Club GLOBALS at Startup Olé Salamanca 2025: A Hub for Innovation, Investment, and Global Collaboration
From October 15–17, 2025, Startup OLÉ Salamanca turned the historic city into a high-velocity hub of innovation and deal-making, bringing together 3,600+ attendees, 650+ speakers, 350+ startups, and 180+ stands, with headline momentum in AI, cybersecurity, and gaming. Hosted at the Palacio de Congresos with signature networking at the Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca, the event became a powerful bridge for connecting startups and scaleups with investors and corporates from across Europe and Latin America.
Back in Salamanca – Bigger, Faster, Closer
Startup OLÉ 2025 in Salamanca felt like a family reunion at trade-fair scale, AI and cybersecurity panels, investor roundtables, a buzzing expo, and our GovTech + Media track all underscored that founders are building for real markets and capital is moving. From 15–17 October 2025, the Palacio de Congresos was the heartbeat while the Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca hosted the signature networking moments that make Startup OLÉ, well, OLÉ. We met familiar faces, made new friends, went live from the floor, and this field report distills what matters for founders, operators, and investors tracking where Europe’s startup energy is coalescing.
Startup OLÉ Salamanca 2025 delivered a high-impact mix of forums, matchmaking, and community moments, built to turn innovation into partnerships, pilots, and jobs. Here’s how Club GLOBALS showed up:
We reconnected with our community.
We met dozens of founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders, many from GSTF, GLOBALS On Tour, and past OLÉ editions, who asked for warm intros and structured visibility.
We went live.
We streamed a floor-side live to share real-time takeaways, thanks to everyone who jumped in!
We built next-step bridges.
Those conversations now feed our 2026 pipeline for GSTF26, GLOBALS On Tour, and Xcellerator, focused on sales excellence, enterprise readiness, and investor matchmaking for Southern Europe.
Startup Olé Recognition Awards
A standout moment of the event was the Startup Olé Recognition Awards, celebrating the outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations. This year’s winners included:
Pitch Competition Winner & Best Startup – Pantohealth.
Overall champion and #1 in “Energy/Water/Sustainability/Circular Economy” for credible science, measurable impact, and a clear buyer path. Prizes included access to Startup OLÉ Miami ’26 and Marbella ’26, a CIBER-SHUBE Europass for Web Summit 2025 opportunities, four months of GFS Consulting support, and Netmentora Madrid mentoring with a potential €40k loan.
We stepped into the spotlight
Across four hours in Sala Intermedia (Wed 15 Oct), the GovTech + Media track, captained by Juanma Romero and our CEO Mario Paladini, moved through a tight run of round tables: it opened with “Construyendo Redes y Apoyos para el Talento Emprendedor,” moderated by Romero with Marta Fajardo (RTVE), Andrea Auñón (Renfe), Ana Rodriguez (INECO) and Ernesto Pascual (ICECYL); continued with “Administración, Comunidades y Municipios Apoyando al Talento Emprendedor,” moderated by Pedro Canovas (RTVE) with Alejandro Freijo (Marbella), Pedro José Martínez (Salamanca), Luis Pérez (La Rioja) and Celina Pérez Casado (Extremadura); then “The Power of Working Together to Strengthen the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem,” with Javier González hosting Florian Vinson (French Chamber), Pilar González (CDTI) and Tiago Gayoso Teixeira (Recife); “Impulsando el Ecosistema Emprendedor desde la Colaboración Pública y Territorial,” with Jose Luis Belinchón hosting Javier González Navarro (Andalucía), Inma Moretón (ENISA) and Mercedes Storch (AXIS); “Conectando Talento, Inversión y Comunicación en el Emprendimiento,” moderated by Alina De Fátima Santamaria with Fernando Martínez (Revista Alimentaria), Gracia Sánchez Del Real (Infinity Capital) and Eva Lorente (Futuro Perfecto).
Mario Paladini also moderated a round table about the relevance of media and investment in the entrepreneurship ecosystem with Andrés Dulanto (EFE), Carlos López (El Diario de Madrid), Lira Baz (La Crónica de Salamanca), Elsa Martinez (Elbalilu Producciones) and Zacarias Romero (Método NOE); and the closer, “The Power of Branding to Accelerate Projects and Startups,” moderated by Elsa Martinez with Frank Ravanelli (FOREO), Denys Tkachenko (CheatCode) and Gonzalo Vila (FJX).
What was new in 2025
1) SystemEU brought real cross-border gravity.
Beyond nice words about “ecosystems,” the SystemEU Summit 2025 convened Bavaria, Cluj-Napoca, Braga, Tuzla Canton, and Castilla y León to align on health, energy, and mobility, with co-creation sessions that felt like procurement meets pilots. The vibe: fewer silos, more interoperability, and practical pathways to European funding.
2) Cyber got mainstream and commercial.
Thanks to CIBER-SHUBE (co-funded by INCIBE) and the CIBER OLÉ program, cybersecurity moved from side-stage to center stage. Panels merged technical credibility with go-to-market realism, and corporate buyers showed up with clearer checklists. If you build cyber or “AI + compliance,” Salamanca was a high-density lead funnel this year.
3) Capital coordination improved.
The Investor Forum stacked smart money from growth funds to angels, and the conversation had shifted from buzzwords to unit economics, distribution partners, and regulatory pathways. Add the BME bell-ringing moment and you get a subtle but important nudge: founders should design cap tables and metrics with public-market optionality in mind, even early.
Experience Startup Olé Salamanca 2025 Live 🔴
We’re bringing the energy and excitement of Startup Olé directly to you, LIVE and unfiltered! Get real-time coverage, interviews, and behind-the-scenes insights as we connect with global innovators, investors, and startups shaping the future of tech.
Join Us in 2026
As we look forward to another impactful year, Club GLOBALS remains committed to fostering innovation and growth within our global network. Let’s keep pushing boundaries, scaling startups, and making a lasting impact. You can join us as a Partner, Member or meet us in our next event.
