ENB - Entrepreneurs Network Barcelona

We are delighted to announce that the next ENB meeting will be taking place on THURSDAY 19TH MARCH. The evening will commence with a series of talks from 19.30 - 20.30h (pre-registration essential, please see below) followed by our regular social meeting from 20.30h, with free cava generously provided by our hosts Hotel Casanova.

This month we will be asking for a donative payment of 5 EUROS per person to attend the talks. This donation will go towards the ENB fund for future events and hiring of audio and visual equipment. We hope we can count on your support!

For the talks starting at 19.30h we will be hearing from:

Speakers 1: Lee and Lauren Gonzalez are the co-founders of Somnio Hostels, a soon-to-be chain of upscale hostels. The sisters moved to Barcelona in the fall of 2006 equipped with little more than their business plan and determination to succeed.  While the first Somnio location opened in the spring of 2008, the plan has been in the works since the two studied abroad at university.  Lee and Lauren hope to open a second hostel in Barcelona by the end of 2009 before expanding the brand to other major Spanish cities. The sisters faced many challenges in opening a business in Spain and look forward to sharing the knowledge they´ve acquired with other entrepreneurs.

Lee Gonzalez graduated with honors from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2003 where she received her Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance and Global Analysis and a minor in Spanish. Before moving to Barcelona, she spent three years in New York City working as a Financial Analyst with Goldman Sachs in its Private Wealth Management group. She has past experience with the Operations Department of McDonald’s Corporation and was introduced to the hospitality industry during a summer job in high school. Ms.Gonzalez is herself an avid traveler, her most notable experience being the night she spent sleeping on an array of shopping bags in order to avoid direct contact with her hostel’s sheets.

Lauren Gonzalez graduated with honors from Georgetown University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science of Foreign Service concentrating in US Foreign Policy. Prior to moving to Barcelona, Lauren lived in Milan, Italy and worked as a Financial Analyst for HSBC Bank Plc in their Debt Finance and Advisory group. Before that, she lived and worked in Hong Kong and New York for HSBC. Ms.Gonzalez spent the fall of 2002 studying at Pontifica Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile where she lived with a family and learned more about hostel industry during her travels. Having both lived and traveled in the Americas, Europe and Asia, Ms.Gonzalez’ most memorable overnight stay was in a trailer in a family’s backyard in Patagonia.

www.somniohostels.com

Speaker 2: Yolanda Perez from Barcelona Activa will be speaking about the services and activities on offer for entrepreneurs in Barcelona (and Catalunya). Yolanda will be explaining how Barcelona Activa operates, what services they offer and what they look for when helping (and funding) new business and innovative enterprise.Yolanda is the Director of Business Growth Programs as well as Director of the Business Incubator and the BCN Nord Tech Park at Barcelona Activa.

www.barcelonactiva.cat

Speaker 3: An introduction to the European Professional Women’s Network by organiser Caroline Courtier and their offering to female entrepreneurs in Barcelona and Catalunya.

www.europeanpwn.net/spain

The floor will then be open for questions to our speakers.

For further information on the speakers please visit the Website: www.networkbarcelona.com
To register for the talks please send us an email to: info@networkbarcelona.com 

ENB Social Meeting

This will be followed by our social meeting in the hotel bar from 20.30 where we will be calling upon a selection of members to present themselves with a 2-minute ‘elevator pitch’.

Schedule:


19.30 – 20.30       Talks from our invited entrepreneurs, followed by Q&A session


20.30 onwards     Social Meeting, ENB Members 2-minute pitches

Location:   Hotel Casanova, C/Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 559 (corner of Gran Via and Casanova, metro Universitat or Urgell).

The talk is limited to 30 attendees, so please sign up now so as not to miss out. To book your place, please contact us now on info@networkbarcelona.com.

We ask all those coming to the talk to arrive by 19.20 so that we can start punctually.

We look forward to seeing you there.

The ENB Team  

LIST OF ATTENDEES: