A couple of weeks ago I went to a couple of events that have influenced me a lot, thinking days after those events the advice and knowledge shared. One of them was the founder of Panda Security, Mikel Urizarbarrena, and the other the founder of Dinamic Multimedia, makers of PC Futbol by Jesus Alonso.

The case of Panda Security shows that it is possible to start and develop a technology business in Spain without venture capital and do that even internationally. This guy is really unique, reinvested profits to make the business grow, without government help or investors, just by listening to the client needs and be able to manauver and be productive compiting with others. After some years developing the business, he has left the management part of the company, run by a experienced manager and some partners from a venture. They have plans to grow in the USA, which leads to my second conclusion: No matter what, for a tech company the US connection is a need, it is needed to be strong in that market, have good partners, etc… They implied that if they grow better than expected could go to stock exchange in the US. My conslussion is that I must design and define carefully the US connection for my tech startup so that grows in that markets and has great aliances, but having attachments in Europe.

The second event was great too, came a guy that revolutioned the PC gaming industry in Spain back in the 80? 90? He was a very sales-oriented guy with great communication skills, so the advices to entrepeneurs were really interresting. He said that when the bank calls you asking how the business is going and you know that if not running good, the bank will get your house and you will have to sleep under a bridge, that you somehow get so much motivated that if you are good, something great will come out, like the FX Interactive game they developed. So this guy also a 4×4 of business activity. Since I am in that category, needing commercial activity desperately I understand that pretty good. I will not loose my house fortunately, but will have troubles.

So no wonder why entrepeneurs in Spain are lacking, it is like jumping with no parachute: If things go wrong and only way to get money is to offer your house as guarantee, you not only loose your house, you will have to pay for the rest of your life the difference between the price sold y bank and the mortgage, plus you will owe any workers fees for the rest of your life too. It is not like the US whene is game over, starting a new game. Here is game over, and you are done! That is why people here when you fail you fail for the rest of eternity. In the US is like “great, you failed”, let’s start a new thing now that you learnt.

So the final conslussion is that entrepeneurship si so damn hard that we must be fucking crazy, right? We do it cause we love innovation and starting things up, but can be pretty dangerous, expecially in Spain. I also like living in Spain but I agree that somethings are harder here, which leads me to the conclussion that harder=more motivating

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