The Exporters Club urges Spain to sign bilateral agreements with Asia to boost startups.

 

El Club of Spanish Exporters and Investors has made public a crucial Technical Note, prepared by Amadeo Jensana, Director of Economics and Business at Casa Asia. The document analyzes the dynamic rise of the startup ecosystem in Asia and its profound strategic implications for Spain.

 

The research highlights China, South Korea and Singapore as the most advanced markets with the greatest potential for the expansion of technology startups. This is due to their strong commitment to innovation, a robust digital environment, and the abundant availability of talent. STEM and strong government support for entrepreneurship.

 

Among the most significant recommendations in the Technical Note, Jensana emphasizes the need to establish bilateral agreements. These would serve as an institutional umbrella to connect public and private actors from both regions, laying the foundation for a framework of trust and long-term collaboration.

China, South Korea, and Singapore: Three Strategic Models

 

The document delves into the specific model of each of these three countries in promoting entrepreneurship. However, they all share common elements: active support from the public sector, a consolidated network of accelerators and investors, and a favorable social attitude toward technological adoption.

 

"The governments of several of these countries, including the three analyzed, have promoted the development of an entrepreneurial-friendly environment by fostering favorable regulatory policies, developing access to financing programs, and creating incubators and accelerators with public capital," said Amadeo Jensana.

 

In this context, China, with a state strategy to reduce its dependence on foreign technology, has allocated a fund of $138.000 billion to invest in deeptech startups. This is in addition to tax incentives and incubator networks, such as Xiji IncubatorThe latter, an initiative of the Polytechnic University of Madrid along with the Shanghai Tongi University, specializes in supporting Spanish and Latin American entrepreneurs, offering programs to understand the Chinese ecosystem in its various dimensions.

 

Jensana cited the Spanish startup as a success story moved, specialized in micromobility and currently integrated into Cabify"She participated in the Xiji incubator mentoring program, and the lessons learned from her experience in China helped her develop a business model that could be replicated in Spain in the field of sustainable mobility," Jensana emphasized.

 

In addition to direct investment, the Chinese government has implemented a comprehensive startup support ecosystem that combines preferential tax policies – such as reduced corporate tax rates, VAT exemptions and R&D tax breaks – with the development of numerous venture capital firms with significant financial clout, many of them backed by tech giants such as Alibaba, Tencent, Lenovo and Huawei.

 

Among the key proposals of the Technical Note, Jensana highlights the need to establish bilateral agreements that serve as an institutional umbrella to connect public and private actors on both sides, thus generating a framework of trust and long-term collaboration.

 

South Korea combines its leadership in R&D with programs to attract foreign investors. foreign startups , the K-Startup Grand Challenge and TIPS. While Seoul concentrates much of the ecosystem, the government is actively working to decentralize its entrepreneurial fabric. Korean investment in research and development reached 4.96% of GDP in 2024, and public-private initiatives such as the Startup Korea Fund.

 

Finally, Singapore stands out for its favorable legal and tax environment, consolidating itself as a hub for Southeast AsiaIt has a highly structured ecosystem that supports all stages of startup development. Around 4.500 startups, 400 venture capital firms, and 240 accelerators are based in Singapore, a remarkable number considering its population (5.9 million). Programs like Startup SG and agencies like SGInnovate strengthen the country's position in sectors such as fintech and deeptech.

 

"Due to its status as a global hub where corporations from around the world operate, Singapore has the most mature ecosystem of the three countries analyzed," Jensana said.

Roadmap to boost the presence of Spanish startups in Asia

 

Against this backdrop, the Exporters Club has outlined a roadmap of four strategic pillars to boost the internationalization of Spanish startups in Asia.

 

The proposal includes the development of bilateral agreements with China, Korea and Singapore to provide a solid institutional framework; the creation of country-specific practical guides with detailed information on resources and market entry mechanisms; the establishment of active collaborative networks between incubators and accelerators from both regions; and the strengthening of the Asian presence at benchmark events such as the South summit, including its expansion into Asia. These measures seek to create an interconnected ecosystem that facilitates the access and growth of Spanish startups in the most strategic Asian markets.

 

Furthermore, the Director of Economics and Business at Casa Asia warns that, when entering Asian markets, "it is essential for startups to conduct a benchmarking exercise to ensure that their technological solution can compete in these advanced markets."