{"id":234663,"date":"2026-06-28T10:48:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T10:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/we-interviewed-startup-scouts-money-is-everywhere-now-and-if-you-have-a-quality-company-funding-will-be-abundant\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T10:48:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T10:48:51","slug":"we-interviewed-startup-scouts-money-is-everywhere-now-and-if-you-have-a-quality-company-funding-will-be-abundant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/we-interviewed-startup-scouts-money-is-everywhere-now-and-if-you-have-a-quality-company-funding-will-be-abundant\/","title":{"rendered":"We Interviewed Startup Scouts: “Money is Everywhere Now, and if You Have a Quality Company, Funding Will Be Abundant”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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## The Role of Startup Scouts in Today’s Investment Landscape <\/p>\n

Like scouts for football or basketball clubs, investment funds and large companies utilize the expertise of startup scouts. Their mission is to identify promising companies before they gain widespread recognition, aiming to be among the first to invest or collaborate with promising startups. <\/p>\n

### The Rise of Scout Programs<\/p>\n

Startup scouting gained traction around 2021-2022 amid a surge in technology company valuations. Investment enthusiasm caused rapid increases in income multiples, making it essential for funds to act quickly. Kintxo Cort\u00e9s, who has spent four years as a scout, notes that money has become a commodity in venture capital. “Now, if you are an entrepreneur with a quality company, you will have numerous funds interested in investing,” he explains.<\/p>\n

### Differentiation Through Team and Speed<\/p>\n

In this environment, investment funds can only differentiate themselves through their professional teams and speed. The quicker a fund can get to an entrepreneur, the better their chances of securing an investment. Funds now search for projects with potential rapidly, aiming to secure even small stakes early on.<\/p>\n

### Gema Garc\u00eda Gonz\u00e1lez and the Repsol Approach<\/p>\n

Gema Garc\u00eda Gonz\u00e1lez, director of Open Innovation at Repsol, leads a dedicated team of ten people focused on technological advancements through external collaborations. Unlike typical scouts, Repsol’s team actively invests in startups that align strategically with the company\u2019s goals. With over 35 investments made and 21 active collaborations, they seek projects that contribute to developments in circular economy and renewable energy.<\/p>\n

### Hunting for Talent and Innovation<\/p>\n

Cort\u00e9s ties the startup scouting phenomenon to the emergence of talent in the tech sector. Employees in successful startups often venture out to establish their own companies, fueled by their previous experience and access to capital. This shift gives rise to a new wave of innovation, reminiscent of the “PayPal Mafia”\u2014a group of tech innovators who emerged from the foundational company.<\/p>\n

### The Scout’s Network<\/p>\n

Cort\u00e9s\u2019 value as a scout lies in his extensive network, which includes former employees from tech giants like Airbnb and Shopify. This network is indispensable since investment entities often lack the resources to navigate the intricate startup ecosystem.<\/p>\n

### The Process of Selection and Investment<\/p>\n

The process for selecting promising startups includes rigorous criteria. For companies like Repsol, initial engagement focuses on understanding the technology through discussions with the startup and consultations with internal scientists. After technical approval, startups undergo concept tests, leveraging Repsol’s extensive R&D capabilities.<\/p>\n

### Challenges and Rewards in Scouting<\/p>\n

Cort\u00e9s describes the challenges in making investment recommendations; he must outline a solid business case for these investments. His scouting role involves mediating between funds and startups, navigating the investment processes, and emphasizing the technological strengths of the startups involved.<\/p>\n

The compensation structure varies by fund. Typically, scouts may receive a percentage of the profits from the investments they recommend, creating sufficient motivation to remain engaged in their scouting efforts.<\/p>\n

### Conclusion<\/p>\n

Startup scouts are crucial in identifying and nurturing the next wave of innovative companies in an environment where funding is abundant. The interplay between funds seeking rapid entry and talented entrepreneurs has transformed the investment landscape, making effective scouting more essential than ever.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

## The Role of Startup Scouts in Today’s Investment Landscape Like scouts for football or basketball clubs, investment funds and large companies utilize the expertise of startup scouts. Their mission is to identify promising companies before they gain widespread recognition, aiming to be among the first to invest or collaborate with promising startups. ### The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[50470,541,8427,10283,1371,2250,54565,12272],"class_list":["post-234663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-abundant","tag-company","tag-funding","tag-interviewed","tag-money","tag-quality","tag-scouts","tag-startup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234663"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234665,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234663\/revisions\/234665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}