Ibo Sanz, new Managing Director at LLYC Venturing

Ibo Sanz is the new General Manager of LLYC Venturing. In this new role, he will bring the consulting firm’s startup investment vehicle closer to the business and will lead the team in the search for opportunities, analysis, due diligence and investment in projects that promote entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. Ibo was already part of LLYC Venturing’s Investment Committee and will combine his new position with his role as the head of the firm’s Deep Digital Strategy in Europe.

Ibo has extensive experience in M&A and investment transactions. After holding executive and business development roles in multinational companies such as Telefónica and Vodafone, he joined LLYC in January 2021. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Rotterdam Business School. He is also AI Elements certified by the University of Helsinki.

“Ibo’s appointment is great news for everyone. I have no doubt that his professional trajectory, spanning over two decades of experience, and his expertise in the innovation sector will be fundamental in establishing the project and reinforcing the deal flow. Our goal remains to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem with investments in startups adapted to marketing, communication and public affairs. I would like to thank Marta Guisasola for her outstanding work as CEO of LLYC Venturing”, says José Antonio Llorente, Founding Partner and President of LLYC.

Ibo Sanz shares his thoughts: “I am very excited about this challenge. LLYC Venturing is a unique project that will serve as a projection tool for startups. I want them to choose LLYC as a partner because of our ability to generate synergies and strategic contributions. The objective is to consolidate our position in the ecosystem, and to this end we will demonstrate the value we bring beyond the financial investment we generate in companies.”

LLYC Venturing is set to allocate up to five million euros in 20 projects over the next four years, between €50,000 and €500,000 for each one. Its investment targets include companies focused on Artificial Intelligence technologies, Blockchain, Virtual Reality, IoT or Enterprise Software with SaaS models applied to the communication, marketing and public affairs sector.

LLYC Venturing made its first two investments in 2022. The first one in June involved Erudit, a Spanish startup with a presence in the United States that has developed a technology to improve, through Artificial Intelligence and NLP (Natural Language Processing), the management of talent and the potential of teams, with machine learning models focused on the study of the personality of workers, their mental health and the work environment. The second investment in November concerned Digital Audience, a Dutch technology company with expertise in new digital marketing strategies.