At our Samborondón Campus, we reached a milestone for the Entrepreneurship Center by awarding diplomas to the first cohort of the Entrepreneurship Mentors Microcredential, a training program developed by Impulso ECOTEC in partnership with Company Game of Spain. This initiative is a key step toward building a strategic network aimed at connecting our future entrepreneurs with key players across the ecosystem.
This first cohort is made up of prominent leaders from the public and private sectors, including Fernando Flores, President of Parques de la Paz; Xavier Cárdenas of Agrosoft Latam; Adriana Vásquez, Executive President of Marquesa Group; María del Carmen Gómez, corporate attorney at Gómez Lince y Asociados; Katherine Calero, M.A., Dean of the School of Communication, Humanities, and Creativity; and Ana María Gallardo, Vice Prefect of Guayas. Following this training, they take on the responsibility of supporting and guiding the creators of new projects, enabling a direct connection between academia, private enterprise and government.
What the new entrepreneurship mentors say
The experience and networking capacity of these professionals will make it possible to share knowledge and contacts that strengthen the growth of new ventures. Adriana Vásquez highlighted the value of this support: “For me, it’s very important to be able to help new and future entrepreneurs. It’s vital to have the support of experienced people who already know the work, to validate knowledge before taking it into the real world.” She added about the training process: “I loved this mini challenge because it took me out of the beliefs I had; I liked the format, and I came away greatly enriched in terms of what we’ll be able to offer through mentoring.”
Fernando Flores, for his part, emphasized the need for innovation in the productive sector, driven by academia through creativity: “Learning through the Microcredential was very interesting; it gives us a clear understanding of the mentor’s role in this new experience for ECOTEC students and entrepreneurs. For us, it’s about guiding them and giving them the opportunity to question what they want to do, how they want to do it and, above all, to find a purpose in it.”
An innovation ecosystem and a second cohort
For our institution, mentors are the heart of any innovation ecosystem. Efrén Avilés, Coordinator of Impulso ECOTEC, noted that forming this group “is a hugely important milestone for the university and for the ecosystem.” He also underscored the vital role of the partnership with Company Game, through which the simulators used in the entrepreneurship course were developed, this being the first step in fostering students’ development.
As we mark our 20 years as an institution, at ECOTEC we continue to strengthen partnerships and create spaces that connect academia with the productive sector, opening new opportunities for those who seek to turn their ideas into purpose-driven projects.
We will soon launch the second cohort of the Entrepreneurship Mentors Microcredential, consolidating Impulso ECOTEC as a connector within the ecosystem and strengthening a community of mentors that brings together different categories of stakeholders, according to the MIT framework: Academia, Entrepreneurs, Corporate, Finance and Government.
At ECOTEC, every idea is an opportunity to Explore new paths, Lead with purpose and Transform our surroundings.
What is Impulso ECOTEC?
It is a comprehensive center that connects the university community with a dynamic world in which innovation and entrepreneurship are the fundamental pillars. This space is designed to transform projects, offering a range of resources such as coworking spaces, mentoring programs, innovation challenges, training and investor networks that will allow students to turn their ideas into businesses.
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