Lanzadera

Juan Roig personally approves the strategic direction and significant follow-on commitments, delegating cohort selection to an internal investment committee composed of former Mercadona executives and external sector specialists. Day-to-day evaluation is led by the accelerator's managing director. Unlike a limited partner-driven fund, the structure concentrates ultimate authority with Roig.

Lanzadera's core accelerator program does not require equity. The initial support—including workspace, mentorship, and initial capital injections—is structured as a grant or soft loan. Equity only enters the relationship when Angels Capital, the investment arm within Marina de Empresas, participates in a subsequent priced funding round for standout graduates.

Mercadona acts as a testbed and a management laboratory. Founders gain access to the 'Total Quality' operating system that Mercadona uses to manage over 1,600 stores, and portfolio companies working on retail, logistics, or agritech solutions can pilot directly with Spain's largest grocer. Additionally, dozens of senior Mercadona executives rotate through as mentors each year.

Lanzadera and Angels Capital are separate legal entities within the Marina de Empresas conglomerate, both ultimately owned by Juan Roig. Lanzadera handles the non-dilutive accelerator program, while Angels Capital is a pure equity investor that writes checks from €100,000 to over €1 million into later-stage rounds, often for companies that graduated from the accelerator.

While deeply rooted in Valencia, Lanzadera accepts international applications and has funded companies from across continental Europe and Latin America. The program requires a physical presence at the Marina de Empresas campus during the acceleration phase, which effectively selects for founders willing to relocate to Valencia for the duration.

Lanzadera sits at the intersection. It is not a registered charity—it operates from Juan Roig's personal for-profit holding—but its non-dilutive model and regional development focus function like an economic development initiative. The Roig family's formal philanthropy, including the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation and Hortensia Herrero Foundation, runs in parallel and is structurally separate from the accelerator.

The primary channel is an open-call application process run twice yearly, which attracts several thousand submissions per cohort. Inbound demand is supplemented by referrals from the EDEM Business School network, Mercadona's 500+ supplier relationships, and alumni founders within the Marina de Empresas ecosystem. Lanzadera does not rely on a traditional venture scout network.