Acelerar España (Accelerate Spain), a soft-landing program that seeks to create an impact on the Argentine entrepreneurial ecosystem, is currently in its seventh edition with a total of 13 participating startups from the South American country.
The philanthropic initiative has become an invaluable platform for Argentine entrepreneurs seeking to expand into the Spanish market, providing access to essential tools and knowledge necessary to achieve this goal.
More than 430 startups applied but only 13 were selected to access the program, which was held in Madrid from March 11 to March 20. During the program, Novobrief spoke with Manuel Beaudroit, co-founder and CEO of Belo, one of the finalists for Acelerar España’s 2024 edition.
“We started in 2021 with a focus on crypto and we were finding that we had a very active user group: the freelancer segment,” Beaudroit told Novobried. “Remote workers had a very specific problem with being able to live off the fruits of their labor, it was very difficult for them to get paid from abroad, mainly from the United States or Europe, which are the two big markets that inject capital in Latin America.”
The platform’s core remains providing customers access to cryptocurrencies, however, listening to the needs of their clients, Belo has since integrated various services that make it a fairly complete fintech solution.
“Today we operate in 14 countries in Latin America. You can receive international money and transfer that money to your local bank account if necessary,” Beaudroit said. “Specifically, in the case of Argentina, it is also possible to pay for electricity, gas, school or cell phone recharges. We also have a prepaid MasterCard, with which you can use your balance to pay locally or globally.”
Regarding its participation in Acelerar España, Belo’s CEO said: “We had wanted to participate in the past, but we could not do it and finally this year we were selected. The number of contacts that generate connections opens up new paths for you. Programs like this one open the way to maximize your chances of success.”
“We are fortunate to have investors from Spain, which makes the wheel turn faster. There is a phenomenal amount of capital available here, something that is perhaps much more difficult in Argentina,” he added.
The Acelerar España initiative, organized by Leandro Sigman, enables founders to connect with over 80 leaders in the Spanish market and gain valuable knowledge and support for their international expansion.
The program has the backing of several institutions and multinational companies committed to accompanying Argentine entrepreneurs and SMEs during their internationalization.
“There are entrepreneurs who come to tell their stories of success, failures, sales, human, technical, and financial issues; of all kinds. I feel it’s almost like doing an MBA in a week.”
This year, the list of participating companies included three fintech startups: Belo, Suga, and Facturante. Alongside them, other startups from various industries: Maslow, Janis, Sensify, For Me, Fillad, Nippy, Chilly, Embryoxite, and Egg.
“We consider this acceleration program a fast track to establish connections with Spain. We aim to bridge the gap between companies seeking Latin American talent at an affordable cost and the professionals they require. At the moment, we believe that we offer the best solution for efficient euro transactions and prompt balance deposits into your account,” concluded Beaudroit.
