By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter
ASIAN startups should focus on gaining international exposure and scalability, while adapting their products to different cultures to attract investors from outside regions like Europe, according to the chief executive officer (CEO) of a global entrepreneurial network.
“Asia represents a dynamic and constantly growing environment, with an innovation ecosystem driven by strong technological investment, abundant talent and rapid adoption of new digital solutions,” South Summit CEO Nacho Mateo told BusinessWorld in an e-mailed reply to questions.
“This makes the continent a highly promising market for startups aiming to scale globally.”
Mr. Mateo said Western investors value adaptability to culture, financial transparency and business model clarity.
“To attract investment from Europe or Latin America, Asian startups must focus on gaining international visibility, demonstrating scalability potential, and aligning with strategic sectors valued by global investors,” he said.
“If Asian startups strengthen their structures, run pilot operations in Western markets and build partnerships with accelerators or funds with an international presence, they will be better positioned to achieve these goals,” he added.
South Summit, a global networking platform based in Madrid, Spain, seeks to connect all startups, investors and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem through its flagship event, the South Summit Madrid.
The company kicked off its Asian expansion with South Summit Korea last year. Held in Suwon, the largest city in South Korea’s Gyeonggi-do province, the event was attended by more than 4,000 participants from 50 countries.
Startups with global ambitions are 35% more likely to become high-growth companies, Mr. Mateo said, citing a 2025 report co-developed by South Summit and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
“This underscores that access to foreign investment is closely tied to having a global vision from early stages — particularly in sectors like artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, fintech and health, which attract significant investor interest,” he added.
Mr. Mateo said the global startup ecosystem has stayed resilient amid recent geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
“Cross-sector collaboration between ecosystems, investment in emerging technologies like AI and a focus on sustainability are helping turn uncertainty into innovation and, most importantly, into results,” he said.
Madrid is home to 28% of Spain’s startups, with €821 million in investments generated last year, PwC said in a separate report this year.
Mr. Mateo said it is important for startups to have multi-disciplinary teams to ensure collaborative decision-making and the ability to tackle complex markets.
“Collaboration between startups and institutions — through innovation hubs, acceleration programs or public support mechanisms — is also helping build a more interconnected ecosystem,” he added.
The annual South Summit Madrid has served as a launchpad for more than 42,000 startups since it started in 2012.
This year’s summit was held from June 4 to 6 in Madrid and was co-organized by IE University. The event is projected to generate more than €39 million (P2.6 billion) in economic impact, according to PwC.
