It started with a problem, not a dream.
Felix and Miguel never wanted to be a founders, they wanted to solve problems that mattered.
With a background in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Felix earned a Fulbright Scholarship to Stanford, landing in Silicon Valley just as his home country, Spain, was being rocked by the 2009 economic crisis. From half a world away, he watched businesses struggle, opportunities vanish and heard that startups were struggling to survive, and funding had all but dried up.
Together, with Miguel they did what felt natural: they built something.
From a Stanford dorm room, Felix launched a nonprofit to crowdfund support for those startups hit hardest. It wasn’t about code or capital but just about helping them better connect with investors, using whatever tools he had.
Fast-forward a few years to 2018, while Felix was pursuing his MBA alongside his brother Miguel, then at Wharton, that same instinct surfaced again. This time, the problem wasn’t economic collapse. It was innovation being overlooked by large enterprises.
They saw it everywhere: groundbreaking startups going unseen, and corporations missing the signals that could change their future. The systems meant to surface early-stage innovation were noisy, generic, outdated.
Something began happening - big corporate customers were “coming to us,” says Felix. Novo Nordisk, Novartis and insurance group Mapfre separately approached us and asked if our technology could also work for corporate innovation teams.
That’s when Felix and Miguel understood that finding relevant startups and market intelligence was a big pain point for corporates. When the platform proved effective for corporate innovation teams after a trial period, it pivoted to its current business model in 2022.
That realization became the spark that would eventually ignite FounderNest into the powerful market intelligence platform it is today.
Million companies
Million patents
Clinical trials
"And yet, the thing I'm most proud of is not how comprehensive our platform is, but solving a real-world problem. We help people make decisions that matter."
Felix González
CEO and Co-founder, FounderNestA few beliefs that shape how we work.
Technology should help people, not impress them.
We focus on building tools that are intuitive, human-centered, and genuinely useful and not just flashy or complex for the sake of it.
Data is only powerful when it leads to action.
We turn insights into outcomes by designing systems that move people and organizations from knowing to doing.
The future is built daily, but only a few pay close attention.
We stay curious, observant, and proactive, because meaningful progress starts with noticing what others overlook.
“I look forward to testing the new features. It's amazing how you're innovating a lot quickly.”
Rocio Garcia Ruiz
VP of Corporate Development
“The beauty of FounderNest is that it understands my search intent and identifies all the relevant startups we need.”
Carlos Cendra
Scouting & Investment Lead
“FounderNest has completely replaced Crunchbase and CB Insights in our team.”
Carmel Appel Raskin
Global Director, Tech InnovationHow we got here
2018
While Felix is at Stanford and his brother Miguel is pursuing his MBA at Wharton, the two notice a new, widespread problem: Enterprises are missing breakthrough innovation.
2019
Large enterprises begin approaching the team independently including Novo Nordisk, Novartis, and Mapfre, asking if their tech could be applied to corporate innovation.
2020
The product develops further to meet the needs of enterprise teams. The platform is trialed with innovation teams and quickly proves its value in surfacing relevant startups and insights.
2021
The team expands with many more FounderNester's joining across functions such as sales, engineering, data, operations and customer success.
2022
Based on strong demand and real-world use, FounderNest officially pivots to become a market intelligence platform for enterprise innovation teams.
2023
We introduce our leading AI-powered engine uniquely connecting data through natural language, surfacing deep insights in real time.
2024
We onboarded hundreds of enterprise customers and continue to enhance the product with new features with AI at the core such as Space Momentum, AI CoPilot and Space Analytics.
Today
We opened offices in Madrid and the UK to accommodate our growing team. Our platform grows too with new features such as Prompt Enhancer, Enhanced Search, AI Columns, Signals and Space Tracker.
Built for the best. Backed by the best.
We’re backed by top-tier venture firms and visionary founders and product builders who’ve helped shape some of the world’s leading companies.
“The team at FounderNest has a rare ability to spot opportunities early and build with clarity and speed. Backing them was an easy decision."
Investor
ULU Ventures
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