Spain is really lagging in terms of innovation and talent retention. But can Spain as a country claim the right to this talent and moreover, the privilege of harnessing its capacity? The southern paradise of tourism – with more than 100M tourists¹ looking for tapas every year – seems to be at the same stage at which several other EU countries were a few years ago from an innovation and startup development standpoint, implying Spain is really lagging in terms of talent and innovation.

This recent post in LinkedIn mentions the venture landscape in Spain according to Endeavor, a global community of entrepreneurs, highlighting how the deal stats for Spanish startups in 2023 match those of UK in 2011, or France in 2013.

Original image in report

Where is the talent?

First and foremost, is talent really moving? Assuming we can use talent to refer to highly qualified people, talent is really not moving anywhere – particularly in the remote working era. Expertise has always been attracted to places where it can develop, if it doesn’t find the right environment, it’ll move as part of its nature, just as plants grow where conditions are right.

So long as any given country or region cannot handle the talent mass it generates, that same talent will thrive to grow elsewhere, wherever feels right.

Keeping people at a place where they cannot grow, does not last. Keeping brilliance in mundane tasks does not last. Getting the best out of everyone is not so much about the pressure or the path that is set to them by external factors – which you can take for granted –, but about the environment they live in.

The fact that some countries (or whole continents for that matter) cannot be as dynamic as others in workforce, opportunities or innovation, means they have a poisoned soil where talent cannot prosper as well as in others.

One solution.

While the solution is not simple and straight forward, the overall goal is clear: Improving the environment. Focusing all efforts in creating the best place for people to grow will sure attract (or keep) the genius you need. This rule applies the same for companies as it does for countries.

We must not stand still while the best minds aoround us find it hard to grow their careers and lives in the country they love. But making a move does not necessarily mean we need to actively engage in keeping the expert minds at all cost. We have a long way ahead of us, and it is unpredictable wether our leadership will set their eyes on this ever – while the country faces some more dramatic challenges in a wider society – where a minority develops their activity in a startup environment.

1. While the INE (National Institute of Statistics) tracks the amount of foreigners that come to Spain throughout a year, we are uncertain as to how many of them really came looking for tapas. Stews are also very tasty in the winter and are not considered a tapa.