StartupXplore Review 2026

What it is

Startupxplore began in Valencia in 2014 as a free directory of Spanish startups and investors and now runs a regulated investment platform. Startupxplore PSFP, S.L. is authorised by Spain's financial regulator, the CNMV, as crowdfunding provider number 18 since 15 December 2023.

Its homepage (31 October 2026) shows 109 companies invested in, €33.7 million invested in companies, 3,415 investors who have invested and 45,498 who receive offers. The same page also shows "€23M+ invested" and "90+ operations". None of the figures is dated and the platform does not explain the gap.

How it works

There are two kinds of offer. In startup rounds, a named lead investor, a fund or business angel, puts in its own money on the same terms, and you join from €500. You hold shares in the company directly or through a holding vehicle that Startupxplore administers; it depends on the deal. On 31 October 2026 one startup round was open: Telara Pharma, with €507,926 raised against a maximum of €700,000.

Since 2025 the platform also sells company bonds, grouped into three profiles: Preserve (indicative 4% to 5% a year, 12 to 24 months), Grow (5% to 7%, 24 to 36 months) and Maximize (8% or more, 24 to 36 months). On 31 October 2026 two bonds were open: Crealsa's "Bono Horizonte 2029" with €3.72 million raised of a €5 million maximum, and a Microwd bond with €286,073.

Returns

For startup investments Startupxplore has never published a return: no yearly rate, no multiple and no total of cash paid back, after about ten years and 109 companies. Its best-known success, Hannun, listed on Spain's BME Growth market in 2022 at a reported 4.5 times the investors' entry price, but its shares have since fallen about 83% from their listing high (August 2026).

For bonds the platform shows indicative rates of 4% to 8% or more a year and says they are not a promise of performance. No realised bond return is published.

Losses and defaults

No figure on failed companies, defaults or losses is published, and no default rate of the kind the EU crowdfunding rules ask for on loan-type offers such as bonds. The platform's own client information says a high number of projects fail and total loss can easily happen. Spain's company register shows that eight of the nine investment vehicles Startupxplore set up in its own name in 2015 and 2016 (€1.41 million) have been wound up; the register does not say whether they ended with a sale or a write-off, and the platform has not said.

What secures your money

Nothing secures startup investments: you own a small stake in a young company, directly or through a holding vehicle run by Startupxplore, with no collateral, buyback, reserve fund or insurance, and you can lose everything. The bonds are unsecured company debt as far as published; the investment profiles mention "full" or "partial underlying coverage" without saying what that means. The largest bond on sale comes from Crealsa, which Spain's regulator CNMV lists among entities without authorisation that may be raising funds (checked 31 October 2026). Your money waits in an escrow account at the payment firm Pecunia Cards, in the issuing company's name, until a round reaches its minimum.

Who runs it and its licence

Startupxplore PSFP, S.L. (Valencia, tax number B98877483), owned by Startup Ventures S.L., founded in 2014, is authorised by the CNMV under the EU crowdfunding rules (number 18, since 15 December 2023). No CNMV sanction or warning against Startupxplore was found. The annual accounts posted on its site stop at 2023. Public review score 4.6 out of 5 (96 reviews, August 2026).

Fees

On startup rounds you pay up to 6% plus VAT of the amount you invest, charged only if the round succeeds; with Spain's 21% VAT that is up to 7.26%. If you make a gain, a success fee of up to 20% plus VAT applies, reduced to 10% of the gain on a sale or listing of the company. There is no yearly management or custody fee.

Getting your money out

Usually you cannot. The platform's client information states there is no secondary market for the shares, and there is no buyback or bulletin board; money comes back only if the company pays a dividend, is sold or lists, which can take many years. Bonds run to their end date, with the payout rhythm set by their profile (monthly, half-yearly or yearly).

Our view

Return: Medium — based on the indicative 8% or more a year shown for bonds; nothing realised is published for startups or bonds. Risk: High (higher means more risk) — no failure or loss figures after ten years, most early investment vehicles wound up with no outcome published, counters that disagree, accounts only to 2023, and the largest bond on sale comes from an issuer on the CNMV's list. Risk-return: Medium — startup investing is judged on what it could return; failures alone do not pull this level down.