Fundación Repsol has presented at Campus Repsol in Madrid the five new startups selected in the 14th edition of its Entrepreneurs Fund accelerator. The startups were chosen after a thorough evaluation process of the proposals received in this call.
The selected startups will receive financial support of up to €120,000 over one year in the form of a convertible loan, as well as guidance from Repsol’s technology experts and a team of professional mentors with extensive experience and knowledge both in the energy sector and in managing high-value businesses, thus increasing their chances of success. In addition, the startups will have the opportunity to validate their initiatives in a real environment, including in some cases pilot tests at Repsol’s own facilities and industrial plants or proof-of-concept projects at the Repsol Technology Lab, the company’s technological and innovation center.
At the opening of the event, António Calçada, Managing Director of Fundación Repsol, highlighted the relevance of Fundación Repsol as a tool to identify the talent of new startups key to the development of new technologies. In this regard, he stressed: “Fundación Repsol has been supporting entrepreneurs for 14 years, helping them develop innovative technological solutions to address the challenges of the energy transition.”
For his part, Luis Cabra, Executive Managing Director of Energy Transition, Institutional Affairs and Technology, and Deputy CEO of Repsol, emphasized: “This energy transition is different. In the past, the development of new technologies gave rise to new forms of energy. Now we must go in the opposite direction: we have to solve the problem of global warming with new energies that are affordable, and for that we need to develop technology.”
The event also hosted a panel discussion titled “Technological Innovation: A Before and After of Artificial Intelligence”, focused on the state of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Participants included Javier Sanz, evaluator and mentor of the Entrepreneurs Fund; José Antonio González, New Business Manager for Repsol’s Customer area; Augusto Bartolomé, co-founder and CEO of Electrógenos (accelerated in the 13th call); Gema García, Director of Corporate Venturing, Tech BD & Open Innovation at Repsol; José Antonio Hernández, Director of Digitalization and Systems for renewable businesses and corporate areas at Repsol; and Natalia Cortina, Head of the Entrepreneurs Fund at Fundación Repsol.
Following this, representatives of the five selected startups presented their projects, the technologies they are developing, and the benefits they bring to the energy transition.
The event also featured Pau García-Milá, entrepreneur and artificial intelligence expert, who explained the importance of AI for entrepreneurship. According to Pau, “Artificial intelligence is not a substitute for human talent, but a tool to amplify creativity, productivity, and analytical capacity.”
Valero Marín, Repsol’s Executive Managing Director of Client, closed the event by highlighting the importance of artificial intelligence and its relevance to the entrepreneurial sector.
This call attracted nearly 200 applications with a high level of technological development and innovative focus. Particularly noteworthy were those addressing key challenges of the energy transition, such as decarbonization through nature-based solutions, low-emission technologies, new models of energy efficiency, circular economy proposals, sustainable mobility, or renewable generation.
Staying true to its strategic approach, the Entrepreneurs Fund has selected a small group of projects, allowing each startup to receive tailored support. This personalized model maximizes the value of the program and helps entrepreneurs move forward with greater confidence toward the real implementation of their solutions.
In this edition, five startups will be accelerated by the Entrepreneurs Fund:
Since its creation in 2011, the Entrepreneurs Fund has supported 83 technology-based startups, to which the five selected in this edition will now be added, after analyzing more than 6,000 applications over the years. The accelerated companies have a survival rate of 65%, have developed over 950 prototypes, generated more than 200 patents, and raised over €1.1 billion in public and private funding. This track record positions the Fund as one of the most solid acceleration initiatives on the national scene.
With this new edition, Fundación Repsol reaffirms its commitment to technological innovation as a driver of change toward a new energy model. Through the Entrepreneurs Fund, Fundación Repsol continues to foster the growth of startups with disruptive solutions, connecting entrepreneurial talent with industrial expertise, and creating the necessary conditions for these initiatives to become real projects with a positive impact on society and the environment.
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