We talk with Iñaki Úrizl, CEO/Founder of Caravelo who shares his experience in South Summit. They were winners as the most disruptive startup in 2017. They are a Barcelona based technology company specialized in solutions for the airline industry. They enable airlines to grow incremental revenues, expand their distribution and improve their process management with products that are intuitive, innovative and market leading. 

1. What does South Summit mean for  you? Why did you decide to participate in the competition?

South Summit looked like the ideal place to showcase our company, get noticed by press and corporates and engage with European investors. All in a couple of days in a single location. I must say that's exactly what happened and are very happy with the final outcome.

2. How did you feel when you knew you were finalist?

It obviously felt great!  We knew it was not an easy achievement.There were really good startups in the competition and the jury was knowledgeable too.

3. How was your experience at South Summit? What were your impressions?

Our experience was very positive and not only because we were finalists. As mentioned, we had meaningful meetings with investors and corporates and have been consistently featured and referenced in the press ever since.

4. How has your startup developed since you applied to the contest? Any funny anecdote or succesful story to mention?

At the time, we were approaching Series A readiness and it was great timing for us to raise some interest and get initial contacts with European VCs (which we did). The funny anecdote is that we are now in conversations with one of the members of the jury to deploy our technology in his company.

5. What do you think it will happen in the future of startups?

As far as Spain is concerned, I believe that despite all the failures, we'll see more and more startups growing to big company sizes, which will fuel even more investment into the ecosystem and further stimulate entrepreneurship. The whole ecosystem is meant to grow in the upcoming years.

6. What advice would you give to those who want to participate in South Summit?

I would encourage them to participate and to do so with an open mind. At South Summit you encounter a large variety of people and companies and many synergies can happen, including from people/companies that seam unrelated to your business at first.