La Palma's volcano eruption gives the opportunity to take advantage of the feeling of affection that has been generated throughout Spain

Ismael El-Qudsi CEO of Internet Republica and investor gives us his vision of the entrepreneurship that emerged from mixed international teams and of the developed markets both in Latin America and in Spain. The most important thing for him is to have extensive knowledge about the world of investment and entrepreneurship and to know how to develop your startup with head and passion.

Ismael El-Qudsi considers that one of the keys to success for a startup is to think globally and not be limited to the Spanish territory but try to create products that can be interesting on an international level. According to the investor, one of the best markets to expand your business internationally in Latin America due to language awareness. And he faithfully believes that it is getting easier thanks to technological advances that almost completely eliminate territorial barriers.

Despite not having a close relationship with the university, he considers this institution to be an optimal place for the development of young entrepreneurs. As El-Qudsi points out, “perhaps the first startup will not be the one that succeeds, but the university will create a breeding ground for young people who want to continue creating technology-based companies, which is what we need”. However, he believes that before undertaking on your own it is important to have knowledge about the world in which one wants to develop. For this, he recommends obtaining work experience from other companies, working somewhere else and acquiring fundamental concepts that will serve us in the future, such as the importance of taking care of cashflow.

Another of the fundamental principles when setting up your own startup is to do it by vocation. According to the investor, under no circumstances should entrepreneurship be undertaken out of necessity, since the life of an entrepreneur is full of ups and downs, and “when you are forced to do something, the chances of success are greatly reduced.”

As mentioned above, international markets can be a great advantage for the entrepreneur, although it must be taken into account that, when working with teams from Latin America, decisions do not come about as quickly due to the time difference, but we always We can support new technologies so that the chances of success are multiplied.

Ismael does not rule out the possibility of investing in closer European countries. In his experience, he knows of success stories such as Cabify, which has worked both in Spain and in Latin America, although it must be taken into account that sometimes-optimal cultural coupling is not achieved. “The important thing is not to limit your goals simply because you don't speak the language”, highlights the investor.

As for the Spanish territory, he positions the Canary Islands as a focus of technological development due to its tax advantages. He himself has invested in companies that have developed in the archipelago such as eStragy, a virtual gym to improve LOL. In addition, on several occasions he has relied on Canarian companies for web development.

El-Qudsi sees a great opportunity for entrepreneurship on the island of La Palma after the eruption of the volcano, “they have the opportunity to take advantage of the feeling of affection that has been generated throughout Spain for what has happened, it depends on them knowing it take advantage and become practical cases and not simply an ideology that in the end is not fulfilled”.

Finally, he tells us about the various forms of investment. He personally likes to invest in seed phases because he believes that it is the moment in which he can contribute the most, especially at a cognitive level. And although his greatest experience and investment has been with crowdfunding, he does not rule out tokenization as a valid investment avenue.

In conclusion, he advises future investors and entrepreneurs to try, but to do it with their heads, “not to invest the money they need, because the degree of success of a startup is very complicated.”