Entrepreneurship week kicked off with a startup battle, where 7 small companies stepped into a ring – yes, a real ring with announcer and even a hostess showing the round number. Some of the participants were ShowOurShow, Tutorez, SolicitaTodo, Triptable, Sitters Club. The winning startup was Sitters Club.

In short, something that comes to light is that the energy and the way you present your company’s pitch is decisive to win the sympathy of the jury and, of course, of investors. It is also a source of pride that, being the only woman among the combatants, she won. This also reflects the great work of the City of Knowledge Businesswomen’s Channel in supporting women in the area of entrepreneurship.

A scoop that emerged from this event is that an entrepreneurship center will open in building 109 of the City of Knowledge, where the Startup Battle took place. Its vision is to become the largest entrepreneurship center in Panama.

A Pecha Kucha in the Name of Entrepreneurship

The following day, a PechaKucha was held, a format in which presenters have 20 images and 20 seconds to present each one. About ten entrepreneurs shared their experiences, as well as many lessons that will ultimately help us make decisions as entrepreneurs. Alejandro Carbonell, from Tutorez, emphasized the importance of continuous innovation in your business. Johel Batista, creator of Ayudinga, is a clear example of how perseverance pays off at just 18 years old; he started this project while in high school, and today Senacyt is supporting him to transform his venture into Panama’s official virtual education platform. Melisa De León, from Mandao, based her presentation on the ten lies that entrepreneurs tell to illustrate how some of these can cause problems when starting a business.

Women’s Entrepreneurship

Finally, on Thursday, an event on innovation in women’s entrepreneurship was held by the Canal de Empresarias. Alcenit’s founder, engineer Min Chen, was one of those who presented. His presentation summarized the difficulties he has encountered since he started entrepreneurship ten years ago. From underestimation to indecent proposals for being a woman have affected her, but have not prevented her from succeeding in the business world. The most important thing, as she says, is to learn not only to have self-confidence, but also self-esteem. The most important thing, as she says, is to learn not only to have self-confidence, but also self-esteem. According to her, self-confidence is recognizing that we are capable, but having self-esteem goes beyond that and is recognizing how much we are worth. Today, Min is recognized for her volunteer work in women’s entrepreneurship and gender equity, especially in science and technology.

EtyaLab supports entrepreneurship in Panama, and we continue learning so that more and more people, especially women, can decide to change their lives and start their own businesses. We also want to inspire others, like all those who have shared their experiences and encouraged us to persevere despite the challenges.