On 14 October 2026, Madrid brought together startups, technology companies, investment funds and public funding bodies at the II Semicon Investors Day 2026, an event designed to connect capital and growth opportunities with Spain’s semiconductor ecosystem.
The second edition of the forum, organised by AESEMI within the MicroNanoSpain ecosystem, took place in the Europa Room of the Official College of Industrial Engineers of Madrid (COIIM). The programme combined an overview of the sector, round-table discussions on investment and funding, company presentations and direct meetings between the different stakeholders in the ecosystem.
The objective was clear: to move beyond initial contacts towards concrete opportunities for investment, funding and collaboration.
Capital to help the semiconductor industry grow
Developing a project within the semiconductor ecosystem poses particular financial challenges. Development cycles can be long, many technologies require intensive research and validation phases and, depending on the project, scaling up may require infrastructure, manufacturing, prototyping or access to highly specialised capabilities.
For this reason, the II Semicon Investors Day brought together three particularly relevant groups in one place: startups and technology companies, private investors and public funding organisations.
The forum was more than a series of project presentations to potential investors. It provided a space for companies to better understand the investment criteria of private capital, learn about available public instruments and hold direct conversations with organisations that can support their growth.
A snapshot of Spain’s semiconductor ecosystem
The day began with an institutional welcome by Carlos Pardo, President of AESEMI, followed by a session examining the current state of Spain’s semiconductor ecosystem.
The session featured Alfonso Gabarrón, Managing Director of AESEMI, and Luis Fernández Ledesma, Director of Strategic Alliances and Business Development at imec, who shared an illustrative figure: since 2020, one semiconductor company has been created each month in Spain.
This opening session set the context for the investment discussions that followed, outlining the capabilities already in place, where growth opportunities lie and what businesses need to progress from technological development to industrial consolidation.
Venture capital and deep tech: what do investors look for in semiconductors?
One of the central parts of the II Semicon Investors Day was the Venture Builder Capital round table, dedicated to the role of private capital in the growth of technology companies.
The session, moderated by Iñigo Martín of AESEMI’s Industrial Policy Committee, featured representatives from several investment organisations:
- Roberto Ranera, Partner at BEABLE CAPITAL.
- Javier Ulecia, Founding Partner at BULLNET CAPITAL.
- Fernando Aguirre, Founding Partner at HASTEN.
- José Marino García, Executive Director of Capitalisation at SETT.
Bringing together different investor profiles made it possible to address a fundamental question for deep-tech companies: what makes a technology project investable and how can a startup prepare to access capital?
In semiconductors, this discussion is particularly important because assessing a company may go far beyond traditional growth metrics. Intellectual property, the technical team, access to manufacturing, time to market, scalability, technological differentiation and potential applications may be decisive factors.
Public funding to turn innovation into industry
The second major financial session will be devoted to funding for innovation.
Moderated by Mercedes Lecea, Technology Transfer & Venture Builder Manager, the panel featured:
- David de la Torre, Digital Technologies Department at CDTI.
- Daniel Agudo, Director of Institutional Relations at ZABALA.
- Francisco Ignacio, Senior Programme Officer at the Chips Joint Undertaking.
- Paz Guzmán, Senior Economic Adviser at the European Investment Bank.
The panel’s composition made it possible to discuss different levels of funding, from national instruments to European mechanisms linked to innovation, technology and industry.
For companies in the ecosystem, understanding these instruments can be particularly useful. The growth of a technology company may be based on
investment rounds, grants, European programmes, innovation funding, loans and other instruments as part of a combined strategy.
Among its services, MicroNanoSpain specifically envisages support for entrepreneurship and innovation, including connections with investors, funding opportunities and mechanisms to bring companies and startups closer to resources within the semiconductor ecosystem.
Seven projects presented to investors and funders
The event also provided a dedicated space for companies in the sector to present their proposals directly.
The Elevator Pitch session featured technology projects approaching the semiconductor sector from different angles, with presentations by:
- LeapWave Technologies, represented by Alejandro Rivera Lavado, CTO and founder.
- BIOBEE semiconductors, with Javier Ramos, CEO.
- G2-Zero, with José Manuel Llorens, research adviser and founder.
- Deep Detection, with Alejandro Rueda Gómez, Chief Financial Officer.
- Ommatidia, with Inmaculada Uzquiano Camino, Financial Manager.
- SiCure, with Alejandro Espin, Project Manager.
- Energhius, with Daniel García Lesta, CEO and co-founder.
The speakers presented their technology, value proposition and needs. For the participating funds and organisations, the elevator pitch also provided a way to identify emerging projects and technologies in the Spanish ecosystem.
Matchmaking spaces and the launch of ChipNConnect
To round off the event, two spaces were made available to encourage networking. A general cocktail reception took place between 14:00 and 16:00, complemented by speed-dating sessions in private rooms.
This gave participants the opportunity to interact informally with companies and investors while also arranging specific meetings in rooms separate from the other attendees.
These interactions were supported by the presentation of ChipNConnect, the new networking tool provided by MicroNanoSpain. Attendees were able to try the beta version of this professional matchmaking platform linked to the ecosystem, create a profile, identify shared interests, match with other participants and facilitate subsequent meetings and conversations.
The app aims to overcome barriers at matchmaking events, such as not knowing attendees’ roles and companies, not finding the right moment to approach someone to suggest a meeting or, most importantly when deciding whom to talk to, not knowing what they are looking for and what they can offer. The information users provide in their profiles makes it easier to find suitable contacts.
The same application also enabled users to schedule meetings during the event (in the private rooms) or at a later date (online, for example).
Connecting technology, funding and growth
Building a consolidated semiconductor industry does not depend solely on scientific and technological knowledge. It also requires mechanisms that can turn that knowledge into companies, products, intellectual property and industrial capacity.
This means connecting research more effectively with the market, while also helping technology projects find the right capital, funding, partners and support at each stage of growth.
The II Semicon Investors Day addresses precisely this meeting point.
Over the course of one day, companies developing technology, investors seeking new opportunities and organisations managing support instruments shared the same space.
And in a sector where taking an innovation from the laboratory to the market can be particularly complex, creating those connections may be just as important as developing the technology itself.
