The holdings sit close together on the map. Hawkers runs out of Elche and Madrid, Auro out of Madrid, Playtomic out of Madrid, and Easy Payment Gateway operates across Spain. The shared thread is Alejandro Betancourt López, whose investments cluster heavily in one national market.
That concentration says something about Spain. A country long viewed mainly as a place to sell things now turns out companies big enough to attract global buyers and international funds.
The roster by the numbers
Each business carries real scale. Hawkers grew into a brand reporting more than $100 million in sales. Playtomic reached a €200 million valuation. Auro drew that €220 million investment from Uber for a 30% stake in early 2025.
Read side by side, the four trace one method applied to consumer goods, mobility, sports technology and payments. Every company entered an under-built category, then grew until a larger player took notice.
A market that grew up
The timing fit a broader surge. Investment in Spanish startups rose 15% in the first nine months of 2025, reaching €2.6 billion across 288 rounds, according to the Bankinter Innovation Foundation.
Betancourt López built much of his portfolio on that turn. Spain spent years sending its talent abroad. The companies anchored in Elche and Madrid suggest it now exports finished businesses instead.