Sanyu Karani CEO, Business Development, co-founder at econet and one of the major shareholders

(I have not developed the capacity to bring myself outside of my body and talk about me in third person. This is why I will use the “first person” for my brief bio description)

I am a Spanish born/Indian origin, serial entrepreneur that co-launched econet in 1991 fresh out of the University in Reutlingen (Germany) with 3.000 euros in the pocket and a BA Hons on Business Administration as main investments/assets.

Since we started econet, I have been doing the same: I help our clients dream about the projects they would like to do if they had more funds than the ones they got in their budget reviews. Then, together with the most talented public funding expert team in the world (the econet one!), I try my best to help them win those funds. In more or less 75 % of the cases we are successful. That’s why I have been able to stay in the same branch for almost 20 years.

For me the biggest challenges lie in helping entrepreneurs and start-ups survive through their first 3 years of existence with a little help of public funding. Their names will not resonate to you, so let me try to impress you with a shortlist of global excellent companies I have partnered with recently:

• Microsoft: more than 10 years advising them on how to use public funding to make their mainstream CSR initiatives self sustainable
• ENDESA: more than 13 years helping them sell the most deserted and peripheral regions of Spain as business parks with public funds for employment creation and industrial regeneration
• Telefonica: more than 5 years helping them take care of their developers and institutional partners ecosystem with public funding alternatives for telco solutions

The ICADE University in Spain honored me and the other econet co-founder with a sort of Business Man of the Year award in 2008. CSR Europe also awarded me together with Microsoft in their Employability Lab Awards in 2009.

The DG Enterprise of the European Commission invited me to their working group on financial incentives for e-skills.

For more than 10 years I contribute to the Grants column published weekly in EL PAIS. I also published a (hand)book on grants for municipalities with my econet colleagues.

I own a 10 % stake in a software development start-up for medical clinical records.

I have 4 lovely children (3 boys and a princess) and speak 5 languages (German, Spanish, English, Sindhi and French). I love snowboarding and am determined to learn surfing one of these days.

Since 1991, I do the same at econet, I take care of our Business Development.

Javier Calvet CEO Operations

Born in Madrid in March 1968, he studied European Business Administration in Madrid and Reutlingen (Germay).

In 1991, he was one of the Founders of econet, s.l., a pioneering company in the area of grants consultancy.

Until 1996 he set-up and managed econet’s office in Brussels, developing several EU projects. He also coordinated the development of “eurofinder”, the first pan-European grants database together with a consortium of 3 companies covering up to 8 countries.

From 1997 to 2002 he was responsible for the Production Department of the grants consultancy business in Spain, acquiring new clients, implementing “full-service” concepts, recruiting consultants, developing business and partner network development in Spain (Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, La Coruña, Zaragoza, Sevilla) and implementing ISO 9002 standards within the company.

From 2002 until 2009 he moved to Vienna(Austria) and developed the international business of the company, mainly in the CEE region. He was also responsible for EUGA – European Grants Advisor,a project developed for Microsoft for EU 27, by starting up, training, implementing and monitoring the project with each local Microsoft subsidiary.

Since 2010 he is the CEO in charge of the Operations of econet.

Xabier García Chao CEO Talent Management

Born in A Coruña in 1973, he studied Economic Science in A Coruña.

In 2000, he was recruited by Econet, s.l. to manage an internal grant office within a R&D Centre in Ferrol (Galicia).

Until 2005, he coordinated the operations of econet in the Galicia region, bringing it from a green field to a leader position within the regional market while being self sustainable. During this period of time he acquired new clients, designed & tested dynamization products, enlarging and building the core team of the Public Growth Initiatives segments.

From 2005 to 2006 he was in charge of business development within the Public Growth Initiatives, launching a new portfolio of services from his experiences with public bodies.

From 2006 to 2009 he was the Country Manager of Spain launching the Corporate OpenInnovation Unit. At managerial level, he contributed to strengthen the team and to reinforce it integrating new technological profiles, focusing the business in dynamizing & supporting R&D collaborative projects.

Since 2010 he is the CEO in charge of Talent Management of econet.

Pilar Anadón Projecl Lab Leader & Member of the Board

Through my work experience, I have become a “specialist” in helping Public Bodies to design and execute projects financed by European Programs.

I started in econet’s “trainee program” in 1997, when it was a company which acquired public money for projects from other companies. As I had a rather “social” profile and I particularly enjoyed projects related to skills, employability and sustainability … we decided to start working for Public entities. Together with my colleagues we launched the Public Growth Initiatives Unit which become an important pillar within our company. Now, that we are a global player working for global organizations, I continue advising our clients in public growth challenges as a partner of econet.

As a speaker, I have participated in several conferences about European Programs for Public Bodies. I wrote, together with my econet colleagues “El manual del Alcalde: Los fondos europeos y las Corporaciones Locales”; I participated in more than one hundred projects, for more than sixty Public Body Clients. Because of the nature of their projects in the public growth segment, every project is still the “first one” for me.

I “telework” from Zaragoza, where I got my BA in Economic and Business Administration. I then specialized myself in business, management and social studies in the University of Westminster (London). In Zaragoza, I have my life and my biggest treasure: MY FAMILY!.

Andrés Sánchez Corporate OpenInnovation, Business Unit Manager

Graduated in Business Administration by the University of Sevilla, Master in International Relations by the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset, and Expert in European Affairs by the Confederación de Empresarios de Andalucía, Andrés has a wide knowledge and experience in the 7th Framework Programme (FP7). He currently leads the Innovation Unit.

He worked at the Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones as a market analysts before joining econet. After spending a year in Brussels learning how the Commission works and managing his first framework programme assignments, he became the EU project coordinator of econet fostering the company’s engagement in international collaborations.

During his six years at econet, he has managed different accounts and dealt with multiple kinds of projects and clients profiles: big private companies, universities, intermediate actors and research centers. He has participated and lead several successful FP7 proposals in the Capacities, Cooperation and People schemes. Andrés also led the study for Madri+d that ended in the release of the publication “7PM Mejora de la participación en el programa Marco y superación de las dificultades existents” in the Sistema Madri+d collection. He published several articles in El Pais and in the Microsoft section for professionals and companies.

Andrés has lived in several countries (Uk, France, Belgium and Holland), has built a significant network and has developed strong management capacities.

Mayte Carracedo Public Growth Initiatives, Business Unit Manager

Born in Borneiro (A Coruña) in July 1976, she studied Political Sciences in Santiago de Compostela, with an specialisation in International Relations.

In 2001, she obtained her Master in European Policies (Université Livre de Bruxelles) and a stage in a European organisation (CERRM) in Brussels.

In 2002 she started working for the Galicia Europa Foundation as a trainee, where she was in charge of: organising activities and events related to European issues, updating, informing and writing articles about European policies and Programmes, as well as providing training in these areas to civil servants of the Regional Government.

During 2004 she worked for the General Direction for Youth in the Galicia Government as a technician, responsible for presenting and implementing European projects (Youth, Interregs and other related schemes).

From 2004 until now she has been working in econet, starting as a consultant, where she gained branch specific experience submitting nine European projects and managing eleven additional ones. In 2006 she was promoted to regional manager for the Public Growth Initiatives in Galicia.

Today, Mayte runs econet’s Public Growth Initiative for all our markets.