Why We Joined Lanzadera

This post is a little different from the ones we usually publish here.

It isn’t directly about factory management or digital transformation, and it may not generate website traffic that we can convert into leads. But it does talk about something that will shape Bold’s future and is also part of our story as founders. Why did we join Lanzadera?

From an uncomfortable question to reflection

The first time I tried to explain what we do at Bold and what our application is for, I rattled off several technical terms to someone who didn’t understand them, then stammered something about “being a kind of SAP for small factories.” It wasn’t true, fair, or clear. I didn’t mention what problem we solve or how we solve it. I also wasn’t able to convince the other person that what I was telling them was exciting.

Something similar happened when my mother asked me why we had joined Lanzadera. I wasn’t convinced by my answer either. And since I firmly believe in not making the same mistake twice, I decided to organize my thoughts and write this post.

That doesn’t mean we joined blindly. The benefits of an accelerator were obvious (for readers who may not know, an accelerator is a program that supports early-stage startups to help them grow faster, usually in exchange for a stake in the company). What I needed was to organize my reasons, understand what sets Lanzadera apart from others, and be able to explain it clearly.

The main reason: zero risk

I know it doesn’t sound glamorous (don’t worry, the praise is coming), but the first thing that caught our attention is that Lanzadera doesn’t ask for equity. Most accelerators work like a kind of loan: they give you resources, mentoring, and contacts, and in exchange they take around 7% of your company. In this case, there’s no fine print: the program is free.

That radically lowers the barrier to entry. The most you can lose is time, and what you can gain is much more valuable: community, knowledge, and visibility.

What Lanzadera offers us

Lanzadera is a personal initiative by Juan Roig, president of Mercadona, designed to give back to the Valencian (and Spanish) entrepreneurship ecosystem what he himself felt was missing when he started out as an entrepreneur (or so I read in an interview). The fact is that thanks to him, Lanzadera offers intensive support without requiring founders to give up equity, allowing them to retain control of their projects while benefiting from advantages like these:

1. An entrepreneurial community in Valencia

Being part of a local ecosystem with global ambition is a privilege. Right in the Port of Valencia, we share an office with dozens of startups of all kinds. This creates a community effect: you learn from others in real time, share challenges, and find support from people who are facing similar problems or have already overcome them.

And yes, there’s also a logistical benefit. Having a fully equipped physical space—desk, screen, internet, coffee—in a prime location—with views of the port—eliminates distractions and lets you focus on what matters: growing your company.

2. Mentoring and focus

Each startup at Lanzadera is assigned a Project Director (PD), who is responsible for keeping track of them, supporting them, and defining a roadmap with them while strengthening key areas for entrepreneurial success. To paraphrase Sara, one of the directors, they’re like family doctors: if they can, they help you directly; if not, they prescribe related training or refer you to the right specialist for mentoring.

The program includes weekly training sessions with experts in various areas: finance, administration, sales, product, marketing, and much more. I’m writing these words with a couple of months of the program under my belt, so I can tell you that, in my experience and in my opinion, the sessions are too introductory at first, but as you progress they become more and more specific and actionable.

3. A network of contacts

This is, without a doubt, the most transformative benefit. We’re talking about networking (that is, expanding your network of contacts in the industry), but not as something vague and intangible. Day to day, you have coffee with other founders, gain access to mentors who have spent years scaling companies, and even have the chance to reach investors and companies that would otherwise take you months to meet. In some cases, you wouldn’t have access to them at all.

On the other hand, although it doesn’t apply to us because of the type of customer we target, Lanzadera’s Corporate area connects startups with large companies that launch real innovation challenges: specific problems they need to solve, which open the door to validating solutions at scale. For some startups, this can mean landing a first major customer, closing a strategic partnership, or even paving the way for a future M&A (mergers and acquisitions) deal.

4. Credibility and trust

Beyond networking, there’s the reputational factor. Saying that you’re part of Lanzadera opens doors and builds trust. In sectors as traditional as industry, where credibility is key, we believe that endorsement carries a lot of weight.

And it’s not just about image: having joined and completed such a demanding program makes your company a less risky prospect when it comes to financing. For a bank, fund, or private investor, a startup backed by Lanzadera signals that it has already passed a rigorous screening process, making it a more attractive option than other companies at similar stages.

What we expect from Lanzadera

So far, Lanzadera has already exceeded our initial expectations: community, training, contacts… all of that is happening. Now it’s our turn. Making the most of this program depends largely on us.

And since every good article needs a quote from the RAE, here it is:

accelerate. 1. v. tr. Increase the speed (of something). The use of cutting-edge technology speeds up the production process.

That’s exactly the mindset we want to bring to this stage: treating the program as a 6-month sprint (extendable to a year if all goes well), a short, intense period in which we have to make the progress that would take us years on our own.

At Lanzadera, they often use the metaphor of moving from “point A to point B.” Most startups make it, but some aren’t satisfied and reach “C,” “D,” or even “F.” That’s the group we want to be in. For Bold, the real value lies in making the most of every day, instilling a sense of urgency in everything we do, and coming out of this experience having multiplied our execution speed.

In the end, the accelerator provides the framework and resources, but the drive and execution depend on each team. Our goal is clear: to make the most of this opportunity and prove that we can go beyond just “point B.”

Conclusion

Joining Lanzadera isn’t an end in itself, but a way to accelerate our journey. As founders from Valencia, we’re proud to do it from here, in a program that has put the city on the entrepreneurship map.

If you’d like to find out more about Bold and how we’re transforming factory management with a SaaS model designed for SMEs, you can do so on our website.

And if you’re interested in learning more about the ecosystem that makes it possible for projects like ours to grow, take a look at Lanzadera.

(P.S. The cover image is our own work, using illustrations owned by Marina de Empresas)