Comfortable meeting rooms, group work tables, computers, projectors, and mobile whiteboards, along with networking spaces, form the hub of the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. From there, entrepreneurs can access 3D printing, biotechnology, simulation and video game, computing, and business modeling labs, among others, to bring their ideas to life. Furthermore, the CIE facilitates connections with university tutors, mentors, and faculty as a source of knowledge.
Since its creation in 2007—though its origins date back to 2000—the CIE has sought to foster the development of entrepreneurs, promote innovation, and bridge the gap between knowledge, business, and society. Over the years, the center has supported more than 800 ideas submitted by around 2,000 students and graduates, who received advice, tools, entrepreneurship workshops, and mentoring so that their projects could become self-sustaining businesses.
“This space is more than just an office. It is an ecosystem that connects entrepreneurs with businesses, society, and financing,” said Enrique Topolansky, CIE coordinator, during the presentation, thanking ANII and Banco Santander for their support.
For his part, Mayor Martínez highlighted the CIE’s role in fostering an entrepreneurial spirit among young people and encouraged everyone to reject the argument that things are done a certain way “because that’s how they’ve always been done.” “We must have the ability to innovate and, above all, add value to things that already exist,” he emphasized.
During the ceremony, the CIE honored the three founders of Pedidos Ya—Ariel Burschtin, Álvaro García, and Ruben Sosenke—for their successful entrepreneurial journey. This online food ordering service began in 2009 as a final-year project, turning this stage of education into an opportunity for entrepreneurship. Once the project was approved, they presented it to the CIE with the aim of scaling it up, securing initial funding, and launching it on the market. has currently has 300 employees and operates in 14 countries across Latin America. Mario Fernández, dean of the School of Engineering, and María de la Paz Goldaracena, university relations manager at Banco Santander, were in charge of presenting the award.
This new phase consolidates the CIE’s work, allowing it to introduce significant changes to its operations. Until last year, only projects approved by the Selection Committee were admitted to the CIE. From now on, any student or graduate who has an idea and is determined to invest time and effort in pursuing it has a place at the CIE to experiment with and validate their proposal, which, if successful in its presentation to the Selection Committee, will be able to count on the CIE’s support to develop it.