Alejandro Fresneda

Alejandro Fresneda is a Spanish entrepreneur and angel investor, currently Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Yaba, a Barcelona-based "house of brands." He began his career in finance: after studying at the Lycée Français and earning his degree at ESADE business school, he moved to London in 2011 to work in investment banking through late 2014 (associated with firms including Nomura). From 2014 to 2016 he worked at the American credit fund Muzinich & Co., where he helped launch a Spain-focused investment vehicle from Madrid. He has also undertaken further executive education connected to Babson College and Stanford.

In 2017 Fresneda made the leap to entrepreneurship, co-founding Mr. Noow in Barcelona with Pablo Mas-Bagá. Mr. Noow was a mobile app that let urban professionals discover nearby restaurants, pre-order food for pickup or eat-in, and pay seamlessly through the app. The company raised close to €3M over its lifetime (including a ~€235k Crowdcube round and a €900k round) before winding down in late 2021. Fresneda has described the experience as a difficult but valuable lesson, framing entrepreneurship as "a roller coaster" requiring perseverance and a long-term vision.

In 2020–2021 he co-founded Yaba alongside David Baratech, Rubén Ferreiro, Sergi de Pablos, and Patxi Archanco. Yaba follows a "build-up" / aggregator strategy, identifying, acquiring, and scaling Amazon Native Brands (and, more recently, well-being brands sold across Amazon, Walmart, Decathlon, TikTok Shop, and offline retail). Within roughly a year, the team had grown past 50 employees, acquired 12 brands, and reached €18M+ in revenue with positive EBITDA. In March 2022 Yaba announced a €75M+ round (reported as up to ~$85M / €77M including debt), led by Crossbeam on the equity side with Tikehau Capital as debt partner.

Alongside his operating roles, Fresneda has invested personally as a business angel, backing early-stage Spanish startups and signalling an intention to continue investing in other founders as part of his long-term plans.

• Stage: Primarily seed / early stage, with openness to growth; typically targets companies with pre-money valuations under ~€2–3M.
• Check size: Roughly €10,000–€15,000 per investment, making about 3 investments per year; will co-invest in or occasionally lead small rounds.
• Sectors: B2B, B2C, B2B2C, fintech, big data, and software — reflecting his finance background and operator experience in marketplaces and e-commerce.
• Operator's lens: As a two-time founder (Mr. Noow, Yaba) with a finance pedigree, he brings hands-on experience in fundraising, marketplace/consumer apps, and scaling — likely valuing founders who show resilience and long-term thinking.
• Stated philosophy: "Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster; you must persevere and maintain a long-term vision" — emphasising founder grit and durability over quick wins.