Santander X 100, the community of startups, scaleups, and SMEs created by Banco Santander through its global Santander X platform, has reached 400 high-growth companies from 11 countries, specializing in strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, software development, sustainability, cybersecurity, digital health, and Industry 4.0.
More than 191 startups, over 156 scaleups, and 49 SMEs make up the majority of this exclusive community of high-impact businesses, which generate thousands of highly skilled jobs in key sectors of the new economy.
The companies that form part of Santander X 100 have been selected from thousands of international applicants participating in the challenges, awards, and other programs organized by the bank, based on their innovative capabilities, scalability, and potential to address today’s most pressing challenges.
Many of these companies have gained access to private investment, international acceleration programs, and strategic partnerships in sectors with strong investor demand.
Among the sectors with the strongest representation within Santander X 100 are sustainability (72 companies), eHealth (64), fintech/insurtech (46), software development (47), EdTech (28), and cybersecurity (16), reflecting the main global trends in innovation and economic transformation.
An International Innovation Network
Santander X 100 was born out of Santander X, Banco Santander’s global platform, which has built one of the largest international entrepreneurship support ecosystems in the financial sector. In 2025 alone, it supported nearly 60,000 startups, scaleups, SMEs, and entrepreneurial projects across 10 countries—12% more than the previous year—through training programs, challenges, awards, benefits, events, and tailored financial solutions.
Over the past few years, more than 5,500 companies, both bank clients and non-clients, have participated in eight international initiatives focused on challenges related to healthcare, education, customer experience, employability, digitalization, and sustainability.
In 2025 alone, more than 1,000 companies took part in the bank’s global challenges, which awarded over €240,000 in prize money and provided access to investors, corporations, and international business networks.
The most recent initiatives have focused on two major structural challenges: population aging and the transition to a circular economy. The latest initiative launched by Santander X is the Santander X Global Challenge | The Quantum AI Leap, aimed at identifying projects capable of applying quantum computing and artificial intelligence to strategic sectors such as finance, energy, healthcare, logistics, and cybersecurity—two technologies expected to redefine the coming decade.
Santander’s Commitment to Education, Employability, and Entrepreneurship
For the past 30 years, Banco Santander has maintained a pioneering and long-standing commitment to education, employability, and entrepreneurship, setting it apart from other financial institutions worldwide. The bank has invested more than €2.5 billion and supported over 8.3 million people and businesses through partnerships with more than 1,000 universities (www.santander.com/universidades).
cloud technology axon
SEG is an independent manufacturer of medium-voltage protection relays...
