Javier Santiso, the managing director of global affairs and new ventures at Spain-based telecommunications company Telefónica, is set to move on to form his own venture fund, NovoBrief reported on Friday.
The news has not been officially confirmed yet, and Santiso’s LinkedIn profile still lists him as being in his current position at Telefónica. NovoBrief cited various undisclosed sources for the news.
Santiso joined the company in 2010 as director, chief executive and chairman of regional subsidiary Telefónica Latin America. In that position, he was responsible for setting up fund of funds Amerigo, and for co-founding accelerator Wayra.
Santiso was then promoted to managing director, chairman and chief executive of the group’s Europe operations in 2011, before taking on his current job in 2013.
The new fund is expected to target growth-stage investments in Spain, in the process filling a significant gap in the market, as most capital in the country is currently invested at the seed and series A stage.
We have reached out to Santiso for comment and will update as appropriate.
– Image courtesy of LinkedIn