 15 entrepreneurial initiatives represented and approximately 220 attendees.
These meet-ups serve both as a showcase for companies presenting their experiences and as a space for support and inspiration for people who may be in the process of starting their entrepreneurial journey.
The Ekin Coffee programme already has a strong track record and, during 2025, underwent a certain transformation, seeking different venues closely linked to each theme and building synergies with leading organisations in each field. Under this approach, meet-ups were held in collaboration with DIGA-EIDE, focused on entrepreneurship in design, and with APIKA, focused on entrepreneurship in the audiovisual industry. Some sessions were also held at the Basaldea Agroecological Business Centre in Abetxuko to learn about examples of people who have started businesses in the agricultural sector.
This year’s Ekin Coffee programme starts on Thursday, February 12, and will focus on Entrepreneurship Grants available in the territory. The meeting will take place at Arkabia from 9:30 a.m., where representatives from the Provincial Council of Álava, the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, BIC Araba and Mendinet will explain the deadlines, details and characteristics of municipal, provincial, regional, national and rural support schemes available to entrepreneurs.
A leading virtual entrepreneurship space in Euskadi
In recent years, alavaemprende.com has become the leading virtual reference space for entrepreneurship not only in the territory but across Euskadi. During 2025, the website received nearly 20,000 visits and regularly reported on all entrepreneurship-related news.
The website is conceived as a hub for all activities carried out within the Álava Emprende initiative and also serves to highlight entrepreneurs and projects.
The site includes specific sections where users can consult current grants and subsidies for entrepreneurial projects, learn about the different spaces in Álava where entrepreneurial activities can be developed, and access the catalogue of entities that make up the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Álava.
Álava Emprende also has an active social media strategy to disseminate entrepreneurial activity in the territory through year-round original content. Currently, the X profile has around 2,300 followers, Facebook has 723 followers, LinkedIn has 1,216 followers, and Instagram has 578 followers, being the most recently created and the fastest-growing profile over the last year. The initiative also has a YouTube channel, which serves as a repository of all organised events and accumulated nearly 800 views last year.
Álava Emprende encourages everyone who is already undertaking or who would like to start a business in Álava to join this growing community. Finally, it should be noted that a monthly newsletter with the latest sector news is sent to more than 1,000 subscribers.
School Companies Fair
On January 28, the first milestone of Álava Emprende 2026 took place with the School Companies Fair at the Pergola in Santa Bárbara Square. This event represents the final showcase of the Ikasenpresa programme, through which vocational training students from different centres in Álava can experience the business world from the classroom and develop their entrepreneurial potential.
This year, 73 school business projects or ideas were presented from seven vocational training centres in Álava:
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CIFP Mendizabala LHII
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CIFP Ciudad Jardín LHII
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Eraiken CIFP Construcción LHII
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Egibide Jesús Obrero
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Egibide Arriaga
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Egibide Molinuevo
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CIFP Agrario de Arkaute LHII
Participation reached record figures, with 26 more school companies than in the previous edition. The projects presented are a clear example of the enormous entrepreneurial talent of young people in the territory and their potential to provide new solutions to today’s societal challenges.
As every year, the Fair hosted diverse and innovative proposals, with technology as one of the main areas of business development, along with sustainability from very different perspectives, and other areas of strong interest to students such as food and sport.
The Provincial Councillor for Economic Development and Sustainability of the Provincial Council of Álava, Saray Zarate; the Councillor for Economic Promotion, Trade, Employment and Tourism of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, María Nanclares; the Director of Entrepreneurship and Internationalisation of the Basque Government, Ane Miren de Ariño; the Director of Digital Transformation and Advanced Learning of the Department of Education, Inge Gorostiaga; and the Executive Director of Vital Fundazioa, Idoia Aguillo, visited the School Companies Fair, one of the initiative Álava Emprende’s main annual milestones. This activity is held every year as the closing event of the Ikasenpresa programme, coordinated by the Basque Institute of Talent in Vocational Training. Through this programme, intermediate and advanced vocational training students from different centres across Álava can engage with the business world from the classroom, awakening and strengthening their entrepreneurial skills. The Fair allows vocational training students to present, explain and test their ideas in front of the public, assessing their potential viability or the need to make adjustments to meet market demands.
26 more school companies than in the previous edition
In this edition, framed within the Álava Emprende 2026 programme, 73 school projects or business ideas were presented, coming from seven vocational training centres in Álava: CIFP Mendizabala LHII, CIFP Ciudad Jardín LHII, Eraiken CIFP Construcción LHII, Egibide Jesús Obrero, Egibide Arriaga, Egibide Molinuevo and CIFP Agrario de Arkaute LHII.
A notable highlight is the significant increase in participating school companies, with 26 more than in the same activity in 2025. The event took place under the pergola in Santa Bárbara Square in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., the Fair was open to the entire public, offering a wide catalogue of products and services born from the creativity of young vocational training students. Technology was one of the main areas on which students focused their proposals, with ideas such as a driving simulator, a smart safe, or a web platform to optimise space in transport.
Another major thematic block addressed by these business proposals was sustainability, from very diverse perspectives: from creating a smart recycling container, to launching a brand for collecting second-hand clothing, or developing an app to promote the circular economy. Food was another of the most explored business areas, with proposals ranging from gluten-free products, to a food truck project, or the creation of “100% Álava picadillo.” Sport, an area of particular interest to young audiences, also inspired original business ideas, such as “protective legs” for sports practice, an app to bring athletes together and connect them, or the development of sports shoes that detect sounds. Emerging from a creative environment and from young people closely connected to the latest trends, the Fair also makes it possible to discover innovative ideas such as a clothing line for people with reduced mobility or a project involving smart partitions.
These projects and the rest of those showcased today in Santa Bárbara Square are a clear sign of the enormous talent of vocational training students in our territory and their potential to offer new solutions to the current challenges facing society. The Ikasenpresa educational programme, promoted by the Basque Government’s Department of Education and within which these business projects are conceived, is characterised by a fully hands-on learning methodology and the creation of an innovative educational environment. Today’s School Companies Fair brings this academic year’s programme to a close and allows students to showcase all the work carried out and to test the suitability of their ideas and projects with real customers.
Start of Álava Emprende 2026 activities
This event has also served as the starting point for the 2026 activities included within the Álava Emprende programme, which will unveil the rest of its schedule later this week. This initiative is promoted by the Provincial Council of Álava, the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, and the Basque Government—through the SPRI Group and BIC Araba—together with Vital Fundazioa, and its aim is to promote entrepreneurship in the Álava territory.
Among the annual flagship events of this programme are the Tu Idea Cuenta competition, which awards business ideas from people in Álava at different stages of development and which last year received more than 60 applications, and the main event, Ekin Day, which seeks to be a meeting point for the Álava entrepreneurial ecosystem and a space for inspiration and learning where experiences of entrepreneurship and innovation are shared. The main event is also the setting for the presentation of the Emprender en Álava Awards, which recognise both an emerging example of entrepreneurship and an outstanding professional track record in the territory.
