Conector Startup Accelerator

What Conector Startup Accelerator does

Conector Startup Accelerator is a privately held Spanish startup accelerator founded in 2013 by a group of prominent Spanish entrepreneurs led by Carlos Blanco, with Elisabeth Martínez as Director and Quino Fernández as CEO. The company runs six-month cohort-based acceleration programs in which successful entrepreneurs, executives, and investors provide hands-on mentorship to early-stage digital startups, taking equity stakes (typically 5% with an option for an additional 10%) as compensation. Programs are delivered through location-based cohorts in Barcelona, Madrid, and Galicia, plus vertical tracks such as Conector Travel-Tech, the Bankia Accelerator (circular economy and sustainability), and the Novartis Cancer Startup Program. The selection process relies on Startup Day pitch events, and cohorts culminate in Demo Day presentations to investors and business angels.

The business model is a hybrid of three revenue streams: equity participation in accelerated startups (the dominant economic stake but illiquid until exit), professional services fees from participating startups, and managed services revenue from corporate partners who underwrite vertical accelerator programs. The Bankia Accelerator alone delivered €400,000+ in perks to startups through Amazon and PayPal partnerships. Distribution combines direct application through the Conector website, Startup Day events, startup competitions at external venues (e.g., e-Show Barcelona), and referral channels via the mentor and alumni network. Marketing leverages content (blog, eBooks), social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), YouTube, events (4YFN, South Summit, Startup Olé), and earned media in Spanish business press.

Conector is not a technology company. It operates no proprietary software platform; its technology footprint consists of standard SaaS tools (F6S for registration, Mailchimp for newsletters, Pipedrive webforms for applications) and basic office/coworking infrastructure. The company's product is the mentorship methodology, mentor network, and ecosystem access that it curates. It has remained founder/entrepreneur-owned with no disclosed institutional funding, has completed more than 30 acceleration programs over 12 years, and adapted its delivery model to fully online acceleration during the COVID-19 pandemic (Barcelona #13, April 2020). The company is actively operating with BCN'25 as its most recent cohort.

Name

Conector Startup Accelerator

Legal name

Conector Startups Accelerator, S.L.

Website

https://conector.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Conector Startup Accelerator is a Barcelona-based startup accelerator founded in 2013 that runs six-month mentorship-driven acceleration programs for early-stage digital startups, taking equity stakes and operating location-based and vertical cohorts in Spain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Acceleration Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Startup acceleration services
• Startup mentorship programs
• Corporate accelerator partnerships
• Entrepreneur development services
• Venture acceleration programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Equity Stake in Acceleratees: Conector mentors take a 5% equity stake in accelerated startups with the option to acquire an additional 10%, aligning mentor incentives with startup success.
2. Acceleration Program Fees: Startups receive acceleration services including mentoring, workshops, office space, and investor access in exchange for program participation.
3. Corporate Partnership Programs: Corporate accelerators like Bankia Accelerator provide funding and services to startups while Conector provides acceleration expertise, creating a B2B revenue stream from corporate partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Conector Startup Accelerator runs six-month acceleration programs for early-stage startups, providing mentorship from successful entrepreneurs who take equity stakes (5% with an option for an additional 10%), weekly expert workshops, board meetings, and Demo Day investor presentations. The company operates location-based programs in Barcelona, Madrid, and Galicia, vertical programs such as Travel-Tech, and corporate accelerator partnerships including the Bankia Accelerator (focused on circular economy and sustainability) and the Cancer Startup Program with Novartis. Program services include coworking space, mentor board guidance, perks valued above €400,000, and Demo Day access to business angels and venture capital investors.

Product overview

Conector Startup Accelerator is a startup acceleration platform offering a portfolio of programs and services rather than a unified software product. The core offering consists of six-month acceleration programs that combine mentorship from successful entrepreneurs, structured training sessions, networking opportunities, and investor access through Demo Day events. Programs are delivered through multiple channels: location-based programs in Barcelona, Madrid, and Galicia; vertical sector programs like Travel-Tech and Bankia Accelerator (circular economy); and custom corporate programs. The accelerator also provides access to a network of over 40 mentors, startup selection via Startup Day events, and culminating Demo Day presentations to investors. The platform functions as a service-based accelerator rather than a technology product with modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bankia Accelerator: Vertical acceleration program for startups focused on circular economy and sustainability, run in partnership with Bankia
• Conector Barcelona
• Conector Madrid
• Conector Galicia
• Conector Travel-Tech

Products and services

• Conector Acceleration Programs Six-month acceleration programs for early-stage startups providing mentorship from successful entrepreneurs, weekly expert workshops, board meetings with mentors, coworking space, and Demo Day investor presentations. Programs include startup selection via Startup Day and culminate in Demo Day.
• Conector Barcelona Location-based six-month acceleration program operating in Barcelona, one of Conector's primary startup hubs. Provides mentorship, workshops, and Demo Day access to investors.
• Conector Madrid Location-based six-month acceleration program operating in Madrid, expanding Conector's geographic reach in Spain. Provides the same mentorship, training, and investor access as the Barcelona program.
• Conector Galicia Regional six-month acceleration program operating in Galicia, supporting startups in the northwestern region of Spain. Provides standard Conector mentorship, workshops, and investor access.
• Conector Travel-Tech Vertical acceleration program focused on travel technology startups, providing specialized sector-specific mentorship, resources, and access to travel-industry networks and investors.
• Bankia Accelerator Corporate vertical acceleration program in partnership with Bankia, focused on sustainability and circular economy startups. Provides mentoring, investment access, workspace in Bankia offices, perks valued over €400,000, and weekly training sessions.
• Corporate Acceleration Programs Custom vertical acceleration programs developed in partnership with corporations, tailored to specific industry sectors or strategic objectives. Examples include Bankia Accelerator (circular economy) and the Novartis Cancer Startup Program (oncology).

Quantifiable outcome

• Startups can reach in 6 months what might take 2 years without acceleration
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BankiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Bankia partnered with Conector to run Bankia Accelerator, a vertical acceleration program focused on circular economy and sustainability startups. Three editions were completed, accelerating 15 startups. The program provided free coworking space at Bankia offices and over 400,000€ in perks from corporate partners.
• Mobile World Capital BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2014Conector participated in 4YFN (4 Years From Now) within the Mobile World Congress, the international mobile entrepreneurship meeting organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona. This provided international visibility for Conector and its startups.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon provides perks and services valued at over 400,000€ to startups in the Bankia Accelerator program through corporate partnership.
• PayPalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPayPal provides perks and services to startups in the Bankia Accelerator program through corporate partnership.
• Plus Ultra (Grupo Catalana Occidente)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlus Ultra insurance, part of Grupo Catalana Occidente, provides insurance coverage for PopPlaces startup spaces through partnership with Conector.
• Nuñez y NavarrominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate company that provides office space and facilities for Conector startups at favorable conditions in their Barcelona building.
• NovartisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConector partnered with Novartis to run the Cancer Startup Program, a vertical acceleration program for healthcare and oncology-focused startups.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Startupbootcamp: Global accelerator network with vertical programs in fintech, health, and smart cities. Comparable in 6-month cohort acceleration and equity-for-services model, but operates at much larger international scale.
• Wayra (Telefónica): Telefónica's global corporate accelerator operating across Spain and Latin America. Directly comparable as a corporate-backed startup accelerator in the same Spanish/Iberian market, but with a telecom giant's distribution and capital behind it.

Regional players

• Antai Venture Builder: Barcelona-based venture builder focused on launching tech startups from scratch. Comparable Spanish/Iberian accelerator-stage operator with hands-on startup creation.

Direct peers

• Demium Startups: Spanish-origin startup incubator with multiple city hubs across Spain. Comparable in stage (pre-seed), geography, and equity-based model for digital startups.
• Lanzadera (Juan Roig / Marina de Empresas): Valencia-based startup accelerator founded by Juan Roig (Mercadona). Runs equity-based acceleration programs for Spanish startups with similar cohort timelines and mentor-driven models.
• SeedRocket: Early Spanish startup accelerator based in Barcelona that pioneered the local accelerator ecosystem. Closely comparable in geography, equity-for-mentorship model, and target early-stage digital startups.

Emerging players

• Encomenda VC: Spanish seed-stage VC whose Encomenda Seed II fund participated in a Conector-network startup round. Comparable as a Spanish investor connected to the same accelerator ecosystem.

Others

• Novartis Cancer Startup Program (note: same partner program reference): Corporate accelerator partnership run by Conector with Novartis for oncology/health startups; included here as a comparable corporate vertical accelerator template that Conector itself operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ConectorSpain
• Facebookfacebook.com/conectorspain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5009766/admin
• Instagraminstagram.com/conectorspain

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments51 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conector Startup Accelerator