Universidad Nacional del Litoral, trough its Entrepreneurship Program, encourages the entrepreneurial mindset among and promotes technological and innovativebasedbussinesescreation. With that purpose, the institution offers counselling services, training and helps to find financial support.
In this context, the Chemical Engenieering Faculty (FIQ), as well as otherUNL’s Faculties, counts on a Entrepreneur’s Office which encloses an accurate environment for ideas and projects to materialize.
This space has equipment, convenient facilities and professional staff to asses every question that students may have.
Particularly, in FIQ there is a strong tradition of entrepreneurship. This is easily proven by the large number of companies that were generated in it’s womb through out the years.
“This administration has the firm conviction of continuing with the empowerment of the entrepreneurship spirit and, because of that, it is offering every single tool needed for that to happen”, claimed the Environmental Relations Secretary from FIQ, Lucas Bruera.
Pre-incubated projects
Nowadays, the Entrepreneur’s Office from FIQ has nine pre-incubated projects; six of them initiated in 2018 and the other three have more time in the office, but are continuing to improve their bussinesses plans.
The newest ones are:
Incrover vertical gardens, which goal is to create natural ecosystems using walls to increase the amount of “green” places in the cities. The vertical gardens have a positive impact in the environment, generating oxygen, filtering out toxic gases, and heat insulators over the buildings. This project is formed by: Eugenia. L Bustamente (Chemical Engenieer) and Andrés Castaño (Materials Engenieering).
Suntental-Oil, the idea of this project is the to reuse the lubricant oils from the industrial automotive park from Santa Fe city and surrounding areas,
From this waste, they suggest to generate Diesel regenerating the lube-bases (main component of lubricant oils) and asphaltic components for the road building industry. Formed by: Luis Trevisán (Chemica lEngenieer) y NicolasTalimoniuk (Chemical Engenieer senior student).
Soy Aborigen, thisisoneconsists in approachingthenative culture to general communitybythecommercialization of craftedproductscreatedby Toba and Wichiethnicgroups.
This products are made using renewable raw materials.The value of this project is about mantaining the ancestral roots of these cultures and to give a recognition for their identities and work, helping them to have access to a better quality of life. Formed by: Gloria Taborda (non teaching staff from FIQ)
Retech, aims to create a triple impact business powered by socially vulnerable young people that, through donation or purchase of disused or broken smartphones, can take charge of repairing and selling them later. Refurbished equipments will be sold in vulnerable neighborhoods where the comerce of stolen mobiles is high.
In that sense, it is analternative to create job opportunities amongst young people invisible to most employers, reusing the circulation of non functioning mobiles and reducing the commercialization of stolen cellphones and technological waste. Formed by: Ernesto Peroche (Industrial engenieering) Bruno Marianos (Communication Master) and Juan Mauro Loreficcio (IT Engenieeringstudent).
La Hamburguesa, it is anentrepreneurship that aims to develop a veggie hamburger that is also high in protein and healthy at the same time. The main goalis to mantain the same taste, texture and smell tan the traditional meat hamburger.This is a product that provides a healthy way of eating. Poweredby: Federico Carrara (Industrial Engenieering).
mercadodelacarne.com, wants to simplify the selling process of speciffic products in speciffic markets, generating a network for small companies that don’t have the possibility of put their production out at the regional or international markets. Poweredby: Emanuel Gieco.
The other pre-incubated projects in FIQ’S Entrepreneur’s Office are: Filaments Production for 3D printers by extrusion. This endeavor processes polymers from household recycling and from industrial scrap for the making of filaments for 3D printings. Formed by: Jeremías Castro y Agustín Forchetti.
Departamento de analítica web, itaims to collect, measure and analyse navegation data fromcertain web’susers in order optimize it’s use. Formed by: Nadia Álvarez.
Overcoming their main objective is the production (fermentation, destillation, mix, packaging and storage) and comercialization of Vodka. Formed by: Tomás Brassesco y Rodrigo Ruiz Álvarez.
Young Entrepreneurs International Workshop and Santa Fe Activa
During 2018, FIQ entrepreneurs participated of local and international events. Suntental-Oil and Filaments Productions for 3D printers by extrusión were an example of that, as they participated of the Young Entrepreneurs International Workshop (JIJE) in representation of the Chemical Engenieering Faculty (FIQ). On the other hand, the projects Incrover y Retech joined the contest “Santa Fe Emprende”, which is part of a policy from the city’s government. Thefirstone won the Environmental category and thesecond won the Social category.
Early July of the same year, they were selected as semifinalists, amongst other 20 projects. During those weeks they recieved training about business management, design thinking, sells, canvas, pitch and costs. Later on, they stood up for their projects in front of a specialized jury and they ended up being chosen as winners, not only by the jury, but also by the audience.
They got the chance of travelling to Buenos Aires. The trip was organized by Boos tribe (an entrepreneurs community) “we visit the entrepreneurship environment and got to know in person how they work and organize their day. We made contact with 15 companies and startups of the city, met some of their CEOS who told us about their experiences. This motivated us to keep on going” in words of members of Incrover.
Both of this projects also participated from JIJE as winners of the previous contest.
Tools and support
Every project that enters to the Office, recieves the support and advice for each need. To mention some of them: technical assesment for the development of the business plan, support and interaction with members of the Office, mentoring and representation in meetings with related institutions, etc.
For those with entrepreneurship interests, you can contact: 4571164 int. 2597, e-mail: emprendedores@fiq.unl.edu.ar