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The IV Edition of the ScaleUp Spain Network, a collaborative program organized with Endeavor Spain and Wayra to support startups transitioning into scaleups, recently concluded. Held at Glovo’s offices, the closing event featured insights from top entrepreneurs Enrique Linares and Xavier Pladellorens, who shared their expertise with participating startups such as Bigle Legal, Bcas, BRICKBRO, and others. Over six months, the CEOs and teams engaged in sessions blending theoretical knowledge with real-world experiences from successful Spanish startup founders, aimed at accelerating growth and preparing companies for national and international expansion.
ScaleUp Spain Network distinguishes itself by fostering a robust support system within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, offering mentoring, workshops, and strategic networking opportunities. The program emphasizes sustainable growth and open innovation, encouraging startups to develop scalable business models that positively impact the economy and society. Participants praised the program for its community-driven approach, knowledge sharing, and valuable connections. Founders highlighted gains in practical advice, fundraising, leadership, and investor relations, which have strengthened their business strategies and helped them overcome growth challenges.
Looking ahead, participating startups have ambitious plans for international expansion and market leadership. For example, Bcas aims to lead flexible student financing in Europe, Heymondo targets global dominance in travel insurance, and Harbiz seeks to become a global wellness standard. Shakers and niikiis also plan significant growth and international presence, focusing on talent management and sustainable scaling. The program continues to nurture a virtuous cycle of entrepreneurial success, inviting high-growth startups with validated market fit and robust metrics to join future editions and contribute to Spain’s vibrant startup ecosystem.
With the culmination of its fourth edition, the Scaleup Spain Network program once again demonstrates its crucial role in strengthening Spanish startups towards their evolution into scaleups
The IV Edition of ScaleUp Spain Network, the program to promote startups on their way to becoming scaleups that we organize together with Endeavor Spain and Wayra, has just ended.
From the offices of Glovo, the closing of this IV edition was attended by two top-level entrepreneurs; Enrique Linares and Xavier Pladellorens, who shared their knowledge and expertise with the participants of the programme, who were: Bigle Legal, Bcas, BRICKBRO, Caravelo, Embat, Fresh People, Harbiz, Metricool, Heymondo, MYHIXEL, niikiis, REVER and Shakers.
The CEOs and teams of these scaleups have participated, for 6 months, in sessions where theory is combined with the first-hand experiences of the leaders of the Spanish startup ecosystem, founders of some of the successful scaleups in our country.
The Scaleup Spain Network program
The Scaleup Spain Network program is an initiative focused on accelerating the growth of Spanish startups with high potential to become scaleups, i.e., emerging companies that are in an accelerated expansion phase. This program seeks to identify these promising companies and provide them with support through resources, mentoring, workshops, and strategic connections that allow them to scale their operations both nationally and internationally. Scaleup helps them foresee the challenges that startups and entrepreneurs will face in the near and medium-term future. This is achieved through the experience shared in various workshops by outstanding entrepreneurs who have already overcome these challenges and have success stories to tell.
What makes the Scaleup Spain Network unique is its comprehensive and collaborative approach to the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Spain. Unlike other accelerator programs, Scaleup Spain Network places a special emphasis on creating a support network that includes key players in the ecosystem. This allows participating startups to receive guidance and, in addition, access a wide network of contacts that can be crucial for their expansion and consolidation in the market.
Finally, the program is distinguished by its commitment to sustainable growth and open innovation, encouraging participating companies to adopt scalable and sustainable business models that contribute positively to the economy and society. The combination of these elements makes Scaleup Spain Network a unique platform for the promotion of startups in Spain, supporting their transformation into solid and competitive companies at a global level.
What participants highlight about the experience in the program
In our conversations with the participants of this IV Edition of the program, they all share having lived enriching experiences that highlight the uniqueness and value of this initiative. These experiences reflect a consensus on the importance of community, knowledge sharing, and support received to scale their businesses.
Thus, Bosco González del Valle, co-founder and CEO of Bcas, highlights the strength of the program and the unique opportunity to surround yourself with other entrepreneurs facing similar challenges, underlining the value of learning and growing together.
Mario Morante, co-founder and CEO of Harbiz, highlights the quality of the people involved and the synergies generated, showing how the program facilitates strategic connections between projects in similar stages of development.
Ricard Domenech, co-founder and co-CEO of Heymondo, points out how the program serves as inspiration and highlights the role of the community in motivating his team towards new achievements.
Carlos Hornstein, co-founder and CEO of niikiis, especially values the exchange of experiences and knowledge in an environment of trust, which reflects the importance of the support network that Scaleup Spain Network offers.
Nico de Luis, co-founder and COO of Shakers, mentions the formation of a close community among the participants, the interaction with mentors, and the enriching relationship with the coordinating organizations, which demonstrates the program’s commitment to the success of startups.
These reflections of the participants show the transformative impact of the Scaleup Spain Network, both in terms of helping business growth and in the construction of a more collaborative and resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem.
What does it really bring to the participants?
From the interviews conducted with 5 of the 13 participating startups, we can deduce that all of them have gained knowledge, contacts and experiences that have been very useful to them.
Participants in the Scaleup Spain Network program highlight several key learnings and how these have positively influenced their startups. For example, Bosco González del Valle, from Bcas, mentions the importance of receiving practical and realistic advice from experts with experience in the entrepreneurial sector, which has been very valuable in facing common problems such as scaling, financing and team management. Mario Morante, from Harbiz, highlights the learning in critical areas such as fundraising, leadership, and organizational culture, thanks to the exchange of knowledge with other program participants and mentors. Ricardo Domenech, from Heymondo, focuses his learning on the
Moving into the future
In our conversations with some of the startups participating in the program, they have told us about their plans for the future.
Thus, Bcas wants to become the leader in flexible financing for students in Europe. They are not far away as they are already at a national level and in Europe the market is not yet very consolidated. The objective: to be the student’s partner, guaranteeing education as a tool to equalize opportunities. This means that education is not something you can do whether you have money or not, but it is a right, says Bosco González del Valle.
Heymondo aspires to consolidate itself as a leading global company in the travel insurance segment, extending its presence beyond its roots in Spain to an international scope. The company, which has already achieved a significant position in Italy, aims to dominate the southern European market, with a special focus on countries such as France, where it began operations in July 2023, and Portugal, a country to which it expanded in January 2024. In addition to strengthening its leadership in Southern Europe, Heymondo has ambitious plans to open new markets in Central Europe and subsequently venture into Anglo-Saxon markets, including the United States, where it already has a local presence, as well as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Heymondo’s strategy underlines its goal of becoming a global benchmark in the field of travel insurance, Ricard Domenech tells us.
Harbiz is positioned as a company with global aspirations, seeking to establish itself as a world standard in the field of wellness, says Mario Morante. With a recent capital injection of 5 million, its main objectives revolve around the significant improvement of its product, the recruitment of talent and international expansion. Already present in more than 40 countries, Harbiz aims to consolidate its global presence and improve the quality of its offer to fulfill its vision of being an indispensable reference for wellness professionals. Within five years, Harbiz aspires to be the first choice for those professionals who seek to manage and advise groups or individuals on welfare issues, reinforcing its role as an essential tool in this sector.
Shakers aspires to consolidate itself as a benchmark in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing value through experience and support to new generations of entrepreneurs, being part of influential communities such as Endeavor. In the coming year they will expand their international presence. The medium-term vision for Shakers includes being the preferred solution for companies in multiple countries for flexible talent management and freelance communities, thus reinforcing its fundamental role in the modern work dynamics and freelance economy, according to Nico de Luis.
Carlos Hornstein, from niikiis, tells us that his intention is to consolidate itself as a sustainable and successful company in expansion over the next five years. Niikiis aims to grow by at least 3x annually, maintaining its operation in three countries and expanding to more. Sustainability is a key pillar in its growth strategy, suggesting a balanced approach between expansion and corporate responsibility. A wish: that they do so well that they can contribute and participate in future editions of Scaleup Spain, sharing their trajectory and achievements.
We wish all of them the greatest success and that soon they will be their leaders, as Carlos Hornstein points out, who will participate as experts to provide keys to new startups that are about to take the step to scaleups, expanding the virtuous circle of the network effect of Scaleup Spain Network.
Do you have a startup and want to participate in the next edition? The characteristics that your startup must have to be eligible to be part of the Scaleup Spain Network program are:
- Great traction (turnover or equivalent metrics with growth between 60-100% CAGR).
- B2B or B2C business model.
- Product- Market fit validated.
- €1M investment, or €1M income/year.
- Have closed or are closing a series A.
- Based in Spain.
Visit the Scaleup Spain Network website to find all the information about the next call and how the program works.
