3.9 Start-up funding for young entrepreneurs
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Access to information
The General Secretariat of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises, belonging to the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, has a search engine for aid and incentives for the creation of companies (buscador de ayudas e incentivos a la creación de empresas). Thereby, the National Innovation Enterprise (Empresa Nacional de Innovación, ENISA) informs about funding lines for young entrepreneurs within the innovation sectors, application requirements and funding terms.
The Business Information and Network Creation Centre (Centro de Información y Red de creación de empresas (CIRCE)) establishes the Helpdesks for Entrepreneurs (Puntos de Atención al Emprendedor, PAE), with the purpose of informing, advising and setting-up the administrative procedure for the business creation.
Access to capital
The Strategy for Entrepreneurship and Youth Employment establishes a series of initiatives in order to favour business creation: getting the seed capital fund, microcredits, business angels and shareholders loans, the social economy encouragement and collective entrepreneurship.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Economy has developed an Action Plan for Youth Employment (2019-2021) (Plan de choque por el empleo joven 2019-2021) where a strategy for entrepreneurship for youth is specifically framed. The main objectives of this strategy are to support the organizations in the following key areas:
- Social economy
- Start ups and business incubators
- Intersectoral organizations of self-employed workers
The Youth Institute (Injuve), developed in 2013 with national reach the Microcredit Programme for Youth (Programa de Microcréditos para Jóvenes), offering funds in the form of microcredits for young entrepreneurs up to 35 years of age, allowing for the concession of loans without any type of guarantee. The programme is currently waiting for renewal.
Within the regional scope there are many financial aid programmes for young entrepreneurs:
- Innovactive Programme from Andalucia (Programa Innovactiva de la Junta de Andalucía).
- Programmes and support entities for the creation of enterprises by the Canary Islands Government (Programas y entidades de apoyo a la creación de empresas del Gobierno de Canarias).
- Entrepreneurs Programme from the Aragon Government Programa de Emprendedores del Gobierno de Aragón.
- Asturian microcredit programme for youth sponsored by INJUVE (Microcréditos INJUVE para jóvenes).
The Resources Guide for Young Entrepreneurs (Guía de recursos para jóvenes emprendedores) is especially useful. Prepared for the application Emprendemos, it offers an ensemble of instruments and resources made available to both public and private institutions, at national, regional and local levels. The Guide is published by the Youth Institute (INJUVE) along with the Secretariat of State of Social Services and Equality (Secretaría de Estado de Servicios Sociales). The Action Plan for Youth Employment (2019-2021) (Plan de choque por el empleo joven 2019-2021) foresees the creation of a programme for employment and entrepreneurship aimed to youth (ORIENTAJOVEN) with the creation of 3.000 guidance desks.
Likewise, within the programming period of the European Social Fund 2014-2020, there are funding instruments such as microcredits. Through the Employment and Social Innovation Programme (EaSI), the European Progress Microfinance Facility establishes national suppliers of microcredits.