Magic does not exist. And much less so in the world of business and investments. Even so, Barcelona is, increasingly, the breeding ground for business projects, and even unicorns, that seem to defy the laws of reality. However, behind these success stories there is no fantasy, supernatural forces, or hidden alchemy, but rather the persistence and passion of an entrepreneur —or a group of entrepreneurs—. The Barcelona-based venture builder Wizard Partners works precisely alongside those companies that understand that the process does not depend on superpowers, but on brave decisions and a clear long-term roadmap.
In fact, Wizard Partners' journey also seems, in a way, magical: a portfolio of eight companies that, together, already exceed 92 million euros in annual turnover. Among them, success stories such as ElRow —which organizes electronic music events—, which has gone from a turnover of three million euros to 54 million in ten years, or Learning Heroes —a training center in disruptive technologies—, which has grown from half a million euros to 21 million in just two years.
Behind this upward trajectory there are no magic spells either, but rather the vision of three entrepreneurs (Vicenç Martí, David Jordan and Oriol Cagigós), "who are passionate about starting projects, but who wanted to leverage their individual trajectories as creators of disruptive startups to accompany and guide other Barcelona entrepreneurs," Jordan summarized in a meeting organized by the Associació de Joves Empresaris de Catalunya (AIJEC).
A personal trajectory as entrepreneurs that has given them a completely differential vision: moving away from the image of the distant investor and opting to get directly involved in the strategy, operation, and execution of the companies they accompany. Helping them not only in the search for capital, but also in creating the necessary structure to scale the project, from team or knowledge needs, to the definition of the long-term roadmap. In short, "to be the necessary business partners to accompany rebellious talents with ideas that challenge the norm," summarized co-founder David Jordan in The New Barcelona Post in an interview prior to the Dinar de Futur organized by AIJEC.
For this reason, they do not define themselves as investors, but as partners, companions on the same journey. "We believe in the superpower of a common goal," as Jordan remarks. They also do not want to become the figure of the investor in a suit, shirt, and tie, but rather they opt for rolling up their sleeves and working hand in hand with entrepreneurs, "suffering but also enjoying with them."
Inspired by the phases of the hero's journey defined by Joseph Campbell, they identify themselves as the wizards or wise men who accompany the superheroes, who are the entrepreneurs, on their particular adventure. That character who points the way and puts the right tools in their hands, but who does not directly enter the battlefield with a sword, but rather, from proximity, advises them to overcome these obstacles. Because, like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, although they are not the protagonists of the story, they are essential for it to advance and develop.
And it is this figure, precisely, that they have exercised with the advertising agency Slalom Agency. The relationship between this company and Wizard Partners began as a supplier relationship, that is, Slalom Agency worked on the content and social media strategy for different brands in Wizard Partners' portfolio. However, the agency's growth was conditioned by a structural limit: it could not grow and scale its service because each new client implied an increase in responsibilities, but not always in billing, as it also required hiring new staff. The challenge, therefore, was to find an attractive model that could scale quickly and that, therefore, Wizard Partners could accompany. As Jordan summarizes: "they needed to go from a service for other companies to a scalable product."
Pia Mill and Berta Quirante understood the challenge and, thus, developed UGC Slalom, the first UGC marketplace in Spain (user generated content). The platform connects brands that need content on social media with independent creators who, even if they are not influencers or accumulate thousands of likes, can create content on social media and connect with audiences. A pioneering concept in Spain and practically throughout Europe.
A concept especially relevant for the current context, with generative artificial intelligence invading all aspects of daily life, but in which, paradoxically, people need more human interaction than ever. Social media users, therefore, seek real and spontaneous creators, who, even if unknown, have "the capacity and talent to connect with the audience," as Quirante summarizes. And this is a need that Pia and Berta understood perfectly.
However, they needed a team to help them move from that intuition to structure —also technologically to create the software, and here they had the help of Napptilus— and to set long-term goals, as well as the different tools to achieve them. It was here that the help of Wizard Partners again proved magical, especially to "feel accompanied in management, decision-making, and administration," as Quirante valued in a conversation organized by AIJEC and moderated by Cristina Hernández-Martí, a lawyer specializing in Intellectual Property and vice-president of AIJEC.
In a few months, they have managed to scale the platform, with more than seventy brands using it to find creators, from Juguettos to Genové, investing between 300 and 400 euros per action. The company now wants to go a step further and, with the help of Wizard Partners, is preparing the launch of its first investment round, with the goal of raising half a million euros. With the capital raised, they want to expand and perfect the platform, grow in creators, and even prepare for the leap to Europe.
The forecasts are ambitious: to bill 7.7 million euros in the third year of activity. But what is the magic formula that seems to replicate itself in all the companies that Wizard Partners accompanies? What is the key to success for projects that scale so quickly and constantly —from ElRow to UGC Slalom—? Jordan is clear: it's not about spells or hidden mysteries, but about having five essential superpowers for any entrepreneur: passion, courage, daring, execution capacity, and long-term vision.
1. Passion: the engine that never stops
The first superpower of entrepreneurs that Wizard Partners accompanies is their passion. "Since it will be a project in which you will have to work your skin off, at least let it be something you are passionate about," as Jordan emphasizes. Because passion and enthusiasm are the strength to survive day to day, but also the engine that allows overcoming difficult moments. In addition, passion is also the element that allows a better understanding of each product's market and connecting with the customer in a way no one else could. And it is precisely from this market knowledge and passion that UGC Slalom was born, emerging from the idea of two entrepreneurs who saw, from their experience in the agency, how brands demanded to be able to connect with those smaller but real creators.2. Work to create value
However, beyond passion and individual motivation, entrepreneurs must think about society and create something differential that adds value, has a real impact on the world, and also covers an unmet need in the market. The business model should not be based solely on hours invested, but on the value provided to society. A change of model that, for Jordan, perfectly summarizes UGC Slalom: which has known how to understand the need and the opportunity to bet on content generated directly by users, at a time when this type of content has begun to grow worldwide.
3. Dare to try
"The element that differentiates successful entrepreneurs from those who are not is the daring to launch and try," Quirante valued. "There's no need to wait to have the perfect product: try, dare to test the market and demonstrate that there is a real demand," Jordan added. And that's what Slalom UGC did: launching the platform with a small base of creators to scale, with more than 600 creators already registered on the platform and companies that started with a video of less than 200 euros and are now betting on creating more than ten videos with this platform.
4. Execution capacity
As important or more than the idea is the ability to execute it. Wizard Partners does not only seek brilliant strategies, but teams capable of transforming them into concrete actions so that "when things go against you, which will be more than 90% of the time, you have the ability to move quickly," Jordan highlighted. Knowing how to read the market, identify opportunities, and act quickly is key to transforming a good idea into a sustainable business.
5. Think long-term: the vision that marks the path
All this, without forgetting a last fundamental pillar: having the capacity to look beyond the urgency of day-to-day, creating a roadmap that contemplates five years or even ten years. It is not just about generating quick income, but about building a meaningful project for the coming years, and Wizard Partners accompanies entrepreneurs in defining this strategic plan. In the case of UGC Slalom, the roadmap is ambitious: with the goal of quickly consolidating itself as the reference platform in Spain and, subsequently, preparing the leap to Europe. Economic forecasts are also ambitious: exceeding one million euros in the first year of activity and reaching 7.7 million euros in its third year.
Because, in the end, success does not depend on spells or magic solutions, but on a well-defined strategic plan and the ability to carry it out. There may be no magic, but there is method. There may be no wands or tricks, but there is discipline and an entrepreneurial culture that Barcelona, increasingly, is consolidating.