The talent of the ETSi drives the creation of a new industrial fabric from Andalusia

The Higher Technical School of Engineering (ETSi) of the University of Seville has held the round table “ETSi Emprende: Engineers creating the future”The event was attended by graduates of the center who, in most cases, after their initial foray into the job market, decided to pursue entrepreneurship, achieving great business success. Among this large group of alumni were Ángel Haro García, José Antonio Pérez Moral, Manuel Ibáñez Prieto, Juan García Ortega, and Pedro Flores Domínguez-Rodiño, who served as moderator. 

The meeting not only served to analyze the current state of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, but also to draw up a roadmap on how technical talent can and should lead the generation of wealth and quality employment in the region.

The event takes place within the framework of ETSi-Emprende Program, a strategic initiative of the center's management that seeks to reverse a worrying trend: despite the fact that engineering is the basis of tomorrow's technological solutions, technical graduates undertake significantly less than their counterparts in social science or legal areas.

Engineering as a driver of purpose and freedom

The session was opened and moderated by Pedro Flores Domínguez-Rodiño , an industrial engineer from the ETSi and current associate professor at the University of Seville, who provided a pragmatic vision based on his career at Unerco Acústica , a multinational company that was founded asspin-off From the School itself. Flores opened the debate with a thought-provoking statistic: according to the latest GEM/GUESS report, entrepreneurial intentions among engineering students range from a modest 13% to 15%. For the moderator, the challenge is not a lack of ability, but rather the "golden cage" phenomenon. In a market where ETSI engineers are coveted by large companies, even before graduation, the incentive of immediate salary and job security may be stifling the creation of disruptive new businesses.

Following this line of reasoning, Angel Haro Garcia, known for his role as president of Real Betis Balompié, but whose professional essence lies in the holding company Wingenia SLHe shared an inspiring vision of the intrinsic motivation of entrepreneurs. Haro, trained at ETSi and Swansea University (Wales, UK), explained that entrepreneurship is, above all, a tool for achieving freedom and satisfying curiosity. For him, being an engineer is not just a degree, but a methodology for optimizing processes and managing risks, a skill that is entirely compatible with business activity. He emphasized that, even coming from a humble background with no entrepreneurial experience, confidence in one's own technical abilities—that feeling of "I'm no less smart than those who are already out there"—is the driving force that allows one to take the leap.

From the laboratory to the market: The success of technology transfer

One of the highlights of the panel was the presentation by Juan García Ortega , tenured professor at the ETSI and co-founder of Solar MEMS Technologies . His presentation was a masterclass on how high-level academic research can be transformed into global market leadership. García Ortega recounted how a solar sensor technology designed for satellite navigation within a research group at the University of Seville ended up becoming aspin-off which is now a global leader in the aerospace sector. His message was clear: entrepreneurship is not necessarily about seeking quick money, but about giving free rein to the "inventor's" drive and ensuring that scientific discoveries have a tangible impact on society and the local industrial fabric.

In line with this practical vision, José Antonio Pérez Moral , CEO of CoverManager , provided the necessary dose of reality regarding resilience. He drew on his experience of having founded several companies before making a breakthrough with his technological solution for the sector.hospitalityPérez Moral argued that the School teaches two vital things: how to solve complex problems and how to persevere in the face of failure. He recalled that "failing a difficult subject" and getting up for the next exam is the best training for an entrepreneur who must face a market that often says "no." For the CEO of CoverManager, the secret lies in rapid learning: making mistakes early and cheaply to find the lifestyle and business model that truly fits each individual.

The role of capital and the investor's perspective

Finally, the panel featured the financial and strategic insights of Manuel Ibáñez Prieto , managing partner of Austral Venture . Selected by Forbes as one of the leaders of the financial industry in 2025, Ibáñez emphasized that, despite survey data, the reality of successful startups is dominated by engineers. According to his fund's data, the vast majority of its portfolio companies have at least one engineer on the founding team. Ibáñez, who took his first steps in the team ofFormula Student, Andalucía Racing Team (ARUS)He emphasized that risk perception changes with maturity; what seems like a search for stability upon graduation transforms a few years later into a search for purpose. He encouraged the students not to settle for being a cog in a large corporation where their impact is minimal, but to use their technical skills to build their own assets.

Conclusions and future of the ETSi-Emprende Program

The day concluded with a call to action. The School's leadership, through the ETSi-Emprende Program, reaffirmed its commitment to offering complementary training, such as the entrepreneurship course currently being taught, to equip engineers with skills in marketing, finance and strategy that are often left out of the purely technical curriculum.

The speakers agreed that, while not everyone needs to start a company, all engineers should graduate with an "entrepreneurial" or intrapreneurial mindset, becoming agents of change within any organization. The session concluded with a reminder about the 2nd ETSi Entrepreneurship Competition, whose first edition already demonstrated the very high quality of the projects presented, obtaining recognition at the university level and in international innovation camps.

With this forum, the ETSi not only accounts for its successful past through its most brilliant graduates, but also sows the seed of a new generation of engineers willing to take on the challenge of generating knowledge and industrial fabric in their environment, consolidating Seville as a technological hub of reference in southern Europe.