THE NATIONAL DIGITAL CONTENT POLE PROMOTES 224 ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROJECTS IN 2023
The National Digital Content Pole has closed the 2023 financial year with the promotion of a total of 224 entrepreneurship projects and incubated companies, which represents doubling the figure from the previous year. This advance consolidates this space of the Malaga City Council located in Tabacalera as a prominent actor in the Malaga digital innovation ecosystem, reinforcing its impact on the revitalization of startups, specialized training and the development of verticalized events in the technology sector, with special focus on the sector medium and entertainment. The delegate councilor for the Area of Innovation, Digitalization and Investment Capture, Alicia Izquierdo, presented this morning the balance for 2023 in the three aforementioned axes: revitalization, training and events.
In this sense, the profile of dynamic technology companies and startups falls into different stages of maturation: from initial phases where their main objective is to validate their business ideas, to stages in which their entire focus is on continuing to complete investment rounds. to be able to continue climbing. These are heterogeneous teams made up of an average of 4 professionals, whose purpose is to create in the present the products that citizens will use in the near future.
The promotion of these entrepreneurial projects has been channeled through different programs. Among them, the revitalization through the High Technology Incubator in Metaverse (IAT Metaverse) project stands out. Its activity began in 2023 at the Polo facilities and this year it will move to the new equipment that is close to completion. Financed by FEDER funds and the Malaga City Council through the INCYDE Foundation, the IAT Metaverse has created an advanced infrastructure to promote the transfer of knowledge in areas such as Web 3.0 and emerging technologies, including 6G, blockchain, artificial intelligence or XR. With 67 projects hosted and more than 217 hours of mentoring given, this collective effort has impacted more than 500 startups and professionals through the different initiatives launched in this first edition.
Along these same lines, the La Brújula , increased and extended. To this initiative we must add the 40 projects in a state of pre-incubation that have been promoted this year by the Go22Work initiative, promoted together with the School of Industrial Organization and focused on the video game and digital entertainment industry. In the field of acceleration, the Pole has opted for the internationalization of projects through initiatives such as the European Video Game Acceleration Program (EVA). With 2 accelerated video games from 29 countries, this edition demonstrates the Polo's ability to promote innovation and business success at various stages of development.
Also in this section, the accelerator hosted at the Pole, Startup Wise Guys launched the second edition of the Wise Guys XR program for startups focused on the development of the metaverse, offering up to 100.000 euros of convertible investment, as well as follow-up opportunities. On the other hand, Cooking&Publishing has continued its trajectory in 2023 with the publication of 47 video games on different platforms.
TRAINING: PILLAR FOR THE DIGITAL FUTURE
In this year, 25 training sessions have been launched, reaching 2.700 hours of instruction and benefiting 507 students. In this sense, the University of Malaga has repeated its successful Master in video game creation, and the CPIFP Alan Turing has continued with his FP Master in Video Game Development and Virtual Reality, thus strengthening advanced training in the Polo ecosystem. In addition, collaborations have been launched with entities such as the EOI, Vodafone and Reelevant, who have provided specialized training in 5G technology and bootcamps programming. In parallel, Academia 42 of the Telefónica Foundation has provided education to 680 students within the framework of its innovative teaching methodology.
It should be noted that 2023 has marked a milestone in the training section with the signing of a new agreement with the INCYDE Foundation, which contemplates the implementation of 96 training actions until 2027 with an investment of 4 million euros. In fact, in the economic section, with 11 signed agreements and a total investment of 4.586.789,44 euros, the Polo demonstrates its commitment to technological and business development.
EPICENTER OF THE INDIE VIDEO GAME ECOSYSTEM
The Polo has been the scene of 156 activities and revitalization events in 2023 designed to reinforce the networking and stimulate synergies within the ecosystem tech. An increase of more than 35% that consolidates the space as a leading light in the digital sector at the national level. It is worth highlighting the celebration of the V Edition of Indie Games Málaga, and the new calls for MálagaJam and the Indie Spain Jam gala, which have highlighted the Polo's position as the epicenter for the independent video game community in Spain. In this sense, Indie Games Málaga has climbed positions with the organization of three additional professional events and the awards ceremony was held at FYCMA (Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga).
On the other hand, the National Digital Content Pole has strengthened its position as a driving agent in 2023, collaborating with entities such as the ONCE Foundation and Andalucía Agrotech DIH to promote digitalization and digital entrepreneurship from Malaga. Furthermore, the incorporation of new driving companies such as Naolito and BeByte, along with the continuity of reference entities such as OWO and Forgotten Empires, enriches the ecosystem, bringing innovation and diversity to the facilities.
