South Summit

16/10/2026

Before Airbnb became a global company, investors were saying no and the startup was running out of money.

So Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia tried something unexpected: they sold cereal boxes for $40. Obama O’s alone generated around $20,000 and gave them something crucial: more time to keep building.

The real lesson? Sometimes founders don’t need the full answer. They need the next milestone.

Read the full story 👉 https://www.southsummit.io/en/articles/4e9150d0-46c9-f111-bf5b-6045bd889b2a/what-can-founders-learn-from-the-story-of-airbnb-?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=organic_post

15/10/2026

Mobility, industry or energy? Bilbao is your place to be 📍

South Summit Bilbao brings together founders, investors, corporates and public institutions around three verticals: Mobility, Industry 4.0 and Energy Transition.

As Álvaro Miguel Cabrera shared, what makes the difference is the quality of the contacts and connections you build. Two focused days to meet the right partners for your project.

🎯 Meet the Startups
🚀 Hands-On! co-creation sessions
🌎 Social Summit visits to the Automotive and Energy Intelligence Centers

Together with and .

📅 25 & 26 November · BAT, Bilbao
Register through the link in bio.

14/10/2026

Buenos Aires, October 21. One afternoon for the region's founders, investors and builders 👀

IE Venture Day lands at Usina del Arte with , and , with the support of .

opens the day alongside IE University and South Summit.

Founders who built from Argentina for the world. Investors backing the region's next wave. Voices on what comes after the exit. And a live startup competition on stage.

📍 Usina del Arte, Buenos Aires
📅 October 21 · 13:30 – 20:00

Save your seat → venturedays.ie.edu/e/ie-venture-day-buenos-aires?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=organic_post

In collaboration with BA Productiva and .

13/10/2026

Capital has made its pick: space, AI and energy

Startups from the South Summit ecosystem are leading a new wave of funding, and the pattern is hard to ignore.

🚀 Space: PLD SPACE extends its Series C by €108 million to reach €288 million, plus a €158.9 million European Space Agency contract for its MIURA 5 launcher.

📈 AI: Factorial closes a $150 million Series D, lifting its valuation to 2.5 billion. Wrtn raises $72 million, Jusfy $15 million and Vialytics $10 million.

🌎 Energy: Waga Energy signs a €128 million green loan to accelerate its rollout across Europe.

Some have been in the ecosystem for years: Waga Energy was a finalist in 2019 and Factorial in 2021. Momentum is built with ex*****on, edition after edition.

The numbers back it up: South Summit finalists have raised over $22.2 billion, with a survival rate above 85% and nine unicorns coming out of the Startup Competition.

Capital flows to companies with global ambition, differential technology and models built to scale. That is the signal we follow.

More information:

El ecosistema capta 3.827 millones en los nueve primeros meses de 2026, repartidos en 274 operaciones. Multiverse, Open Cosmos, PLD Space, Fever y Twinco protagonizan las mayores rondas

08/10/2026

Last year in Bilbao ↓

+80 corporations

+140 startups

40 countries

+30% international

One ecosystem brought together around what's next for industry, energy and mobility.

This November, we do it again, in collaboration with Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia - Diputación Foral de Bizkaia

Nov 25–26 ·

Register: www.southsummit.io/e/bilbao-bizkaia-2026?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=organic_post

05/10/2026

In 1999, Mercado Libre had 80 rivals with the same model

Most of them burned their cash on marketing. Mercado Libre made a different call, and that decision still shapes how founders build from Argentina today.

What it teaches about growing through crisis, in our latest article:
https://www.southsummit.io/en/articles/efd588fb-d4c0-f111-a6a9-6045bdf5ca6d/starting-a-business-in-argentina-what-mercado-libre-teaches-about-growing-in-the-middle-of-a-crisis/?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=organic_post

04/10/2026

Buenos Aires, you're next.

On October 21, South Summit and bring the Scaleup Series Venture Day to Buenos Aires.

One room at Usina del Arte. Founders, investors and ecosystem leaders. New connections, new opportunities and conversations about what it really takes to scale.

🎫 Free registration

02/10/2026

Riyadh, October 7. Four hours with the people building and investing in one of the world's fastest-evolving ecosystems. Powered by IE University

🎨 Building in the Creative Economy
🌍 Two perspectives, one ecosystem
💬 Open Q&As after each session
🤝 Networking cocktail

Be in the room.
📅 October 7

Be in the room. Register → https://www.southsummit.io/e/scaleup-series-riyadh-2026?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=organic_post

01/10/2026

Energy, mobility and industry meet in Bilbao

South Summit Energy & Industry Bilbao, co-organized with , connects Bizkaia's ecosystem with innovators from around the world. Last edition: participants from 40 countries.

🎯 Buyers Club with pre-arranged meetings

💪🏽 Hands-on sessions on real industry challenges

🎤 Expert-led content on what's next

🚀 Demo pitches from 15 selected startups

🌎 Networking with key players across the ecosystem

Ideas that leave Bilbao as partnerships and projects.

📅 November 25–26, 2026 · Link in bio

👉 Discover the full experience: www.southsummit.io/en/content/bilbao?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=organic_post

30/09/2026

𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆?

Netflix asks its managers exactly that. They call it 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁, and it comes down to two questions about each person:

🎯 If they wanted to leave, would you fight to keep them?

🎯 Knowing what you know today, would you hire them again?

If either answer is no, Netflix believes parting ways may be better for both sides.

The fine print matters. The test weighs the full track record over a single mistake and values people who experiment, challenge the status quo and sometimes get it wrong.

The same logic runs through the whole company. Its expense policy fits in five words: "Act in Netflix's best interests"

Our take: the real value of the keeper test is the question behind it. Who is key for your next stage, and why? That answer should rest on concrete contributions over personal affinity.

Read the full breakdown 👇
https://www.southsummit.io/en/articles/1d4a3d23-abbc-f111-a6a9-6045bdf5ca6d/how-to-apply-netflix-s-keeper-test-to-your-startup-would-you-fight-to-keep-this-person-?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=organic_post