Don Felipe also had words for AI, which he said can be "human. Let's build together a Spain that leads in innovation, but also in ethics; a more competitive and fairer Spain; a Spain that is not afraid of Artificial Intelligence, because it will know how to guide it with human intelligence".

The institutional opening of #SouthSummit25 was also attended by María Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit; Óscar López, Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function; Carlos Cuerpo, Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise; José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Mayor of Madrid, and Rocío Albert, Minister of Economy, Finance and Employment of the Community of Madrid.

During the event, the key role of innovation and entrepreneurship in the economic and social transformation of the country was underlined. "The Startup Law or the Emerging Companies Forum are examples of Spain working to be at the forefront of Europe in innovation and entrepreneurship," said Benjumea, who added that "our focus is to promote growth with people and the planet at the centre, and technological advances as great allies."

In his speech, Óscar López described South Summit as the great event of entrepreneurship that makes Madrid a world showcase and announced "a call for proposals by red.es of 5 million euros to finance Artificial Intelligence projects that improve the quality of life of people with disabilities".

For his part, Carlos Cuerpo stressed that "although we only represent 10% of the euro area in size, we contribute 50% of economic growth. And the important thing is not only how much we grow, but how we do it: in a balanced and sustainable way, with inflation under control, with employment and productivity advancing together, and with an external sector at historic highs thanks to our competitive companies".

Prior to the institutional welcome from His Majesty the King, Marta Cruz, Co-Founder and General Partner of NXTP Ventures, and Paul Murphy, General Partner of Lightspeed Venture, held a discussion on global growth and innovation in the European and Latin American markets, moderated by Diego del Alcázar, CEO of IE University. "When we started in 2009, the total invested in venture capital in Latin America was 146 million dollars, something that today is equivalent to a single operation. In 2021, 53,000 million dollars in investment were reached.", commented Marta Cruz. Paul Murphy, for his part, has advised European entrepreneurs: "think big. Don't try to copy what happens in the United States. Build your own market in spaces you know well. If you do that, good things happen."

Diego del Alcázar highlighted the role of South Summit as a driver of change. "I am proud to see the impact that South Summit has had in these last 14 years on the growth of the entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem worldwide. The current context provides new opportunities for startups that know how to take advantage of technology, always from a humanistic approach," he concluded.

The power of emotions and creativity to build iconic brands

One of the most anticipated names on this first day of #SouthSummit25 was that of Greg Hoffman, responsible for the evolution of Nike's brand, former CMO of the American company and one of the most influential figures in creativity and branding worldwide. In his speech, Hoffman defended that creativity is not only an aesthetic issue, but a powerful lever for business growth. "I have been fortunate to work in a brand where each innovation was not only designed to communicate high-performance attributes, but also to invite people to surpass themselves, to go further. We weren't just selling a basketball shoe, it's an invitation to play like the great Kobe Bryant."

Greg Hoffman shared with the Arena Stage audience learnings from almost three decades at Nike, where he led global marketing, design and innovation strategies that consolidated the brand as a cultural and sports benchmark.  For Hoffman, "brands that manage to connect emotionally with people earn a place in their minds, but above all in their hearts. And that is priceless. Creativity is not a luxury, it is an advantage; it is the engine that drives growth."

Creativity, technological sovereignty and investment in #SouthSummit25

One of the most inspiring testimonies of the afternoon at South Summit Madrid 2025 was that of Mikayel Vardanyan, co-founder and COO of Picsart, one of the most used creative editing platforms in the world, with more than 150 million monthly active users. During his talk, Vardanyan addressed the challenges of scaling a digital product in a hyper-competitive market and underlined the key role of AI in the new generation of mobile creativity. "Generative AI democratizes creativity, accelerates content production, and transforms the role of creative agencies. So, it has the power to make creativity more accessible, allowing more people to start with something simpler and then add that human touch to it."

Andrés Saborido, Global Managing Director of Wayra, participated in a conversation on how Europe and Spain can move towards true technological sovereignty, together with other ecosystem experts such as: Manuel Marina, CEO and founder of Idoven; Alejandro Martí, CEO of Mitiga Solutions, and David Barroso, CEO and founder of CounterCraf. All of them agreed that Europe has the talent, potential and resources to become a technological powerhouse. We have the advantage that we can work together as countries, and that a lot of money is being invested.

It should be noted that, within the framework of this first day, Banco Sabadell's BStartup has announced that it has reached 100 direct investments in startups, consolidating itself as one of the most active investors in Spain in seed phases. The entity has highlighted that the companies supported by its program already generate more than 4,200 jobs and have a combined turnover of 600 million euros, and will present several of its upcoming investments during the course of the meeting.

For its part, the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function participates in the meeting through a stand promoted by the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA), conceived as a meeting point and information on its main initiatives to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as the Startups Law,  the AI Sandbox, the ENISA Digital Entrepreneurs line or the Challenge initiative. Key entities such as the National Entrepreneurship Office (ONE), Red.es and the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT) are also present in the space. In addition, SEDIA experts actively participate in several round tables on growth policies, disruptive technologies and the future of digital talent.

South Summit Madrid 2025 will continue tomorrow, Thursday 5th, with some of the most prominent names in the international innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix; Marci Zaroff, a pioneer in sustainable fashion and CEO of EcoFashion Corp, or Irene Gálvez, head of the Cleantech Growth Capital division of the European Investment Bank

#SouthSummit25 has the institutional support of the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council, as well as Mutua Madrileña, Google for Startups, BBVA Spark, Wayra – Telefónica Innovation and BStartup of Banco Sabadell.