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Felix Herranz

Entrepreneur and Educator

Felix Gonzalez Herranz is the Co-Founder and CEO of FounderNest, a company focused on enhancing the scouting capabilities of corporations and venture capitalists through artificial intelligence. He has been in this role since May 2018, leading the company as it operates in stealth mode, developing technology that aids in market intelligence and connects founders with investors more efficiently.13

Background and Education

Gonzalez Herranz holds a diverse educational background, including a Master's degree in Management of Science and Engineering from Stanford University, where he was a Fulbright grantee, and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business, where he was recognized as an Arjay Miller Scholar. He also studied electrical engineering and computer science at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Télécom Paris.12

Previous Experience

Before founding FounderNest, Gonzalez Herranz co-founded JuntoSalimos, a social startup aimed at supporting Spanish-speaking early-stage entrepreneurs. He served as the CEO from May 2012 to May 2018, helping to create a platform that connects entrepreneurs with advisors and resources.13

In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, he has experience as a guest lecturer at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, teaching innovation since 2014. His earlier career includes roles at Capgemini, where he worked as a Business Application Consultant, and he has also been involved in various mentorship programs.12

Gonzalez Herranz's work at FounderNest is backed by notable investors from Silicon Valley, contributing to the company's growth and impact in the tech ecosystem.3

Highlights

Jun 13 · linkedin

Stay ahead of the curve with this week’s Industry Radar—here’s 15 of the hottest topics & trends across our reference industries 🔥

Pharma: Weight Loss Drugs ➡️💊 The weight-loss drug market is projected to reach $150b by the early 2030s, driven by leading pharma companies (including our customers).

Energy: Solar Surging, Wind Stalling➡️☀️ Solar power is soaring in the US thanks to falling costs and faster permitting, but wind farms are facing delays and grid limitations.

Insurance: Influencer Insurance➡️📈 The rise of influencers has created a new insurance niche. This specialized coverage protects influencers from financial losses from their sponsored content.

Financial Services: Private Equity Slowdown?➡️💶 Private equity returns might be facing a slowdown. This potential shift could have a significant impact on investment strategies and valuations.

Food & Bev: Green Packaging Growing Pains➡️📦 The growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions is up against high material costs and limited recycling infrastructure.

Automotive: Battery Passports➡️🚗 Volvo Group has become the first automaker to launch battery passports for its electric vehicles.

Retail: Mobility Retail➡️🛍️ By leveraging AI, gas stations can transform themselves into hubs for electric vehicle charging and optimize convenience store operations, creating new revenue streams for a changing mobility landscape.

Telecom: TelCo→TechCo➡️📱 Companies are embracing a modern, customer-centric approach, prioritizing customer needs and fostering a culture of innovation.

Tech: SAP Acquires WalkMe➡️💻 Enterprise software giant SAP is acquiring WalkMe™ a leader in digital adoption platforms, for $1.5 billion—introducing user guidance and automation features to its existing suite of business transformation solutions.

Chemicals: Green Chemical Markets➡️🌍 Sustainability is gaining priority and companies must adapt rapidly by building new sustainable supply chains and innovating green solutions.

Farming & Agriculture: Biomass Fermentation➡️🌍 The industry is heating up as Finnish startup Enifer secures €39 million to expand its mycoprotein production facility. This protein source is gaining traction as a sustainable alternative in human diets.

Healthcare: UK M&A Boom➡️🧬 Pinsent Masons predicts a strong future for mergers and acquisitions in the UK healthcare sector, due to the emergence of advanced therapies and cost-saving biosimilars.

Real Estate: AI Data Dillema➡️🏡 Investors dream of using AI for better deals, but bad data is getting in the way of AI reliability.

Transportation & Logistics: Shipping Data Transparency➡️🚛 Shipping traffic in the Red Sea is down 25%, highlighting the need for better data transparency in the maritime industry.

Manufacturing: Electronics Manufacturing Services➡️🏭 Projected to reach $701...

May 29 · linkedin

Start your engines, we've grabbed insights from FounderNest to take a closer look at what's happening in the automotive industry 🏁

TL;DR 🏁 2015 was the last big year for new entrants 📈 Investor interest keeps growing (and growing) 💰 The amount of funding raised exploded in 2023 ⭐ The space has matured significantly over the past decade

  1. 🏁 2015 was the last big year for new entrants The space peaked in 2015 with over 1600 companies created, before slowing down significantly over the last 5 years (1.03% CAGR). This includes automotive-adjacent startups as well as traditional companies.

  2. 📈 Investor interest keeps growing (and growing) From 2012 to 2018, the number of funding rounds exploded (x4 in 6 years). Since then, there has been a huge shift from early VC interest (more rounds, less capital raised) to larger tech companies flush with cash investing later (fewer rounds, more capital raised).

  3. 💰 The amount of funding raised exploded in 2023 The average number of funding rounds has stabilized from 2015, as the space has consolidated significantly in terms of number of new entrants/maturity of existing players. Highlighting the increased investor interest above, the amount of funding raised has also grown significantly, with 2023 having 11x more funding than 2015 (37.0% CAGR over the last 8 years).

  4. ⭐ The space has matured significantly over the past decade In early spaces, the majority of companies generally have between 1-10 employees. The automotive industry has a large numbers of companies with over 500+ employees. The slowdown of new entrants, together with insights we’ve shown you above around headcount and investment, shows a high level of market maturity in the space and an increased prevalence of “traditional companies”.

Let me know in the comments what industry you want to us to research next!

Related Questions

What inspired Felix Gonzalez Herranz to co-found FounderNest?
How did Felix Gonzalez Herranz's experience at Stanford influence his career?
What are some key achievements of Felix Gonzalez Herranz at JuntoSalimos?
How does FounderNest's AI technology work?
What industries are currently using FounderNest's services?
Felix Herranz
Felix Herranz, photo 1
Felix Herranz, photo 2
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Experience

Co-Founder & CEO at FounderNest
Co-Founder and CEO at JuntoSalimos, Mentor at Venture Lab at Stanford University, Technical and Strategic Leader for the Broadband Program at Inter-American Development Bank, Teaching Fellow at Singul at Capgemini

Education

MBA in Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, MS in Management of Science and Engineering from Stanford University, Engineer in Telecommunications

Location

San Francisco Bay Area