Tetuan Valley in the Financial Times ranking: We continue to grow

Last week, Financial Times included us in its ranking, positioning us as the 4th best accelerator in Spain and 44th in Europe. A recognition that, beyond being a reason to celebrate, makes us reflect on the road we have traveled and what lies ahead.

15 years helping entrepreneurs

When Tetuan Valley was born in 2009, who would have imagined that 15 years after its creation Tetuan Valley would be here, with such a strong community and with such an impact on the ecosystem? What started as a group of people passionate about technology and entrepreneurship has become a space where hundreds of startups have taken their first steps.

"The best thing about going through the Startup School is being part of the Tetuan Valley community. Thanks to going through the program we have been able to improve and grow." - Marco Conde, Founder & CEO of Motoreto

"We met mentors with a lot of experience in different disciplines who have supported us and given us the tools to continue growing." - Laura Rodríguez Álvarez, Co-Founder & CEO of Humara

"Thanks to the quality of the trainings and the closeness of the whole team, we have perfected our pitch and achieved very important milestones." - María Azofra, Co-Founder & CEO of Sharpei

From the launch of our first Startup School in Madrid to our editions in Barcelona, Extremadura or the online editions due to COVID-19, each program has been an opportunity to accompany entrepreneurs with huge ideas and ambitions. We have partnered with Google for Startups Madridwe have worked on different European projects, as well as institutional and private projects, and we have collaborated with key organizations such as INCIBE y Women4Cyber Spain. And most importantly, we have built a community that continues to grow.

A recognition that belongs to all of us

To appear in a ranking such as the prestigious Financial Times is a real honor, although we do not do this for awards or lists, but our goal is to help people who bet on entrepreneurship and for the support network we have created together. Every startup that has gone through Tetuan Valley, every mentor, every collaborator has been part of this achievement.

This recognition is for all those who have trusted us, for those who have shared their experience, for those who have built their startup from scratch with our help. We would not continue to grow without you!

How we do it

Since we were born in 2009 in the Tetuan neighborhood of Madrid, we have operated in a 100% independent and non-profit manner, without asking for money or equity from the entrepreneurs that go through our programs. Unlike many other accelerators in the ranking, Tetuan Valley has not depended on large funds, corporations or government agencies. Instead, we have grown thanks to the passion and commitment of our community, with a pay-it-forward mentality where entrepreneurs help other entrepreneurs.

In these years, we have developed many programs, including some specialized in the area of cybersecurity. We have collaborated with universities to foster entrepreneurial talent in these sectors and worked on new technologies focused on climatech and sustainability, at a European level together with DIRSE y Climatech Hub. In addition, we have collaborated with different institutions, for example INCIBE in different initiatives to promote entrepreneurship and startup creation in Spain.

Today we offer 4 different calls for proposals, which you can discover here here. One of our most outstanding programs in cybersecurity is the Women4Cyber Startup School, in collaboration with the association Women4Cyber Spain. Since its launch four years ago, we have accelerated 25 women-led projects, including startups like Shaadow.io, AuthUSB, Steryon o Intrepit. It is an intensive five-week program in hybrid format, where entrepreneurs work on product validation, marketing and sales, financing, legal aspects and lean startup mindset, culminating with a final pitch.

In addition to our acceleration programs for startups, we also take our methodology to large companies, universities and municipalities through corporate innovation initiatives. We work in two strategic lines:

• Intrapreneurship, helping companies to foster an innovative culture within their teams and to develop projects with the agile mindset of a startup.

• Open innovation, facilitating collaboration between startups and large companies to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and business models. This allows corporations to reduce development times and startups to find strategic partners to scale their solutions.

The numbers speak for themselves: more than 1,500 mentored entrepreneurs and more than 400 startups have gone through our programs, led and managed by alumni of the community. Among them, there are outstanding names such as RatedPower, Invofox (YC S22) and Embatamong many others.

That the Financial Times has included us in its ranking is an incredible endorsement, but beyond the position in the list, what really defines Tetuan Valley is its essence: a community built by and for entrepreneurs, where the success of one is the success of all.

What's next

If there is one thing that motivates us, it is to look forward. This recognition encourages us to keep improving and to continue supporting more entrepreneurs.

"Receiving this recognition from the Financial Times is an honor and a reflection of 15 years of work, learning and the efforts of so many people who have made this community a space where entrepreneurs support each other and grow together." - Iñigo Peña Medrano, CEO of Tetuan Valley

Thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey. And if you haven't yet, what are you waiting for? Discover our open calls here.

💡 Read the Financial Times article in full at this link.