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Iker Marcaide

Founder of Zubi Group and Matteco

Iker Marcaide is a prominent entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of Matteco, a company focused on developing innovative materials for sustainable energy solutions, particularly in the production of green hydrogen. He is based in the Valencia area of Spain and has extensive experience in founding and leading startups aimed at addressing environmental challenges.

Professional Background

  • Matteco: As CEO, Marcaide is spearheading initiatives to create next-generation catalysts and electrodes that enhance the efficiency of green hydrogen production, contributing to global decarbonization efforts.13

  • Zubi Group: Prior to Matteco, he founded Zubi Group, which focuses on venture building for sustainable solutions. Under his leadership, Zubi Group has co-founded several startups aimed at promoting sustainability and innovation in various sectors.12

  • Previous Ventures: Marcaide also founded peerTransfer (now known as Flywire), a company that revolutionized international tuition payments for students. His tenure there saw significant growth, including processing over $1 billion in annual volume and expanding to over 400 universities globally.1

Achievements and Recognition

Iker Marcaide has been recognized for his contributions to entrepreneurship and innovation:

  • Named Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 by Valencia Plaza.
  • Awarded as an Entrepreneurship Ambassador by the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
  • Featured in prestigious publications like TechCrunch and The New York Times for his innovative business models.1

Community Engagement

In addition to his corporate roles, Marcaide actively participates in various nonprofit organizations:

  • He serves on the Entrepreneurship Board of the Valencia region and is a trustee of the Social Nest Foundation, focusing on fostering entrepreneurship and social impact initiatives.1

Through his work at Matteco and other ventures, Iker Marcaide continues to drive forward-thinking solutions aimed at creating a more sustainable future.

Highlights

Jul 8 · linkedin

SpainCap just a few days ago recognized Kibo Ventures with the best VC exit in 2023 award thanks to the Flywire deal.

At that time I was CEO of the company that I also founded (2009), and brought them onboard. I still remember the linkedin message out of the blue I dropped to Aquilino Peña (that he replied to) and that first meeting where he brought Javier Torremocha. Some months later of that 2013 we closed the round together the other fantastic folks from JME Ventures and QED Investors who I am also a big fan of.

An initial €1,8M investment that turned into €65,6M translating into an 35.8x cash on cash multiple and 52,3% IRR. Note though, the company IPOed in 2021 (venture is not about fast and easy money).

As an entrepreneur you want to make money to your investors, of course, because thats where your reputation will lie. Now 10 years later I would also add than beyond upside, as entrepreneur what defines you even more is how you handle the downside. When things don´t exactly turn out the way you expected, and probably you are working for others to get some money back and likely you won´t see much of it. The sort of stuff that is not glamorous and does not get you on the front page of the newspapers.

People are somewhat dissapointed to just get their money back and light returns but hate losing money. I can proudly say as entrepreneur and co-founder in multiples ventures since I started, now at Zubi Group, to date all my investors have made money (sometimes more, sometimes less).

With a bit of perspective I also have learned that choosing investors is choosing what sort of world we are creating and contributing to. To put Kibo Ventures on the spot, beyond good investors they are just good people - humble, working for the startup, entrepreneur-friendly even in the tough moments. The sort of VC I would always want on my cap table. Those investors with the returns and track record will continue in the business - so as entrepreneurs we actually have a big responsibility in shaping the world! Who do you want to make money from your work?

And a hint for those early stage investors chasing good returns - my personal view is that at this stage its all about investing in people and less about investing in markets, products and companies. I think its much more fruitful to understand how the team thinks about the business than just understanding the business itself. We take this at heart in Zubi Labs when creating teams or in Zubi Capital when investing.

May 24 · linkedin

Yesterday we celebrated our 10 years of Zubi Group. 250 amazing people contributing to the purpose of solving challenges for a better future.

Thanks to all the friends, partners & co-investors that joined us on-site but also from the distance. We are proud of what has been achieved together, but even more excited and looking forward to what will come in the next decade, mobilizing talent and co-investment in our projects, ventures and funds.

Since 2014, we have been working hard to create a better future for all. Zubi as a platform for impact investing and solving social and environmental challenges with companies as a force for good.

It started with Imagine Montessori School focusing on how to nurture talents (today + 400 children!), then grew with Zubi Cities and our lovely Barrio La Pinada eco-district project that dove us into the challenges we live in cities. It also opened our mind and kicked off our venture building activity at Zubi Labs, with projects such as CoCircular, Woodea, Nido, Matteco, IKOSIA, Nästa, Kämpe, Alteina, Greenest AI. With COVID and the urgent need for funding we expanded our attention into not just creating companies, but also investing in other projects (+20) via our Zubi Capital funds - starting with the first pan-european venture debt fund for impact ventures, and growing with the first diversity and inclusion fund in Spain for early stage impact ventures.

Curious what we are up to for our next decade? We want to be more global, more systemic, more catalytic to:

  • Enable 100 million people to live more sustainably
  • Improve the wellbeing and health of 100 million people
  • Improve the talent of 1 million people
  • Avoid 1000 million tons of CO2
  • Avoid 200.000 million tons to end up in landfills To enable this, we want to mobilize 1000 million €.

Ready to join us in this challenge? Reach out! https://zubi.group/

Related Questions

What inspired Iker Marcaide to start Matteco?
What are the main goals of Matteco under Iker Marcaide's leadership?
What are some of the key projects Iker Marcaide has worked on at Matteco?
What are the future plans for Matteco according to Iker Marcaide?
How has Iker Marcaide's experience at Zubi Group influenced his work at Matteco?
Iker Marcaide
Iker Marcaide, photo 1
Iker Marcaide, photo 2
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Location

Greater Valencia Metropolitan Area