BBVA Spark arrives at the Llotja de Barcelona after a three-year-plus journey, having partnered with over 1,500 companies, secured more than 600 million euros in funding and expanded into destinations such as Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Bogotá, Madrid, Barcelona and London. BBVA Spark Summit 2025 sets sail at a pivotal moment for the entrepreneurial ecosystem after a year in which venture capital investment exceeded 53 billion US dollars across Europe in 2024 and reached 1.9 billion euros in Spain in 2024.

In a climate where European scale-ups face increasing pressure to prove their sustainability, many are charting a new course to make it a priority. Today’s successful scale-ups blend rapid growth with stability and profitability. This session will explore how companies can align strategic vision with everyday execution to foster sustainable growth, focusing on key aspects including planning, resource optimisation and access to funding.

Forecasts suggest that within 10 years, Europe will evolve into an 8-trillion-dollar ecosystem with a labour market 300% larger than today. The region is on a transformative path to become a global hub of innovation and growth for tech companies, spotlighting emerging ecosystems like Spain. This panel will act as your compass, guiding you as you explore how to seize these opportunities, overcome challenges like market fragmentation and talent retention and harness the favourable winds that position Europe as a friendly port for entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just about conquering new markets. It also means navigating emotional storms. Heavy workloads, financial strain and juggling multiple roles are some of the factors that can push entrepreneurs into higher-than-normal stress levels. In this session, we’ll chat with several entrepreneurs who’ve navigated waters, learning how to cope with both success and failure while keeping personal and professional life in balance. They’ll light the way as we lead and build with the motto mens sana in corpore sano—a healthy mind in a healthy body.

For any entrepreneur, a trusty compass can mean the difference between getting lost at sea or reaching the right shore. In recent years, artificial intelligence has taken on this role: 74% of organizations have already integrated this technology into their operations, compared to 55% last year, according to the Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2025 by Stanford University. . AI emerges as a vital tool to boost team productivity, accelerate business innovation and drive the rise of new high-growth companies built on artificial intelligence from the ground up.

“Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Arriving there is what you’re destined for. But don’t hurry the journey at all. Better if it lasts for years, so you’re old by the time you reach the island, wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way, not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.” With this verse from Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, we wrap up a day full of learning, experiences and new insights, and invite you to continue the journey, remembering that the real value lies in the journey, not the destination.