Javier Santiso

Co-founder and Partner at Kembara · Joined 2023

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Biography

Javier Santiso is co-founder and partner of Kembara and the founder and CEO of Mundi Ventures, which he started in Madrid in 2015 and which the firm describes as managing around €1.5B. Before venture capital he was an economist and public-policy figure: chief economist for emerging markets at BBVA, then Chief Development Economist and Director of the OECD Development Centre. He subsequently ran Telefónica's innovation and international investment activity as a managing director and led Khazanah Nasional's European technology investments as CEO of Khazanah Europe. He has held academic posts at Sciences Po, SAIS Johns Hopkins, ESADE and IE Business School and has published widely on emerging-market political economy. The Kembara site lists Palantir and Submer among his investments; he also sits on the boards of Fnac Darty and Prisa.

Education

Previous Experience

Notable Investments

Palantir PLTRSubmerWefoxShift TechnologyBolttech

Board Seats

Career Timeline

2015
Founded Mundi Ventures (Alma Mundi Ventures) in Madrid; serves as CEO and General Partner.
2023
Co-founded Kembara with Yann de Vries as Mundi Ventures' deep tech and climate growth vehicle.
2026
Announced Kembara's €750M first close, describing the fund's mission as catalysing a European 'second Renaissance'.

Sources & References

Kembara team section, kembara.vc ↗EIF press release on its €350M commitment to Kembara, quoting Santiso ↗Wikipedia biography (education and career history) ↗Fnac Darty board profile ↗