Ane Oyarbide, Councilor for Economy and Local Employment: “The entrepreneurial profile that comes to EKINN is characterized by youth, high qualification, and a commitment to innovation, with one particularly relevant fact: the sustained growth of female entrepreneurship.”
This space is consolidating itself as a key element of Fomento de San Sebastian's strategy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the city.
EKINN, the San Sebastian Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub managed by Fomento de San Sebastian, celebrates its second anniversary, having established itself as a benchmark space for promoting entrepreneurial culture in the city, accelerating innovative projects, and connecting the local ecosystem. Since its opening, 11,000 people have visited EKINN, making it a meeting place for citizens and entrepreneurial talent.
The profile of the entrepreneurs served by EKINN indicates that 45% are under 35 years old, 51.1% are women, and approximately 47% have some level of education. University students are among the users, along with a significant number of vocational training students. Furthermore, 28% of those served are of immigrant origin. These figures reinforce EKINN's commitment as a facility accessible and open to all citizens.
The Councilor for Economy and Local Employment, Ane Oyarbide, emphasized that “the data from these first two years confirm that EKINN is a vibrant, open, and valuable space for the city.
More than 10,000 people have already visited this hub, which brings together services, programs, and resources to support entrepreneurs at every stage of their projects, while also promoting an entrepreneurial culture and facilitating the attraction and development of talent.” Oyarbide also highlighted “the sustained growth of female entrepreneurship during this period. The data reflects that more and more women are taking the step to start and consolidate their projects, demonstrating that the equality policies we are promoting are generating real opportunities and contributing to building a more diverse, inclusive, and competitive economic ecosystem for the city.”
Entrepreneurial Culture: Seeds of Tomorrow´s Talent Today
Since its opening, the Entrepreneur Support Office has shared the Municipal Corporation´s entrepreneurship programs and services with over 1,500 visitors.
Promoting an entrepreneurial culture is one of EKINN's core objectives. Over the past two years, the office has hosted 52 intensive awareness, training, and skills development sessions related to entrepreneurship and innovation, with significant participation from young people and students from educational centers, universities, and vocational training institutions such as EHU, Tecnun, Tknika, Cebanc, Ceinpro, Elizaran, Easo Politeknikoa, and
Nazaret.
This high volume of visitors to the office, during its first two years of operation is a result ofparticipation in services, programs, training and guidance activities, and events related to entrepreneurship and innovation. In fact, 3,033 people have directly participated in training programs related to entrepreneurship, approximately half of whom (1,289) were students. This confirms EKINN's commitment to early awareness and fostering entrepreneurial spirit.
The tools and services made available to the public, encompassing both traditional and innovative entrepreneurship, have sparked entrepreneurial interest among diverse individuals and encouraged entrepreneurial vocations, aligned with the city´s economic and social challenges. This has been achieved through programs such as the Donostia Innovation Challenge and the various activities included in Innovation Week.
Project Acceleration and Growth: EKINN+, a Leading Program
In the area of project acceleration, EKINN has supported more than 450 entrepreneurial projects over the past two years, 60% of which are innovative. EKINN has received over 2,000 visits from entrepreneurs. All services and programs are available to local projects, with a focus on strategic areas such as advanced knowledge services and biotechnology, as well as initiatives in the urban economy sector, including personal services, commerce, hospitality, and gastronomy, which have specific pathways and programs.
To coincide with its anniversary, EKINN is launching a new edition of EKINN+, the innovative project acceleration program of Fomento de San Sebastian and a cornerstone of the city´s Entrepreneurial Community, comprised of nearly 200 startups.
The program, which annually selects around 20 projects from dozens of applications, was recently recognized finalist at the European Business Promotion Awards (EEPA 2025), reinforcing its international reach and its value as a tool for fostering innovative entrepreneurship. Launched in 2014 and significantly expanded in 2017, the program has supported 166 innovative local business initiatives.
Of particular note is the collaboration with organizations with which structuring agreements are established, allowing the program to be strengthened by leveraging established tools, as in the case of Elkargi and the Guarantee Fund. This year, the fund has facilitated six transactions, providing nearly one million euros in financing, with Fomento de San Sebastián assuming part of the risk.
Platform and Connection
Strengthening collaboration and connections with strategic entities within the local and international innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem has been key to reinforcing its character as an open space and meeting point. In these two years, more than 4,000 people have participated in events and meetings, such as those organized in collaboration with the Adegi Entrepreneurs Forum, Tecnalia Ventures, Gipuzkoa Chamber of Commerce, Berri Up, Aspegi, EIWA, Tknika, The Cube, Retina, Young Leaders, Invest in Basque Country, Enisa, and the Woman Startup Community, among others.
It has also received visits from national and international delegations interested in learning about its management model. Representatives from cities such as Málaga, Barcelona, Lisbon, Porto, Bologna, Grenoble, Turin, Nantes, Oulu, or Espoo in Finland, among others have visited EKINN. Visits from local entities (Garapen and Eudel), national organizations (COTEC), and international organizations such as the Eurocities network, with whom futur collaborations in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship are already being developed. EKINN, with its mixed-use development, allows for addressing the challenges of training, developing opportunities, professional projects, and housing.
Attracting and Receiving Talent
In addition to this facility, the project also includes a residential dimension: the building's 70 apartments complement the Talent House Welcome Plan, which also includes 80 apartments, attracting and retaining entrepreneurial talent, both local and international.
This year, EKINN has reinforced its commitment to young talent in the city with the addition of two people to the EKINN Residence Program for young people from San Sebastián. This initiative aims to offer accommodation opportunities to young people from San Sebastián during a key stage of their professional development, linked to entrepreneurship and innovation projects in the city.
Also this year, as part of this commitment to local young talent, three projects are being supported for the first time through the Grants for Innovative Projects by Young People with Social Impact. These grants are aimed at individuals under 35 years of age who, through innovative proposals, generate a positive social impact in the city or their community.
For the managing director of Fomento de San Sebastián, Iñigo Olaizola, “EKINN is a key element in our strategy to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. It is designed as a new model of facility, with mixed uses (accommodation, workspaces, training, advisory services, events, and networking spaces) that allows us to connect people, projects, and the ecosystem of stakeholders in our city. It is an intervention model that enables us, from within the urban environment, to generate opportunities for local and international talent, in this case, with an entrepreneurial focus. It is an open space, a container for developing a policy
to promote entrepreneurship through collaboration.”
With this second anniversary, EKINN consolidates its role as a strategic project of Fomento de San Sebastián and as a driving force for a city that believes in entrepreneurship as a catalyst for transformation. A city that invests in entrepreneurial culture, attracts and retains talent, supports the acceleration and growth of innovative projects, and fosters real connections between people, companies, and ecosystem stakeholders to activate new opportunities with an impact on the economy and employment.
Because in San Sebastián, every project matters.
More information at www.ekinn.fomentosansebastian.eus