One-liner: the private, non-profit association at the centre of the ecosystem — 3,000+ startups/scaleups, 48,000+ professionals, 2,000+ corporates & investors connected from Valencia to global capital and talent; runs the flagship VDS summit, investor-matchmaking, and the tech-ecosystem directory. (Correct domain is .org; the .com is defunct — CLAUDE.md §11.)
What a founder gets
- Community & directory access: the tech-ecosystem directory (the private-layer map of the region), a members-only WhatsApp/Slack-style community, and 200+ events/year.
- VDS (Valencia Digital Summit): the flagship international event — speaking slots, the VDS Startup Competition (Top 100, drawn from 1,560+ applications across 87 countries), Pitch Stage, and 1:1 meeting scheduling with investors/corporates via the official app.
- Capital4Startups: investor-matchmaking platform run with SpainCap — startups showcase to a curated set of funds and family offices.
- Startup Valencia Soft Landing: paid 3-day Expats Soft Landing Program for internationally relocating founders.
- Founders Club: an exclusive space for the ecosystem's 20 most prominent scaleups — high-level networking and peer exchange (growth/scale-stage only).
- NextTalent: a community for students/young professionals — hackathons, career opportunities, ties to the academic world.
- Corporate Innovation Club: for corporates, but indirectly a founder channel — connects member startups to qualified corporate deal flow and open-innovation projects.
- Co-runs the Cybersecurity Startup Program with INCIBE + VIC (incubation/acceleration + 1-year hot desk at La Harinera + OVHcloud credits).
- Blockchain, Mobility and DeepTech workgroups/committees for vertical-specific founder networking.
Who it's for
- Any-stage tech founder, but the offer is stage-differentiated: pre-seed/seed founders get curated programs and community events; later-stage scaleups get the Founders Club; investors/VCs get Capital4Startups and VDS access; corporates get the Corporate Innovation Club.
- Membership is paid (a private association, not a public service) — see "Why join us / Perks" on the site for current tiers.
How to engage
- Join at startupvalencia.org ("Join us" / membership). Supporters (companies wanting to back the ecosystem rather than join as a startup) apply via "Become a Supporter."
- HQ: Startup Valencia, Base 2, La Marina de Valencia — Calle de la Travesía 15B, 46024 València. WhatsApp: +34 623 387 197.
- VDS 2026 tickets and Capital4Startups applications open via vds.tech and capital4startups.startupvalencia.org respectively.
Key facts (2026)
- Founded 2017. Ecosystem generates €2B+ annual business volume and 22,000+ jobs; Valencia entered the global Top 70 emerging ecosystems (up ~20 places).
- VDS 2026 (9th edition, Oct 21–22, City of Arts & Sciences): 12,000+ attendees from 120+ countries, 3,000+ startups, 1,500+ corporates, 800+ investors (€300B+ AUM), 600+ speakers, 2,500+ meetings, 45+ sponsors, 80+ collaborators. VDS Top 100 drawn from 1,560 applications across 87 countries (as of July 2026). Confirmed speakers include Chris Cunningham (Co-Founder, ClickUp) and Dmytro Voloshyn (Co-Founder/CTO, Preply). Strategic partner: TNW (a Financial Times Company).
- Leadership — RESOLVED 2026-07-05 (was
#status/verifysince the 2026-07-04 lint): Startup Valencia runs two distinct, both-current leadership pages, which explains the apparent contradiction — it isn't stale data on either side:- Board page (startupvalencia.org/board, live-verified 2026-07-05, unchanged since 2026-07-02): Juan Luis Hortelano — President (re-elected; board term 2025–2030, the governance chair); Nacho Mas (Ignacio Mas) — Executive VP; Javier Megías — VP Investor Relations; Pilar Mateo — VP Impact; Fran Villalba — VP of Founder Relations (Internxt founder); Juan Martínez Climent — VP Strategy; Judith Saladrigas — Secretary; Vicente Ruiz — Treasurer; plus 14 Vocales (Raquel Valero, David Pistoni, Antonio Huerta, Marta Zaragozá, Hugo Mira, Juan Cartagena, Fernando Marzal, Víctor P. Amarnani, Antonio G. Asturiano, Clara Fernández, Diego Moya, David Ortega, Reinerio Agüería).
- Team page (startupvalencia.org/team, captured 2026-07-05): Nacho Mas — CEO (operational head), plus Roberto Moragón (CMO), Ángela Castelló (CRO), Diego Ferragud (VDS Program Director), and 27 further staff.
- Conclusion: Hortelano chairs the board as President; Nacho Mas runs day-to-day operations as CEO (Team page) while also sitting on the board as Executive VP (Board page) — both titles are accurate and simultaneously current, not a version conflict. No
#status/verifyneeded going forward.
- Corporate members/partners cited on-site: Plug and Play Tech Center, Google for Startups, OVHcloud (3-year Startup Program partner).
Relations
- Runs: VDS
- Runs: Capital4Startups
- Runs: Startup Valencia Soft Landing
- Runs: Cybersecurity Startup Program
- Runs: Startup Valencia Soft Landing Program
- Runs: Cybersecurity Startup Program (Program)
- Runs: Startup Valencia Membership
- Runs: SheLeads (Startup Valencia)
- Partners with: GSIC
- Partners with: CaixaBank DayOne
- Partners with: First Drop VC
- See also: Social Nest
- See also: Female Entrepreneurship (support)
- Partners with: AI Tinkerers Valencia
- See also: Startup Grind Valencia