A Growth Engine for Europe

Like so many other young graduates, Cristina Rojas felt disappointed when she finished her degree in Economics only to find a shrinking job market, offering few opportunities. Somebody recommended the Actívate basic digital marketing course offered by Google, which turned out to be the source of knowledge and motivation that Cristina needed. “There aren’t many digital marketing courses available in Spain, let alone free ones. And the best thing about Actívate is that it opens your eyes to all the opportunities the digital world has to offer,” she says, full of gratitude. The course inspired Cristina to form her first start-up, AnyQuestion. Although this project never got off the ground, the experience awakened Cristina’s entrepreneurial spirit. She’s now investing her time in a project she’s been dreaming of ever since her Erasmus days – an interactive app called 5cook, which suggests recipes based on the ingredients you have in the fridge. “I really wanted to make it work, so I took advantage of the Startup Weekend event to pitch my idea and secure the support I needed,” she explains. As she works hard to prepare 5cook for launch in spring, Cristina also has her hands full working at a specialised digital marketing and social media agency based in Seville, Crazy4Media. This young entrepreneur truly believes, “What I learnt at Actívate was crucial, both for launching my start-ups and for securing my current job.”