Today we speak with Ángela Castelló, one of the key figures driving Valencia's innovation ecosystem, known for her commitment to collaboration, entrepreneurship, and connecting talent, companies, and institutions.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelacastello/
1. How would you describe Valencia's current position as a hub for entrepreneurship, talent attraction, and investment — and what sets it apart from other European ecosystems?
Valencia is in a very sweet spot right now. A lot of things have come together at once: years of hard work from companies and ecosystem players who have been committed to innovation from within, combined with the international openness we experienced — especially after Covid.
Even though the narrative in Spain still tends to revolve around Madrid and Barcelona, the reality is that outside of Spain, cities like Valencia and Málaga are among the top choices. Quality of life, professional opportunities, and a better climate all play a role.
Today, Valencia is Spain's third-largest entrepreneurship hub, and I'm confident we'll continue to grow — not just in numbers, but especially in the quality of our entrepreneurs.
2. Based on your cross-sector experience at Startup Valencia, why are sector-specific innovation hubs like Opentop so important for accelerating business transformation?
Hubs and verticals help bring focus and scale things faster. Generalist hubs are also valuable, but it's harder to deliver real impact because the community is so heterogeneous.
What happens with a hub like Opentop — specialized in the port-logistics sector — is that you're able to connect companies and stakeholders of very different sizes and backgrounds who share a clear common interest. On top of that, we live in a world where everyone is moving fast, and what people want are connections that have a real impact on their day-to-day operations. That kind of value is much easier to deliver within a vertical.
3. Why does it matter to have PEIC within a generalist event like VDS? What does that coexistence of ecosystems bring to the table?
VDS is an event about technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. PEIC represents one of the most important industries in the world and in Spain — a genuinely tech-driven, naturally innovative industry that has traditionally been dominated by large corporations.
Initiatives like Opentop and the PEIC congress bring entrepreneurship into that space: the fresh perspective of people who understand problems from the outside and can offer solutions that accelerate innovation far more quickly than the sector could on its own.
4. What are the trends shaping entrepreneurship in Valencia right now, and which sectors are seeing the most traction and investor interest?
Everything related to deep tech is growing the fastest. The era of SaaS is losing its top spot to projects with greater technological complexity. Industries like healthtech, defense, and -of course- AI agents across different verticals are leading the charge.
On the investment side, while overall funding amounts are increasing, they're concentrating in fewer deals. That's why we see a clear need to keep investing in early-stage companies to ensure the pipeline of future businesses keeps growing.
5. Matchmaking has become one of the most valued assets in innovation ecosystems. Why is it so hard to replicate outside these environments, and what makes a startup-corporate connection actually work?
Matchmaking, in any form, is incredibly complex to manage. In my view, it all comes down to momentum- much like in personal relationships.
The synergies between a corporate and a startup can be endless, but timing is everything: on one side, the startup needs to be ready and mature enough to deliver real value; on the other, the company needs to be in a position to integrate new solutions internally, with genuine openness to change.
Either way, I think it's something very positive, and the fact that Opentop actively fosters those synergies and connections will help more collaborations happen, and happen faster.
6. Many startups are born here, but scaling remains a challenge. What does the Valencian ecosystem still need to retain its best companies and help them reach international markets?
I think the scaling challenge isn't really specific to Valencia — it's something shared across all of Spain. To break into other markets, you need significant capital and teams with very specific professional profiles. When we talk to Valencian and Spanish scaleups, those are consistently their main pain points.
We're seeing more and more large funding rounds led by foreign capital, and there's a very positive growth trend around Europe as a single market.
At Startup Valencia, for example, we try to help seed-stage companies connect with entrepreneurs at later stages, and we're also working to bridge the VDS international VC platform with the local ecosystem on a day-to-day basis.