Basque Culinary Center Launches the Second Edition of the Gastronomic Restaurant Incubator in the Basque Country
Culinary Action! has opened registrations for the second edition of the Gastronomic Restaurant Incubator located in the Basque Country. This is an incubation program aimed at reinforcing gastronomic entrepreneurship and complements other Culinary Action! initiatives supporting technology-based entrepreneurship.
Culinary Action!, an entrepreneurship promotion initiative by Basque Culinary Center, presents the second edition of the Incubator for new Gastronomic Restaurants located in the Basque Country. It aims to strengthen its role as a catalyst for the new generation of gastronomic restaurants, helping generate ideas and projects that bring innovation, quality, and a unique approach to the table. The incubation program seeks to empower entrepreneurial talent by developing new proposals that enhance the innovative character of the region.
In 2022, the first edition of the Basque Country Gastronomic Restaurant Incubator selected Soto del Prior, the gastronomic proposal by Carlos Jordán Lasheras, as the idea that advanced the most in the Incubator. Meanwhile, the project Kiska, by the Perez Cuadrado brothers, Andoni, Julen, and Xabi, was chosen as the most innovative idea of the incubation program. Also present in the final in Donostia-San Sebastián were My Private Chef by José Ignacio Apostegui de la Torre, Vardul Gastrobeer by Ignacio Aguirre, Muy top by Pablo Odriozola, Bihurri (Miniature Cuisine) by Itoiz Urreta, and Kalejira Gastroteka by David Estévez and David Martín.
In this context, Culinary Action! presents the second edition of the incubation program for Gastronomic Restaurants aimed at individuals with innovative ideas seeking to bring them to life. Proposals can be submitted until July 15. Ideas in the "seed" stage that are innovative or disruptive and bring a quality and innovation differential to the concept of gastronomic restaurants are encouraged.
Personalized Incubation
Among all the proposals received, 10 will be selected and announced on July 28. The incubation process will consist of a nine-week stay and guidance (from September to November 2023) at the LABe – Digital Gastronomy Lab, an open innovation Living Lab of Basque Culinary Center. During this time, participants will receive weekly mentorships and bootcamps from experts in the restaurant industry. They will also benefit from personalized guidance provided by various mentors and receive training in various areas such as marketing and sales, finance, and management. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to conduct pilot tests of their solutions in an innovative environment before the final launch. Participants will have the chance to attend a private Demo Day on November 23 to present their value proposition to investors and corporations in the Basque Culinary Center network. Two winning projects will be selected: the Most Innovative Project and the Project with the Greatest Progress in the Incubator.
Throughout the process, participants will have access to Culinary Action!'s entrepreneurial expertise and the entire Basque Culinary Center ecosystem, as well as support from collaborators and institutional partners such as the Association of Hospitality Entrepreneurs of Gipuzkoa and AgroBank through various services. It's worth mentioning the support in mentoring and equipment from La Salve, which will provide €1,500 in personalized mentoring, as well as Araven, which will make a financial contribution of up to €2,000 for the two winning projects. Similarly, Fagor Professional will provide a financial contribution of €2,500 to the two winning proposals and offer mentoring and guidance for the design and development of their projects. Lastly, tSpoonLab will provide one month of trial use of their restaurant management software for each participant.
Experts
Some of the national and international experts, mentors, and investors in the Basque Culinary Center network include Paulo Airaudo (Amelia Restaurant), Aitor Arregi (Elkano Restaurant), Gonzalo Parras (Basque Culinary Center), Enrique Fleischmann (Fleischmann's Cooking Group), Mariasun Ibarrondo (Boroa Restaurant), Aitor Elizegi (GESCULINARY), Josean Merino (PerretxiCo), and Eduardo Serrano (AIDABE).
The new edition of Culinary Action!'s restaurant incubator is supported by the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability, and the Environment of the Basque Government, Hazi Fundazioa, and The Food Global Ecosystem. The initiative also involves collaboration from the Gipuzkoa Hospitality Association, La Salve, Araven, AgroBank, and Fagor Professional.