Spanish Startups Association

What Spanish Startups Association does

The Spanish Startups Association (Asociación Española de Startups, AES) is a private non-profit trade organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Madrid that represents and serves startups across Spain. Its core function is to combine collective policy advocacy with a tiered membership offering and an operational service portfolio for early-stage and growth-stage startups. The association holds seats on government advisory bodies including the Consejo Asesor de la Pyme, the Digital Transformation Consultative Council, and the Foro de Empresas Emergentes, and runs the Nubes initiative advocating for a more competitive Spanish cloud ecosystem.

Its product surface consists of three subscription tiers — Simpatizante (free), Startup (€9.99/month) and Scale-up (€199/month) — delivered through the Vistingo membership platform, alongside six service lines: public financing advisory, private financing advisory, communications, accounting (gestoría), legal advisory, and human resources (including access to the E-Start internship program via Fundación Universidad-Empresa). Member benefits include over €200,000 in partner discounts, notably $6,000 in AWS credits, Google Cloud and Stripe discounts, and AON health insurance group rates; marketing automation is handled through ActiveCampaign.

The business model is recurring subscription revenue from Startup and Scale-up tiers, complemented by service-fee revenue from advisory lines and in-kind partner contributions. Go-to-market is community-led, recruiting members via the website, events such as South Summit, policy-driven PR (e.g., positions on public procurement and the Ley de Startups), and referrals within the Spanish startup ecosystem. The association serves a community of 500+ member startups spanning FinTech, HealthTech, EdTech, FoodTech, CleanTech, PropTech, HR Tech, InsurTech, SocialTech, TravelTech and Data, led by a small executive team of three named senior leaders.

Name

Spanish Startups Association

Legal name

Asociación Española de Startups

Website

https://asociacionstartups.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Spanish Startups Association (Asociación Española de Startups) is a Madrid-based non-profit trade body founded in 2015 that represents 500+ Spanish startups through tiered memberships (free, €9.99/mo, €199/mo), offers advisory services in financing, legal, HR, communications, and accounting, and advocates on startup policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Startup association
• Industry membership
• Entrepreneurship advocacy
• Startup support services
• Business ecosystem

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: The association generates revenue through multi-tiered membership subscriptions. The SIMPATIZANTE tier is free (information only). The STARTUP tier is €9.99/month, providing access to partner platform, discounts, financing access, and networking. The SCALE UP tier is €199/month, offering public affairs support, institutional relations, and strategic networking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Spanish Startups Association (Asociación Española de Startups) is a private non-profit industry association that supports Spanish entrepreneurs and startups through tiered membership subscriptions and a portfolio of advisory services. It sells three monthly membership tiers (Simpatizante free, Startup €9.99/mo, Scale-up €199/mo) and offers direct services covering public financing, private financing, communications, accounting (gestoría), legal advisory, and human resources. It also acts as the collective advocacy voice for the Spanish startup ecosystem in regulatory and policy matters.

Product overview

The Spanish Startups Association (Asociación Española de Startups) is a membership-based organization that supports Spanish startups through tiered membership programs and direct services. Its product portfolio includes three membership tiers: SIMPATIZANTE (free basic tier), STARTUP (€9.99/month with platform access and discounts), and SCALE UP (€199/month for established startups with institutional relations support). The association provides five core service offerings: Public Financing Service (government funding assistance), Private Financing Service (capital raising advisory), Communication Service (media and PR support), Gestoría Service (basic accounting), Legal Advisory Service, and Human Resources Service (internship program access). Additionally, AES supports the Nubes initiative for cloud ecosystem advocacy. The organization is not a technology product company but rather a business support and advocacy association.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SIMPATIZANTE Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over €200,000 in exclusive member discounts and benefits provided through partner relationships
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• DigitalEScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn September 2025, the Asociación Española de Startups and DigitalES signed a strategic partnership to jointly promote innovation, digital entrepreneurship, and intelligent transformation of industries. The agreement was formalized in Madrid and combines the association's startup ecosystem reach with DigitalES's digital policy and industry expertise.
• AONminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAON provides a special health insurance rate exclusively for association members. Members can benefit from preferential pricing on employee health insurance through AON's group plan.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon AWS provides association members with access to $6,000 in AWS credits as an exclusive member benefit, helping startups reduce cloud infrastructure costs.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle joined the association's fight against anticompetitive practices in the cloud sector in September 2024, aligning with the association's Nubes initiative to promote a fairer and more competitive cloud ecosystem in Spain.
• StripeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStripe offers exclusive discounts to association members for payment processing services, part of the over €200,000 in member benefits portfolio.
• VistingocoreTechnology or IntegrationVistingo provides the membership management platform used by the association for member enrollment, tier management, event registration, and discount delivery. Multiple sub-platforms under vistingo.com handle different member services.
• Fundación Universidad-Empresa (E-Start program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the E-Start program of the Fundación Universidad-Empresa, association members gain access to interns in areas such as marketing, communications, projects, finance, quality, and human resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Startup Genome: Global startup ecosystem research and policy advisory organization producing the influential Global Startup Ecosystem Report. Comparable to AES in supporting startup ecosystem development and engaging policymakers, but as a research and advisory platform rather than a Spanish member association.

Broad incumbents

• Wayra (Telefónica): Telefónica's global corporate venture and startup accelerator program operating across multiple geographies including Spain. Comparable to AES in supporting Spanish startup ecosystem development, but anchored inside a major incumbent telco with deeper capital and a global footprint.

Regional players

• Startupxplore: Spanish private investment platform and startup community connecting Spanish startups with investors. Comparable to AES in serving the Spanish startup ecosystem and offering investor-related services, but operates as a marketplace/investor platform rather than an advocacy association.
• SpainDC (Clúster del Español): Spanish digital content and language technology cluster. Comparable to AES as a Spanish industry cluster/association supporting a tech ecosystem with policy and ecosystem-building ambitions, but focused on language technology rather than startups broadly.
• EU-Startups: Pan-European media and community platform focused on European startups, providing news, jobs, and ecosystem content. Comparable to AES as part of the European startup ecosystem infrastructure, but operates at EU-wide scale rather than national Spanish scope and is media-led rather than advocacy-led.

Direct peers

• Italian Tech Alliance: Italy's main tech and startup association representing leading Italian tech companies and scale-ups with government and regulators. Closely comparable to AES in EU national-association positioning, policy advocacy focus, and tiered membership structure.
• DigitalES: Spanish association of the digital and technology industry, representing telecoms and digital incumbents. Directly comparable in Spanish market to AES; recently formalized a strategic partnership with AES in September 2025, suggesting overlapping yet complementary positioning in Spanish digital policy.
• France Digitale: France's leading startup and investor association, representing French tech startups, scale-ups, and investors vis-à-vis government and regulators. Directly comparable to AES as a national startup ecosystem association advocating for policy reform and member services in a major EU economy.
• Asociación Española de Fintech e Insurtech (AEFI): Spanish sector-specific association representing FinTech and InsurTech startups and incumbents. AES's own President previously served as Secretary of AEFI; comparable in membership-tiered structure, government advisory presence, and Spanish policy advocacy, but narrower in vertical scope.
• Bundesverband Deutsche Startups: German startup association advocating on behalf of German startups with policymakers and providing member services. Comparable to AES in operating as a national-level membership association focused on startup-relevant policy reform and ecosystem representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Startup_ES
• Facebookfacebook.com/asociacionstartups.es
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asociaci%C3%B3n-espa%C3%B1ola-de-startups
• Instagraminstagram.com/asociacionstartups.es

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Spanish Startups Association