"I discovered in me an entrepreneurial mindset"

“Data science is a fascinating topic nowadays and I thought learning it would grant me great opportunities. Also, I am an avid traveler: studying at two different universities in two countries, and the chance to attend events in other countries, is a dream.

The masters also gave me the opportunity to grow my network. In addition to this, a big part of my study costs were waived. I was not so sure about the Innovation and Entrepreneurship part at first. But I was interested in the business side of technology. I thought I could learn a lot from this and it can be helpful in my future. That is why I chose the EIT Digital Master School over the job. And, I have to say, it was the correct decision and my time at the EIT Digital Master School has been my best two years so far.”

“Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be an inventor. I wanted to make inventions that could make the life of people easier and happier. It sounds silly, but I was inspired by an animated series that was very popular in Spain back when I was a kid. In this series, the creators introduced multiple futuristic devices that were there to help a really unfortunate character, so his life could be easier. I was amazed by the endless possibilities of such technologies, and I was already thinking about the impact that they could bring into the real world, into our society. Since then, I’ve never changed this way of thinking. I want to make the world a better place, even if it’s just a little bit. That is where I get energy from, what motivates and drives me.”

“Yes. At Adevinta, we connect sellers and buyers to give goods a second life.  These are for example laptops, books, clothes, motors, and even properties. We promote the second-hand market and in so doing avoid wasting resources. We reduce the production demands and we help people reuse their belongings. Items can have a second or even third life. The circular economy contributes to the sustainability of our planet.”

“I did an internship in Nice at SAP Labs France. I would have wanted to stay there as a data scientist. Out of the blue, I got invited by Adevinata’s human resource manager to work there. At first, the company was unkown to me. It is an umbrella company of many marketplaces companies in the world (like eBay, Marktplaats, Kufar, Agriaffaires, Subito, Kijiji, ed.).  I like this diversity, it offers me the possibility to work on many different projects with teams that are based around the world. Plus, the company is in line with my principles. It is not about just making profit,  I can make an impact too. To me, everything was checked, so I took it. I have been here for two years now and soon will be transferred to Paris.”

“Nowadays, we gather data from many sources and have tools to take advantage of these data. Data science technologies like machine learning are very powerful techniques that can improve society. Repetitive or dangerous jobs can be heavily lifted through machine learning automatization.

How data science can bring value to society depends solely on the context. For example, take autonomous cars. Algorithms are based on data. In the future, you can order a self-driving car via your mobile device, that picks you up and takes you to your destination in the most optimal way. Cars would not have to stop unless for picking up people if they are carpooling. Hence, there can be fewer cars, fewer car parks, less contamination and lesser use of resources. That contributes to better livable cities.”

“The EIT Digital Master School surely has helped me in my career. At first, I was most interested in technology. But during the EIT Digital Master School programme, I discovered my interest to explore. Along the way, I liked the innovation and entrepreneurship part even more than the technical part. I loved every challenge and every competition that we were doing: idea development, pitching and testing. I loved it. In my work, I am doing a very technical job. That gives me a strong technical training for future demands. I fear a disconnection from entrepreneurship if I dive too deep into the technical side of data science; I might end up not funding my startup. I wish to remain connected to the entrepreneurial spirit.“

“I used to attend startup events as much as I could. Simultaneaouly, I am staying in touch with the EIT Digital ecosystem. For example, the meetings of the EIT Digital Alumni Foundation, like the annual event in Trento in 2018, the online version of it during the lockdown, and the Tuesday Afterwork sessions are great ways to stay in touch with other alumni. Before the pandemic, I also worked with EIT Health and EIT Digital to host a cross-KIC event in Barcelona. Adevinta was willing to provide the venue. Unfortunately, the pandemic took away this chance.”

“As I said, I want to found a startup in the future. This position can help me further build my network and to keep discovering. This position is mostly about organising and it requires a huge amount of soft skills that I like to improve. In my job, I do tech tech tech. Here, I can find balance. Additionaly, I get to keep in touch with my former university colleagues.  Also, I feel I like to give back. EIT Digital has done so much for: it gave me countless opportunities. I felt like being a board member is one way to contribute and to keep in touch with other alumni. It helps me build a stronger network, with personal growth especially, and have fun. If you don’t enjoy what you do, then you cannot do a good job.”

“It is a fairly new position. We try to work with a lot of partners. I am here to promote these and to reach out to more partners to create win-win scenario’s. These are third parties, like universities, companies, or associations. We could receive, for example, discounts, perks or benefits or services, software, transport, subscriptions for our alumni members.

I also work on sponsorships for our events. If we host, for example, the annual meeting, we need a budget for food, the venue, and other organisational matters. In return for the perks we get, the companies get their brand out to their ideal target, we encourage them to share their job openings in our internal portal, and we are helping them to create useful connections. We are close to 2000 alumni, and growing each year with new cohorts of graduating students. That proves to be a considerable large audience for companies to perceive results.”