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Finalists of the EYE Entrepreneurs of the Year 2025

The EYE programme continues to prove that the best ideas often come from where you least expect them - remote villages, family farms, and the brilliant minds of entrepreneurs who dare to do things differently. The 2025 finalists for EYE Entrepreneur of the Year show how this programme doesn’t just support startups - it transforms visions into scalable impact.

Launched in January 2025, this year’s competition to recognise the new and host entrepreneurs with the most impactful EYE experiences began with an intense shortlisting process, resulting in the selection of four inspiring finalists. The "grand finale” took place during an exciting pitching session at the Network meeting in Bergamo, where Intermediary Organisations active in the programme cast their vote on the spot. 

Let’s dive into the journeys of this year’s second-place finalists in the New and Host Entrepreneur categories: Ignacio Márquez Collazos and Nuria Álvarez Rodrigo!

New Entrepreneur Finalist: Ignacio Márquez Collazos

Founder of Rural Hackers, Spain

In Anceu, a village of just 97 people in rural Galicia, Ignacio Márquez Collazos is flipping the script on depopulation. His social enterprise, Rural Hackers, empowers local communities to become digital, artistic, and economic hubs. Through tech and artistic residencies, community-led hackathons, and open-source collaboration, Rural Hackers creates replicable models for rural revival across Europe.

But it was the EYE programme that helped Ignacio truly scale his impact.

Through his participation in the programme, Igrancio travelled to Singapore to explore how to build bridges between rural innovators and major tech companies, a connection that often proves difficult due to differences in language, priorities and scale. By working with a tech company in Singapore, Ignacio learned how to communicate the value of small grassroots initiatives to major corporate players. That insight led to new partnerships with companies like WordPress and SiteGround, who now support Rural Hackers' mission to bring innovation to the countryside.

"The EYE programme didn’t just teach me skills—it shifted how I see our place in the corporate world. We learned how to attract real support while staying true to our purpose,” Ignacio explains.

Today, artists, coders, and creators from all over Europe flock to his rural co-living space, proving that innovation knows no urban bounds.

Host Entrepreneur Finalist: Nuria Álvarez Rodrigo

Founder of Agroberry, Spain

As the third generation of farmers, Nuria Álvarez Rodrigo didn’t just inherit land, she inherited a legacy. With Agroberry, she transformed that legacy by introducing high-value organic blackberry cultivation to a region traditionally known for cereals.

Agroberry is more than just a berry farm. It’s a zero-waste, renewable-powered operation where blackberries become jams, liqueurs, chocolates, and more. But thanks to the EYE programme, Nuria took her business to the next level.

"Having someone from outside the agri-world brought fresh ideas and new energy. It challenged my thinking in the best way,” says Nuria.

Working with her new entrepreneur, Massimo Vassallo, Nuria developed a brand-new product – a cookie that’s now ready to hit the market. This new product incorporates the only residual product of her company, the blackberry seeds. Thanks to Massimo’s background as a chef, they were able to successfully blend culinary creativity with local ingredients. 

The experience broadened her vision, showing that innovation doesn’t always come from within your industry - it often comes from collaboration. Even more rewarding for Nuria, her new entrepreneur chose to stay and live in her village after the programme, a testament to the strong connection and shared vision they built together.

 

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