The Santander X Global Challenges are one of Banco Santander’s flagship programmes to support the most innovative startups and scaleups across their footprint countries in Europe, the USA and Latin America. Every year, three themed Challenges call for innovative, technology-driven businesses to compete for a cash prize, mentoring support and access to Santander X 100 – a prime community of entrepreneurs established by the bank offering access to resources, training and connection.
So far, the themes of the Challenges have revolved around sustainability, healthcare, new technologies, such as AI and IoT, and trademark areas that Banco Santander is known for, such as supporting the education and employability of younger generations. The Challenges have also seen collaborators such as Microsoft, Telefonica, Formula 1, Hitachi and Philips – offering the winners connections and access to networks that they would otherwise not be able to achieve.
Oxentia has been the chosen delivery partner for the Challenge since 2021, delivering impact at scale for Banco Santander. Since 2021, the Global Challenges have attracted more than 6,000 companies and crowned 84 winners. Winners have received a total of €1.6 million in cash prize, access to Santander X 100, and a plethora of additional perks and benefits. Most importantly, the Challenges have raised the Bank’s profile as one of the strongest supporters of innovation and entrepreneurship across the globe.
Banco Santander has continuously ranked highly on the ‘Changing the World’ list, underlining its support to addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges. In honour of this achievement, we launched the Santander X Global Challenge | Education, Employability and Entrepreneurship in 2024. The Challenge invited startups and scaleups from 11 countries to submit their innovations that support either (a) lifelong learning and novel educational solutions for children around the world; (b) skills development for employment no matter the stage in life; or (c) entrepreneurs and successful business management.
Following an intensive marketing campaign, the Challenge attracted 900 applications, more than any other Challenge to date. All applications were assessed by Oxentia’s team of evaluators, and the top 20 startups and scaleups were invited to pitch their solutions to an international jury. Additionally, Oxentia provided pre-pitch mentoring for the 20 finalists, supporting them to refine their pitch decks and presentation techniques.
The six winners were announced at the Digital Enterprise Show in Malaga, Spain in June 2024 at an Awards Ceremony organised by Oxentia. The winning companies included a platform allowing refugee talent to connected remote work opportunities, a solution to finance student loans whilst supporting entry into the job market, and a learning platform supporting the development of children with autism spectrum disorder.
The winners received a total of €120,000 in cash prizes and were connected to FinTech Station, the bank’s open innovation department. The winners were also invited to join the Santander X 100 community.