This time, in El Periscopio, we discuss design and the industrial sector with Oriol Pascualfounder and CEO of Etapa 2. With him, we learn more about his company, which supports and backs the founders of European industrial technology, and we also discuss the industrial sector, technology and startups.
The strength of the industrial sector
Oriol is a firm believer in the industrial sector. Strong and competitive economies are those with a solid industrial sector.
"Strong economies are those in which at least 20%, if not 25%, of GDP comes from productive, transformative and industrial sectors." Oriol emphasizes.
In 2014, while working for a technical university in Barcelona, Oriol launched a startup program for industrial ventures, focusing on entrepreneurship and support for university students. At the time, the startup ecosystem had grown significantly, but there was little support for industrial startups.
Entrepreneurship through experience
Eight years later, after supporting 82 startups, Pascual, together with 10 partners, founded Stage 2 to address a market need.
During his time at the university, he realized that startups with 2-3 years of existence that had functional prototypes and had developed new technologies or products often had only one patent and a few units. However, they did not know how to scale and industrialize their businesses.
Etapa 2 provided a solution to this problem, becoming one of the first organizations to support new industrial enterprises.
Startups in the digital world
When we talk about entrepreneurship and startups, we refer to a structured and methodological process to create new business projects and validate business ideas.
This type of business emerged hand in hand with the rise of digital technologies and the rise of the Internet. As a result, the concepts of business venture and entrepreneurship are often closely related to digital solutions or digitized services such as e-commerce, rentals or sharing platforms.
Winner takes all
Oriol explains that in the digital world, the focus is not so much on generating revenue but on gaining market share and acquiring users. Over time, the company becomes the industry leader. This is known as a winner-take-all strategy. Examples include Airbnb and Amazon.
"The dynamics of the digital world tend to create a dominant position player that takes over an entire sector" says Pascual.
New industrial start-ups are gaining ground
Oriol is optimistic. Analyzing the evolution of the digital and healthcare sectors in Catalonia and Spain, he recalls that 20 years ago, few people were investing in these fields.
Today, things have changed. Barcelona is considered the third best city in Europe to start a business and has a mature ecosystem with many players.
Our guest believes that the industrial sector is now following this path and, in a few years, could become as important as the others.
Industrialization is the real challenge
Validating technology is one thing, but validating industrialization is another.
"Elon Musk always says prototyping is easy, but industrialization is very difficult," Oriol points out.
Companies face a major challenge when it comes to validating their industrial processes. Despite having innovative technologies, they need capital and few private investors are willing to help startups find their footing. Stage 2 aims to bridge that gap.
Industrial sector design
The role of design in the industrial sector is crucial. Oriol explains that it has evolved significantly in recent years. It used to be more artistic and aesthetic, but today it is more strategic and focused on engineering. It plays a vital role.
"Designers bring magic to the product," says Pascual.
A designer's 360-degree view of a product ensures that all aspects are considered. Designers contribute to usability, interaction, repairability and functionality in ways that others might overlook.
The key is attitude
Beyond industrial entrepreneurship projects-anddare we say in life in general 😉 -having the right attitude is vital. A positive attitude.
Oriol believes that the key to any project in the sector depends to a large extent on the attitude of its leader and team.
He concludes by stating that leadership must be approached with a positive and adaptable attitude.
