On November 26, one of the most anticipated events of the year in the investment ecosystem took place: the BIGBAN Investors Congress. In its eleventh edition, the prestigious BIGBAN Awards went to José Antonio González (Business Angel and partner at Deloitte), the startup Clevergy, Raquel Bernal (Draper B1), Inveready, Perseo, and Iñaki Berenguer (LifeX Ventures).
“The BIGBAN Awards recognize each year excellence in private investment within Spain’s startup and innovation ecosystem, highlighting investors, funds, corporations, and startups that are building the future. Since their inception in 2013, these awards have become the main national benchmark for honoring track record, vision, and talent in early-stage investing. We congratulate the nominees and winners, whose efforts drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth,” said Alberto Andújar, director of BIGBAN Investors Spain.
The Palau de les Arts in Valencia hosted this afternoon, November 26, the leading figures of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to celebrate the eleventh edition at the opening of the BIGBAN Investors Congress, a date to remember each year for all of them.
This 2025 marks the start of a second decade dedicated to recognizing excellence in startup investment, with an inclusive and democratic model where an independent committee proposes candidates and voting is carried out openly by the investor community, according to the organizers. Alberto Andújar highlighted this year’s remarkable participation: “In this edition, we broke records and surpassed last year’s participation, which was 1,600 votes, representing significant growth.”
The congress began with the Private Investment Night, led by Alicia Suárez Hulton, who acted as Master of Ceremonies, followed by the inaugural speech delivered by Pedro de Álava, president of BIGBAN Investors Spain, in which he defined the investor as “a multifaceted figure who, although possessing diverse assets with varying risks and returns, shares a common trait: a commitment to innovation.” De Álava emphasized that “AI accounts for nearly 40% of deal value in Europe, while traditionally strong sectors such as Fintech or Life Sciences are showing a slowdown,” and went on to stress that “in an environment where promoters raise valuations and large funds impose their conditions, the individual Business Angel loses strength. Relying solely on an isolated ‘opportunity’ is a mistake in the current context. The market has evolved from being opportunistic to specialized and technocratic. Decisions are now made by technical and scientific experts, segmenting the market both by supply and demand.” He concluded by acknowledging the work of his predecessors: “BIGBAN enjoys financial health and has a base of 200 members (‘polyhedrons’). The contributions of previous presidents in building this base are recognized.”
Immediately afterward came one of the most emotional moments of this edition, led by the socio-cultural foundation Cultura en Vena, dedicated to improving lives and transforming realities through art, mainly in healthcare centers and vulnerable communities. Thanks to this organization, attendees experienced a true musical journey through the piece Entrepreneurship in Three Movements, created exclusively for the BIGBAN Investors Congress 2025, evoking the vertigo and primal risk from which all important things in life emerge.
As the leading representatives of private investment in Spain, the main objective of this edition is to update the market’s vision through the insights of top business angels, entrepreneurs, family offices, corporates, and venture capital funds in the ecosystem, while also highlighting the technologies and sectors driving deal flow, particularly AI and deep tech.
Following the president of BIGBAN Investors Spain’s speech, the BIGBAN Awards ceremony took place at a congress supported by an Advisory Board made up of notable figures including Paloma Cañete (Fides Capital), Paloma Castellano (Wayra España), Jordi Rivera (business angel), Helena Torras (Hans(wo)men Group), Eduardo Diez-Hochleitner (Samaipata), Elena Rico (SpainCap), Sonia Fernández (Kibo Ventures), and François Derbaix (Indexa Capital).
BIGBAN Awards: Creating Benchmarks
BIGBAN Investors Spain, as the leading association of private investors in the ecosystem, once again serves as a driving force for entrepreneurship, investment, and recognition of the most relevant and representative players in Spain. From individual awards to collective honors, BIGBAN Investors Spain has recognized the work of:
cloud technology axon
Xcalibur Smart Mapping, recognised as the global leader in airborne...
