delsur federation unites 400+ startups across southern Spain

Four founding associations

The founders are Málaga Tech, Root (Cádiz), Sevilla Tech Collective and Jaén Tech. Málaga Tech and Root have promoted entrepreneurship in their provinces for years, while the other two were created in recent months. The younger groups can lean on the veterans' experience, and all keep their own identity.

"The south has talent, quality of life and increasingly strong ecosystems, but until now we worked separately," said delsur president Juan Antonio Tejada.

What delsur plans to do

The federation lists five priorities: acting as a single interlocutor with the Junta de Andalucía, provincial councils and ministries, with proposals for legal, tax and funding frameworks; building a shared network of startups, mentors and investors across provinces; promoting open innovation and investment through pilots with member companies; running a common calendar of events and pitch competitions; and retaining talent through programmes with universities and vocational training centres.

As a first example, Outstandings, Málaga Tech's startup competition, was held after the presentation and for the first time takes place outside Málaga.

Manuel Ibáñez of Sevilla Tech Collective said the south is one of the few regions where startup creation keeps growing, with the number of tech companies up more than 20% in a year.

The federation's scope covers Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla. It is already working to connect with the ecosystems of Ceuta and Melilla and to bring in the remaining Andalusian provinces.