Inside Lanzadera: the real experience of a foreign startup

1. Introduction

Landing a tech company in Europe as a foreign founder can be challenging. You need a reliable ecosystem, connections, and a fast track to market validation. To understand what a successful soft landing for startups in Spain really looks like, we spoke to a real-world example.

Gonzalo Geronés, CEO and Founder of RondoAI, relocated to Valencia from Argentina in 2023. His AI-powered commercial intelligence platform for football clubs has been accepted this year into Lanzadera’s mentorship program. His testimonial offers valuable insight into similar journeys.

“Making the move to Europe wasn’t a mere professional decision; it was also a very personal one. In my case, relocating to Valencia was closely linked to my family and the quality of life I wanted for my family. I came with the intention of settling in a place where I could grow my project, but also where my family could truly feel at home. Valencia quickly stood out as a very well-balanced option on both fronts”.

2. Why we chose Valencia and Lanzadera for our european HQ

First, I chose Valencia because of its quality of life. It’s a comfortable, safe city, with great weather and a lifestyle that’s very family friendly. For me, that was essential.

Second, Valencia has a very interesting entrepreneurial ecosystem, especially around Marina de Empresas and Lanzadera. That made the decision even clearer, because it allowed me to align my personal life and my professional goals in the same place.

Third, the presence of GSIC and its Testing Lab in Valencia is another positive factor, particularly for a SportsTech company like RondoAI. Being able to validate technology in an environment like Valencia adds a lot of value, especially in the early stages.

3. Step-by-Step: The real process of getting into Lanzadera

The process of joining Lanzadera is quite structured and made up of several stages.

First, you fill out an initial application form. It’s important to clearly explain what problem your company is solving and what stage you’re at. Being clear and direct really matters, because that’s the basis for the first evaluation.

If you’re preselected, you move on to a second phase with a more detailed form, focused on the business: customer, value proposition, metrics, competition, and so on.

The final step is a personal interview. In my case, it was with two project directors. It’s a very friendly conversation, but they go quite deep. They want to understand you as a founder, the strengths and weaknesses of the project, and above all whether it’s a good fit for Lanzadera.

For this last stage, I chose to keep things very simple and transparent. I didn’t prepare a formal pitch or speech.

Instead, I showed them the same presentation I use when talking to clubs and convincing them to join RondoAI’s pilot program. I also demonstrated the product live, so they could actually see how Rondo helps clubs generate revenue week after week.

I think that helped a lot, because the conversation moved from theory to something much more tangible and real.

Overall, I’d say it’s not a process where you have to sell a “perfect” idea, but one where you need to show clarity, coherence, and real execution capability.

4. The true value of Lanzadera

This execution capability is exactly what top corporate accelerator programs in Europe are looking for today. In fact, in Lanzadera’s March 2026 batch, 80% of the 120 incorporated startups are already generating revenue. They are accelerating real businesses through a powerful corporate network.

At the core of early and growth-stage entrepreneurship is Marina de Empresas; the flagship entrepreneurial complex located in Valencia’s maritime district. Marina de Empresas brings together Lanzadera, EDEM Business School, and Angels Capital, forming a unique space that integrates education, acceleration and investment.

Lanzadera, Spain’s first accelerator and within the top 5 European accelerators, supports hundreds of startups with a long-term, business-focused model, emphasizing operational robustness and sustainable growth. This approach has significantly increased Valencia’s ability to produce investment-ready companies, attractive to both national and international capital.

In fact, Lanzadera is a personal initiative of Juan Roig—founder of Mercadona—created with the purpose of giving back to society what it has given to him. Although Lanzadera collaborates with a wide network of corporations that actively engage with startups, its true core lies elsewhere: in the Total Quality Management Model. 

This management philosophy, developed and applied by Juan Roig at Mercadona, is the key to the supermarket chain’s sustained success and can be implemented across any type of business. It forms the foundation of Lanzadera’s methodology, which focuses on building profitable, resilient companies capable of enduring over time. Entrepreneurs are trained under this model to achieve operational excellence, strong market positioning, and long-term profitability. 

Angels Capital, the investment arm within Marina de Empresas, complements this by providing growth capital and access to a corporate network that can validate B2B solutions quickly. For founders building products that need real-world enterprise traction, this combination of operational mentorship, corporate validation and direct access to investment, represents one of the strongest value propositions among the best accelerator programs for startups in Europe.

5. The challenges: what foreign founders should know

One of the main challenges of moving to Spain as a foreigner is the administrative side: visas, company incorporation, paperwork, and all that comes with it.

It does require patience and good guidance — these processes take time, and it’s important to start as early as possible.

In my case, the support from Invest in Valencia was extremely helpful in making this process smoother. They helped us understand the steps and move forward with much more confidence.

It’s also important to keep in mind that settling in doesn’t happen overnight. Adapting to a new country and getting everything in place, both personally and professionally, takes time.

In the end, choosing where to build a company is also choosing where to live. And for me, Valencia wasn’t just a great professional decision; it was also a great life decision.

6. How Invest in Valencia can accelerate your move

As Gonzalo’s experience shows, getting accepted into one of the best accelerator programs for startups in Europe, like Lanzadera, requires effort but it is very rewarding.

This is where Invest in Valencia steps in. We support international companies through the process of landing in the city. From managing the Spain Startup Visa process to navigating company incorporation and securing office space, we can accompany you, so you can focus on pitching your business and scaling in Europe.

Contact Invest in Valencia today to start your soft landing in Spain.