VDS Connects Startups with Investors Holding Over €250 Billion in Private Equity

The seventh edition of the Valencia Digital Summit (VDS) successfully brought together a remarkable collective of investors managing over €250 billion in private equity dedicated to startups. This prestigious international tech gathering took place on October 23 and 24 at the iconic City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain, attracting major investment funds, including Softbank’s Vision Fund, which oversees more than €100 billion and boasts a portfolio featuring prominent companies such as Nvidia, Uber, and Slack.

Among the other significant funds in attendance were Pegasus Tech Ventures, known for its €260 million investment and 72 exits, including successful ventures like Airbnb, Twitter, and SpaceX. Also represented were EQT Partners, a Swedish investment group with over €210 billion invested across twenty private equity funds in the last two decades; Archimed, a leader in global healthcare investment with five funds; and Mexico’s Fondo de Fondos, which operates through nine investment vehicles backed by the Federal Government’s investment agency.

VDS2024 saw participation from numerous notable attendees, including Techstars, Early Bird, GP Bullhound, Plug & Play, Breega, CusCapital Partners, Seaya, and NXTP Ventures, culminating in a total of over 700 investors at the event. This edition of VDS marked a significant increase in international attendance, with a remarkable 65% rise in participants from abroad, now comprising 35% of the total attendees. Out of the 12,000 professionals present, over 4,000 were international visitors. This trend reflects a growing global interest in the event, which has welcomed participants from 110 countries this year, up from 80 nationalities in 2022 and 91 in 2023.

The event featured a diverse lineup of speakers, with 52% hailing from international backgrounds. Notable figures included YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, Randi Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media and HUG; Juan Antonio Samaranch, Vice President of the Spanish Olympic Committee; and Prince Constantijn van Oranje, Special Envoy of Techleap from the Netherlands. With over 2,500 startups and 1,500 corporations participating, VDS facilitated numerous connections within the global tech ecosystem, creating synergies and business opportunities. This year’s event solidified VDS’s position as one of Europe’s most significant international tech gatherings, effectively transforming Valencia into a global tech hub.

During the summit, Startup Valencia and Innovation Quarter announced a strategic collaboration aimed at enhancing innovation, internationalization, and investment within their respective ecosystems. The agreement is designed to bolster their startup and entrepreneurial communities through joint initiatives, positioning both Valencia and Zuid-Holland as premier international centers for innovation, talent attraction, and investment. Key figures signing the agreement included Chris Van Voorden, Head of Internationalization; Nacho Mas, CEO of Startup Valencia; and Krloos Rivera, Strategic Advisor at Startup Valencia.

The event also featured an international startup competition, with 800 startups from 65 countries participating. HULO.ai, a Dutch-founded startup dedicated to sustainable water supply through leak-detection algorithms, won the Early Stage category. Meanwhile, the Growth Stage award went to Smart Point, which provides AI-driven solutions to digitize retail and urban infrastructure, enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency.

DISS-CO, a Hamburg-based legaltech startup that combines AI with blockchain technology for regulatory compliance and risk mitigation, was selected to compete in the semifinals of the Startup World Cup, the world’s largest startup competition, with a $1 million investment prize for the winner.

At the VDS Valencia Forum, Mayor María José Catalá presented the honorary award ‘VDS City of Valencia’ to Hortensia Roig, President of EDEM, recognizing her leadership and contributions to promoting a culture of entrepreneurship within the Marina de Empresas, the Mediterranean’s main entrepreneurial hub. Additionally, Ana Maiques, CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics, received an honorary VDS2024 award from Diana Morant, Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities, for her inspiring career focused on developing therapies for neurological diseases such as depression, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s.

The event also recognized the Naturgy team as the winner of The Challenge hackathon, organized by Startup Valencia in collaboration with HP, Elewit, Mapfre, and Naturgy. With its commitment to innovation, investment, and international collaboration, VDS continues to pave the way for the growth of the global tech ecosystem, showcasing Valencia as a vital hub for technological advancement and startup development.