Looking for funding? Top 14 business angels in Spain you should meet

It’s no secret that angel investors play a key role in the development of technology ecosystems, as many successful entrepreneurs decide to help up-and-coming startups with funding and mentorship.

According to Webcapitalriesgo, in 2013 business angels, accelerators and incubators invested €21.2 million in Spanish startups, a 78% increase YoY, demonstrating that these investors are more active than ever. To help entrepreneurs understand who the most relevant Spanish business angels are, we’ve put together a list with 14 of the biggest names in the country. If you think someone else should be included in the list, please let us know in the comments.

Top 14 business angels in Spain you should meet

• Yago Arbeloa: the brother of Spanish professional football player Álvaro Arbeloa, Yago has been an angel investor since 2010. Based in Madrid, he’s invested in companies such as Really Late Booking (acquired by Hot.es), Reclamador, Ducksboard and more recently in We Are Knitters or Percentil. Yago is also the president of Hello Media Group and the AIEI (Asociación de inversores y emprendedores de Internet). Want to get in touch with him and get to know his investment strategy? Check his Startupxplore profile out.
• Vicente Arias: co-founder of Offerum and SeedRocket, Vicente is also an active angel investor in Barcelona-based startups. He’s invested in companies such as Ulabox, salir, or enalquiler.
• Carlos Blanco: one of the best known figures in the Spanish startup ecosystem, especially in Barcelona and Cataluña. Carlos is the co-founder of gaming startup Akamon Entertainment, Barcelona-based accelerator Conector and the CEO of Grupo ITnet. As an angel investor he’s invested in companies such as Deporvillage, Kantox or Infantium.
• François Derbaix: François is one of the most active angel investors in Spain, having backed at least 21 companies in the past few years, including Tiendeo, Deporvillage, Comunitae and Startupxplore. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded Rentalia (acquired by idealista), Toprural (bought by HomeAway) and is now running Soysuper. His personal blog is also a ‘must-read’ for entrepreneurs and investors.
• Carlos Domingo: Carlos is the former president and CEO of Telefónica I+D (R&D). During his time at the Spanish telecom giant he also sat on the board of Wayra, Tuenti and TokBox. As an investor he’s backed companies such as Blink Booking (acquired by Groupon) and Masterbranch.
• Jesús Encinar: best known as the founder of Idealista, Jesús has also invested in various Spanish startups such as AsesorSeguros or Etece. He’s also a member of the advisory board of Seaya Ventures, the VC firm co-founded by Beatriz González and Michael Kleindl that has invested in Cabify, Ticketea or Restalo since its inception in mid 2013.
• Marek Fodor: after co-founding the online travel agency Atrapalo and serving as CTO for 8 years, Marek is currently the chairman of fintech startup Kantox. He’s also an active angel investor, having backed Deporvillage, peerTransfer or Kantox.
• Bernardo Hernández: Bernardo has developed his career at both sides of the ocean. In the US he previously was the Director of Product Management at Google and these days he’s running Flickr’s product division. In Spain he co-founded Idealista and Fever. He was also one of the first investors in Tuenti, the social network acquired by Telefónica. As an angel investor he’s backed The Mad Video and Mallorca-based accelerator Mola.com.
• Walter Kobylanski: co-founder of Gigas and based in Madrid, Walter and his brother Christian recently founded Danka Capital, an investment vehicle that’s looking to back early stage companies. As an angel investor, he’s invested in TouristEye (acquired by Lonely Planet), Jugo and Ducksboard.
• Juan Margenat: Juan is the co-founder of Barcelona-based startup Marfeel and is also an advisor to Conector. Previous to Marfeel he also founded Weekendesk Iberia (sold to Smart&Co) and PlanB!. He’s invested in fintech darling Kantox, as well as Offerum, Deporvillage and Habitissimo.
• Jesús Monleón: Jesús has a lot of experience in creating and investing in companies. In 2000 he founded emagister and more recently Offerum; he also worked as an investment associate at Caixa Capital Risc for 7 years, backing both mature and early stage companies. His activity as angel investor includes the likes of DADA Company, Deporvillage or Chicfy.
• Jose A. Moral: Jose is based in Bilbao and has been involved in the technology sector for more than 15 years. After co-founding Ya.com and Alianzo he’s become an angel investor, having invested in Spanish startups Chicismo or Agora News.
• Axel Serena: Axel is the CEO of Vittalia and has more than 20 years of experience in internet businesses. As an angel investor he’s got a porfolio of more than 15 companies, including the likes of Akamon, Tiendeo, Appszoom or PopPlaces. He’s based in Barcelona and if you want to know his investment strategy don’t hesitate to check his Startupxplore profile.
• Martín Varsavsky: famous for founding and selling tech juggernauts such as Jazztel or Ya.com -and more recently Fon- Martín has also been an active investor in startups for over a decade. Through Jazzya Investments, his investment arm, he’s backed over 30 companies. Hipertexual, Hootsuite, Busuu, Menéame and of course Tumblr, acquired by Yahoo in 2013 for $1 billion.

There are certainly more business angels investing in Spanish startups at an early stage. If you have suggestions, please let us know in the comments!