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This editorial by Tatiana Skydan & Olga Nasibullina, co-founders of THE SIGN MEDIA, dives into the highlights of Bilbao Slush, the first edition outside Helsinki of the legendary event. From the growing need for space cybersecurity to groundbreaking data protection solutions and key investment trends, we explore the opportunities shaping the future. Plus, discover why Bizkaia is becoming a prime hub for startups.
March 7, 2025
At Bilbao Slush, the first edition outside of Helsinki of the legendary Slush, the most founder-focused event on Earth, that took place on February 20, THE SIGN had its eyes on the stars – literally. Well, on Star Wars. We say this everywhere we can – Star Wars is not only sci-fi by George Lucas, it’s reality that made us found Space Cybersecurity Insider in 2023 and keep building an ecosystem of cybersecurity/telecoms/ satellite experts and professionals from other industries committed to protecting life on Earth and beyond.
Also, we were happy to unexpectedly meet Peter Vesterbacka (founder of Slush and Angry Birds – did you know that?..) and have a nice, small, off-record talk about the European defense tech landscape and changes we can make through education. Hope to contribute to this topic in Helsinki.
Oscar Villanueva Cañizares, CEO and co-founder of Nymiz, discussed with THE SIGN his B2B SaaS platform designed to understand the context of data and automatically identify sensitive information.
Their focus is on sectors dealing with highly sensitive data – such as legal, healthcare, banking, and insurance – though almost every company needs to protect customer and employee data.
Nymiz’ AI technology, which is patented and not third-party, analyzes context within various formats (Docs, PDFs, images, databases, PowerPoints, emails, and more) in sectors dealing with highly sensitive data – such as legal, healthcare, banking, and insurance – though almost every company needs to protect customer and employee data – to detect sensitive data automatically. They apply different masking techniques such as tokenization, randomization, synthetic data generation, and full masking to ensure that data cannot be reconstructed.
One of the big fishes at Bilbao Slush was Plug and Play, a world-known venture capital fund. Besides deploying capital to early-stage technology companies in fintech, MedTech, and many “classical” industries they are also involved in space tech, particularly through EU initiatives like the Cassini program.
Plug and Play have active projects in Turin, where they collaborate with innovation hubs such as OGR. They have also made some investments in defense tech, though this sector can be tricky depending on the region and regulatory considerations.
Joao Monteiro Fernandes from Plug and Play, shared with us a lot of perspectives:
Also, we’ve discussed something a really hot stuff that has to be official news on March 26 – until then we keep the mouth zipped – stay tuned!
Meanwhile, we were fascinated by Joao’s take on the rapid evolution of technology and the moral implications of using innovation for good rather than harm.
One of the unexpected discoveries at Bilbao Slush for THE SIGN was a highly personalized soft-landing service to support founders in setting up in Bizkaia.
Jose Mari Montiel Varea introduced various grants, financial tools, acceleration, incubation, international expansion programs, and tax advantages, all aimed at providing comprehensive support.
Beaz Bizkaia assists with:
Bizkaia has an independent tax system, different from the rest of Spain, offering significant advantages. If you're a startup in art, technology, or innovation, you'll benefit from lower corporate taxes and reduced personal income tax rates.
This discovery was very insightful for the Ukrainian delegation present at the event.
The industry everywhere faces challenges such as an unpredictable VUCA² geopolitical landscape, increasing environmental demands, strained supply chains, and a global talent shortage. However, opportunities exist in new market niches and digitalization, which are essential for competitive growth.
The HEGAN’s Strategic Atlas outlines key priorities, including sustainability, innovation, talent development, internationalization, and strengthening the supply chain, with a vision extending to 2028.
Furthermore, the aeronautics sector is committed to environmental responsibility, focusing on decarbonization, electrification, and zero-emission technologies, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Still, let us bring an interesting fact: just 300 km from Bilbao, in Toulouse, France, considered the space and aerospace capital of Europe, key activities important for pan-European space tech are happening:
1. Historical Aerospace Industry – Toulouse has been a major hub for aviation since the early 20th century, home to Airbus and other aerospace giants. This strong foundation made it a natural location for space-related industries.
2. Presence of CNES – The French Space Agency (CNES), one of Europe’s leading space agencies, has its headquarters in Toulouse. CNES plays a crucial role in national and European space programs, attracting numerous companies to the region.
3. Industrial Ecosystem – The city hosts major space industry players like Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space, and many startups working on satellites, launch systems, and space applications.
4. Research and Education – Toulouse has top-tier universities and research institutions such as ISAE-SUPAERO, ONERA, and Université Paul Sabatier, producing a skilled workforce in aerospace and space technologies.
5. European Space Collaboration – The city plays a key role in European space projects, including work with the European Space Agency (ESA) and programs like Galileo (Europe’s GPS system) and Copernicus (Earth observation satellites).
6. Government and Investment Support – France heavily invests in the aerospace and space industries, and Toulouse benefits from significant funding and innovation programs.
With all these factors combined, Toulouse has become a top destination for space companies, startups, and research centers working on everything from satellite technology to deep space exploration.
We'd be happy to contribute if needed, and extend our gratitude to Bilbao Slush Team. Especially to David Cabezon Egurrola and Elena Popovici for this pioneering event, great organization, and exciting challenges ahead!
Authors: Tatiana Skydan & Olga Nasibullina, Co-Founders of THE SIGN.MEDIA
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