Table of contents
“Thanks to entrepreneurs, Spain is becoming a reference point in Europe. We are the seventh largest country in terms of venture capital investments and the fourth largest in terms of number of deals: figures that reflect the creation of a dynamic ecosystem’. With these words, His Majesty King Felipe VI officially opened the South Summit Madrid 2025 , the reference event for the global innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, co-organised with IE University and celebrating its 14th edition this year at La Nave in Madrid.
Felipe also spoke about artificial intelligence, which he said can be ‘human. Let us build together a Spain that is a leader in innovation, but also in ethics; a Spain that is more competitive and fairer; a Spain that is not afraid of artificial intelligence, because it will be able to lead with human intelligence’.
The institutional opening of South Summit 25 was attended by María Benjumea, President and Founder of South Summit; Óscar López, Minister of Digital Transformation and Civil Service; Carlos Cuerpo, Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise; José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Mayor of Madrid; and Rocío Albert, Minister of Economy, Finance and Employment of the Community of Madrid.
During the event, the key role of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country’s economic and social transformation was emphasised. “The Startup Law or the Forum of Emerging Enterprises are examples of how Spain is working to be at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe,” said Benjumea. “Our goal is to promote growth by putting people and the planet at the centre, with technological advances as great allies.
In his speech, Óscar López described the South Summit as the great entrepreneurship event that makes Madrid a world showcase and announced ‘a five million euro call for proposals to finance artificial intelligence projects that improve the quality of life of people with disabilities’.
For his part, Carlos Cuerpo emphasised that ‘although we only represent 10% of the euro area in terms of size, we contribute 50% of economic growth. And the important thing is not just how much we grow, but how we do it: in a balanced and sustainable way, with inflation under control, with employment and productivity advancing together, and with a foreign sector at an all-time high thanks to our competitive companies’.
Before the institutional greeting from His Majesty the King, Marta Cruz, co-founder and general partner of NXTP Ventures, and Paul Murphy, general partner of Lightspeed Venture, talked about global growth and innovation in European and Latin American markets, moderated by Diego del Alcázar, CEO of IE University. “When we started in 2009, the total invested in venture capital in Latin America was $146 million, something that today is equivalent to a single deal. By 2021, $53 million of investment has been reached,’ comments Marta Cruz. Paul Murphy, for his part, advised European entrepreneurs: ‘Think big. Don’t try to copy what is happening in the United States. Build your own market, in spaces you know well. If you do that, good things will happen’.
Diego del Alcázar emphasised South Summit’s role as a driver of change. “I am proud to see the impact South Summit has had over the last 14 years on the growth of the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem worldwide. The current environment offers new opportunities for startups that know how to harness technology always with a humanistic approach.”
The power of emotions and creativity to build iconic brands
One of the most eagerly awaited names on this first day of South Summit 25 is that of Greg Hoffman, head of Nike’s brand evolution, former CMO of the American company and one of the most influential figures in the field of creativity and branding worldwide. In his speech, Hoffman argued that creativity is not just about aesthetics, but a powerful lever for business growth. “I was fortunate to work in a brand where every innovation was not only designed to communicate high performance characteristics, but also to invite people to go beyond themselves, to go further. We were not just selling basketball shoes, but an invitation to play like the great Kobe Bryant”.
Greg Hoffman shared with the audience at the Arena Stage the knowledge gained from his nearly 30-year career at Nike, where he led the global marketing, design and innovation strategies that established the brand as a cultural and sporting benchmark. For Hoffman, ‘brands that manage to connect emotionally with people earn a place in their minds, but more importantly in their hearts. And that is priceless. Creativity is not a luxury, it is an asset; it is the engine that drives growth’.
Innovation, technological sovereignty and investment at South Summit 25
One of the most inspiring testimonies of the afternoon at South Summit Madrid 2025 was that of Mikayel Vardanyan, co-founder and COO of Picsart, one of the most widely used creative editing platforms in the world, with over 150 million monthly active users. During his speech, Vardanyan addressed the challenges of scaling a digital product in a hyper-competitive market and emphasised the key role of AI in the new generation of mobile creativity. “Generative AI democratises creativity, accelerates content production and transforms the role of creative agencies. It therefore has the power to make creativity more accessible, allowing more people to start with something simpler and then add that human touch to it.”
Andrés Saborido, global managing director of Wayra, participated in a conversation about how Europe and Spain can move towards true technology sovereignty, along with other ecosystem experts such as: Manuel Marina, CEO and founder of Idoven; Alejandro Martí, CEO of Mitiga Solutions; and David Barroso, CEO and founder of CounterCraf. They all agreed that Europe has the talent, potential and resources to become a technology powerhouse. We have the advantage that we can work together as countries and that a lot of money is invested.
It should be noted that Banco Sabadell’s BStartup has announced that it has reached 100 direct investments in start-ups, consolidating itself as one of the most active investors in Spain in the seed stages. The entity points out that the companies supported by its programme already generate more than 4,200 jobs and have a total turnover of EUR 600 million, and will present some of its upcoming investments at the meeting.
For its part, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Civil Service participates in the meeting through a stand promoted by the Secretary of State for Digitisation and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA), designed as a meeting point and information point on its main initiatives to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as the Startup Law, the AI Sandbox, the ENISA Digital Entrepreneurs line or the Challenge initiative. Key entities such as the National Office for Entrepreneurship (ONE), Red.es and the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT) are also present in the space. In addition, SEDIA experts are actively participating in several panel discussions on growth policies, disruptive technologies and the future of digital talent.
The South Summit Madrid 2025 continues with Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix; Marci Zaroff, sustainable fashion pioneer and CEO of EcoFashion Corp; or Irene Gálvez, head of the Cleantech Growth Capital division of the European Investment Bank.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©