Women who are changing the world

They dream of becoming the role models that they, in general, have not had. And they are well on their way. They are the present and future of a globally necessary change, and they aspire to lead it. 'If she can do it, so can I. That's how I would like to be seen,' says Clara González (Biosoil) with conviction. ‘I would like to be a role model, part of the solution to the problem,’ she adds.

A similar idea motivates Katja Alexandra Ampudia (Far-off): 'I want to give women a stronger voice. I would like to be someone who helps others.' For her part, Laura Ángel (Myko) is more specific about her ambition: 'That our product, which reduces the use of fertilisers and pollutants, has a real impact on the world.'

These are the three women chosen by IDEAS UPV, the Entrepreneurship Area of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), to show how female students are making their way in the field. They formed the round table ‘In the idea phase’ of the 2025 Women's Entrepreneurship Day, presented by IDEAS-UPV experts Lorena Pedrós and Sandra Lucas.

Demands, barriers, failure as a necessity, and the importance of surrounding yourself with a good team and ignoring those who try to limit you

'Women are always expected to do a little more,' said Clara, who encouraged those in the room to 'focus on problems, seek solutions, and take risks.' In the same vein, Laura urged them to 'not make excuses. If you have an idea, believe in it, and through discipline, it will be easier to make it happen.‘

What if I fail? ’If you don't do it, you'll never learn,‘ says Katja, who acknowledges that it is easier for her to be an entrepreneur because she does so ’from a place of stability, because if it doesn't go well, I have two parents with jobs who are there to help me."

Young and therefore still entering a business world with its difficulties and dangers, Katja also warns of the risks that must be faced: "I'm 27, but I look like 20, and sometimes when you're young, people don't value you the same, and you don't even know if they value you for your knowledge or because they have second thoughts. It's happened to me, and you have to be careful about and set boundaries for it."

For Katja, 'it's also important to know yourself very well, because there are things you will be good at and others you won't, and you have to accept that. The key is to surround yourself with a great team and trust yourself, because there will always be people telling you that you're doing this wrong, that wrong... You must believe in yourself and not let others set your limits'.

The benefits of entrepreneurial ecosystems and the importance of gaining initial experience working for someone else

After this first round table and the contextualisation of the entrepreneurial world by Gabriela Ribes, Head of the Business Organisation Department (DOE-UPV), together with the rest of her team—made up of Sofía Aparisi and Carla Martínez—two successful entrepreneurs who graduated from the UPV, Pilar Prados (co-founder of Bounsel) and Laetitia Launet (founder of Llum Social), shared their experiences in their joint talk ‘From idea to business.’

In this regard, the world of entrepreneurship offers excellent support, which, according to Laetitia Launet, should not be ignored: "Starting a business on your own is difficult, but ecosystems such as IDEAS, StartUPV, Lanzadera, etc. can help you. It is essential to be part of entrepreneurial communities because sometimes what seems like a big problem can be quickly solved by people who have faced it before. It's like suddenly plugging a pen drive into your brain. Don't be afraid to ask questions."

For her part, Pilar Prados highlighted the importance of 'having initial professional experience working for someone else in order to detect inefficiencies and then start a business to solve them.'