For more than ten years, PlayFilm has been evolving from Valencia with a clear purpose: using technology to help companies grow through measurable results. At a time when Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the way businesses operate, the company is entering a new stage focused on optimising sales processes and turning technological innovation into real impact.
We spoke with Raquel Valero, CEO & Co-founder of PlayFilm and member of the board of directors of Startup Valencia, about the company’s evolution, her perspective on entrepreneurship and Valencia’s role as a major connection point for startups, talent, investment and opportunities.
For those who are not yet familiar with PlayFilm, how would you describe it in a few words?
PlayFilm is a results-based sales generation engine powered by Artificial Intelligence.
We help companies win more customers and generate more sales, supporting them throughout the entire process: from opportunity generation to final conversion.
But beyond technology, we like to define ourselves as a company obsessed with solving a very specific problem: helping our clients grow.
We have spent more than a decade building solutions to bring companies and consumers closer together. Technology has changed significantly over the years, but our mission remains the same: to generate real, measurable results for those who place their trust in us.
What has PlayFilm’s evolution been like from its beginnings to today? What milestones would you highlight along the way?
The evolution of PlayFilm has been, above all, a story of adaptation.
We were founded in 2014 around a very clear vision of how video could transform the relationship between companies and customers. Since then, we have experienced several technological revolutions, profound changes in consumer behaviour and constant transformations in digital business models.
We have evolved from a company focused on interactive video into a business that combines Artificial Intelligence, proprietary technology, marketing and sales operations to generate results-based sales.
If there is one thing we have learned over the years, it is that companies do not need more technology for the sake of it. They need solutions that create a real impact on their bottom line.
Among the milestones I would highlight are the trust placed in us by major companies in sectors such as telecommunications, insurance, education and services; the company’s sustained growth; the consolidation of an extraordinary team; and recognitions such as our inclusion in Forbes.
But honestly, the milestones I value most are different. They are the moments when we had to reinvent ourselves. The difficult decisions we made before it became obvious that they had to be made. The ability to keep moving forward when the context was uncertain.
Because entrepreneurship is not about always getting it right. It is about learning faster than the changes happening around you.
What are you currently working on at PlayFilm? Can you share any upcoming news or launches?
We are living through one of the most transformative moments I can remember in the technological field.
Artificial Intelligence is changing the way we work, make decisions and interact with companies. At PlayFilm, we are focused on applying that transformation to a very specific challenge: helping companies generate more sales and grow more efficiently.
We are developing new AI capabilities to optimise the entire sales process, from opportunity identification to final conversion. Our goal is to build a true results-based sales generation engine, where technology enables teams to focus on adding value rather than on repetitive tasks.
At the same time, this technological revolution is also making us reflect on something broader.
That is why we are also promoting Erre que Erre, an outreach project I share with Rafael Navarro, born from a very simple concern: we live in an age with more information than ever before, but not necessarily with better judgement.
Every day, we see how polarisation, information overload and fast-moving headlines make it harder to understand what is really happening in the economy, technology and society. With Erre que Erre, we try to provide context, critical thinking and conversations that help people make better decisions.
Because we believe that technological innovation is not only about developing technology. It is also about helping people understand the world that this technology is transforming.
In the end, both PlayFilm and Erre que Erre share the same underlying idea: using technology and knowledge to create real impact in the lives of people and organisations.
What motivated you to support Startup Valencia as Supporters, and what do you hope to contribute to Valencia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem from this new position?
Because we feel that the time has come to give back part of what we have received.
PlayFilm has grown in Valencia. Here, we found talent, collaborators, clients, institutional support and an entrepreneurial community that has accompanied us for many years.
Sometimes we talk about the ecosystem as if it were something abstract, but in reality, it is made up of people who share experiences, learnings, contacts and opportunities. We deeply believe in that idea of community.
After more than ten years of entrepreneurship, we have made many mistakes, experienced very positive moments and also very difficult ones. If all that experience can help other entrepreneurs move forward with more information and less friction, we feel we have a responsibility to share it.
As Supporters, we want to contribute real experience in building a technology company, support the development of entrepreneurial talent and continue promoting Valencia’s visibility as a technological and business benchmark.
Raquel, in addition to being CEO & Co-founder of PlayFilm, you are also a member of the board of directors of Startup Valencia. How do you assess the current moment of the association and Valencia’s tech ecosystem?
I believe we are experiencing one of the best moments in the recent history of Valencia’s ecosystem.
For years, Valencia had talent, universities, entrepreneurs and quality of life. What may have been missing was greater connection between all those elements and stronger collective confidence in the potential we had.
Today, we are seeing startups scaling internationally, investment funds paying attention to the region, corporations collaborating with technology companies and top-tier professionals choosing to build their careers here.
But what excites me most is not the figures. It is the culture that is being built. I increasingly see more entrepreneurs sharing learnings, helping one another and understanding that individual success strengthens the ecosystem as a whole.
Startup Valencia has been a fundamental part of that evolution because it has managed to generate a common voice, connect very different actors and project an ambitious vision of what Valencia can become.
From your dual perspective as an entrepreneur and board member, what role do organisations such as Startup Valencia play in the growth and consolidation of the region’s technological and innovative fabric?
They play an absolutely strategic role.
The strongest ecosystems in the world are not built solely through major companies or large investments. They are built by creating connections between people, knowledge, talent and opportunities.
Organisations such as Startup Valencia help precisely to make those connections happen. They help attract investment, generate international visibility, represent the interests of the ecosystem before institutions and create spaces where entrepreneurs, startups, corporations and funds can collaborate.
But there is something I consider especially important: they help reduce the sense of isolation that often comes with entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship can be a very lonely experience. Being part of a community that shares similar challenges accelerates learning and multiplies the chances of success. That is why I believe its role will become increasingly relevant in the coming years.
The international tech event VDS celebrates its eighth edition on 22 and 23 October at the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. What impact do you think it has on the startup ecosystem and on Valencia’s economy?
VDS is probably one of the best examples of the maturity that Valencia’s ecosystem is reaching.
Its economic impact is clear: it attracts investment, companies, professionals, media attention and economic activity to the city.
But I believe its most important impact is another one: it generates ambition.
When a Valencian startup shares space with some of the world’s leading investors, founders and technology leaders, it understands that it can compete in that same global conversation.
VDS does not only bring the world to Valencia; it also helps project Valencia to the world.
And that has a very powerful long-term effect. It attracts talent, creates business opportunities, strengthens the city’s brand and helps consolidate an economy increasingly based on technological innovation, knowledge and technology.
I believe events such as VDS are essential to continue positioning Valencia as one of Europe’s major tech and entrepreneurial hubs.
