On Friday the 10th of February, Startup Valencia shared the success story of one its member startups with other firms in the innovation ecosystem. Jeff Works hosted a breakfast with Salvador Esteve, CEO and Co-founder of BigBuy, to discuss and explore the trajectory of his company and how it went from a turnover of 0 to €100 million in 10 years. Karina Virrueta, Head of Ecosystem Development at Startup Valencia and in charge of delivering the welcome address, explained that “we are often unaware of what we have in Valencia, and events like this serve to give visibility to local projects that are major players in the ecosystem”.
BigBuy is a shining example of a successful scaleup. In just over 10 years of existence, the company has already achieved a turnover of €100 million. At the event, Esteve went through each of the stages that the company has gone through and the decisions that have led them to the position they occupy today: a team consisting of 350 employees, 70 of whom are programmers; a turnover of €105 million in 2022, with 95% generated from outside Spain, and operations in over 100 countries.
“Learning every year” is how Salvador Esteve described his professional journey with his partner Victor P. Amarnani. Their partnership has been functioning for over 10 years and is based on complementarity and respect, which is strengthened by the people who make up the team. As Esteve explained, “the company has always been financed through reinvestment, and 95% of the time, it has gone in talent”. Throughout his speech, Esteve emphasised the importance of the company’s human team and how essential it is for them to provide flexibility and work-life balance, which results in a better working environment and increased productivity.
After the presentation by BigBuy, the meeting continued with a casual conversation between Salvador Esteve and the president of Startup Valencia, Juan Luis Hortelano. Together, they discussed some of the needs of the entrepreneurial ecosystem regarding dealings with the Public Administration. “They need to better understand the problems faced by entrepreneurs,” Esteve pointed out.
Fernando Marzal from Jeff, Vicent Martí from Streamloots, and Juan Vicén from Zeleros, who are members of Startup Valencia’s Growth Committee along with Esteve, took the conversation forward to delve into some aspects of Esteve’s journey. The meeting concluded with a networking session for all the attendees.
