Business · Companies · 5 hrs ago
Spanish founders take Amancio AI sales tool to Launchpad final in New York
Spanish founders Iván Barrasa and Jorge Branger reached the top three in Launchpad, a startup competition in New York.
They entered with Amancio, an AI sales tool built for LinkedIn.
It tracks posts and people showing interest in a profile, then suggests what to do next to move toward a sales conversation.
The founders say it attracted 40 paying customers in three days.
Launchpad began with 30 teams and offers $100,000 in cash and up to $1 million in investment.
The founders said their business costs in Spain had reached about €4,000 a month without enough revenue, and they saw the competition as a crucial chance to keep building a company.
The winner is due to be decided on October 19.
Spanish founders Iván Barrasa and Jorge Branger have reached the Top 3 of Launchpad, a startup competition in New York.
Their AI sales tool, Amancio, tracks LinkedIn activity and helps plan interactions that can lead to sales meetings.
The founders say they gained 40 paying customers in three days.
The competition offers $100,000 in cash and up to $1 million in investment, with the result due on October 19.
Barrasa says that if they do not win or build a business, they may have to return to conventional jobs.
- Who
- Spanish founders Iván Barrasa and Jorge Branger.
- What
- They have reached the Top 3 of Launchpad with Amancio, an AI sales tool for LinkedIn.
- When
- The final is due on October 19, 2026.
- Where
- New York, United States.
- Why
- They are competing for a $100,000 cash prize and up to $1 million in investment.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Barrasa and Branger took part in the New York entrepreneurship competition.
Amancio progressed from a field of 30 teams to the Top 3.
The founders say Amancio gained 40 paying customers.
The competition is due to decide its winner.
- Founders
- Iván Barrasa, 23, and Jorge Branger, 27
- Product
- Amancio, an AI sales tool for LinkedIn
- Competition
- Launchpad, New York
- Cash prize
- $100,000
- Potential investment
- Up to $1 million
- Paying customers
- 40 in three days
What people are saying
This is all or nothing, because if we do not win this or create a business, we will have to return to a conventional job.
It is very well regarded that companies—like HP—are born in a garage; but we are Spanish, we have to be born in a bar talking with our friends.
It is hard to believe. The experience is a real roller coaster, very dopamine-inducing.