Introducing Pear Europe, led by Pear’s newest Partner Pepe Agell

With $3.8 billion deployed in 2021 as compared to $4.1 billion in the US, Europe is now the second largest region in the world when it comes to early-stage investments. Europe now has 321 unicorns, up from 223 in 2020, and still has $23 trillion of potential value to be unlocked. We’ve frequently heard from European entrepreneurs that nothing like Pear exists on the continent, which is why we’re so excited to bring Pear to the European startup ecosystem and share our know-how, network and 0 to 1 expertise with talented entrepreneurs in the region. 

Leading the way is Pepe Agell, our newest partner spearheading Pear Europe. Pepe is the former co-founder and CEO of Chartboost, backed by Sequoia, which he successfully sold to Zynga after leading the team for ten years. “In 10 years, you go through many different lives in the startup world.” Pepe says. “I’ve gone through hypergrowth, plateau, decline, going back up again.” Nowadays as an investor, Pepe is full of advice from his years of operating experience. “I feel really excited about not only how high quality the team is, but also just the fact that I get to help other founders succeed and share my experiences.”

Pepe just moved back to his hometown of Barcelona, where he studied mechanical engineering at the Polytechnical University of Catalonia. He completed his Masters in Management, Technology, and Economics at ETH in Zurich, which is when he first fell in love with entrepreneurship and Silicon Valley. “Once we graduated, with no savings, no visa, no job or anything, we decided to come here just to learn,” remembers Pepe. He started his career working in business development for enterprise software, becoming the Head of Business Development at 3scale and eventually went on to co-found Chartboost. 

When we met Pepe, we knew he had the Pear DNA and invited him to join us as a Pear Visiting Partner. It didn’t take long to hear from our founders that Pepe provides thorough, knowledgeable, and enduring support as a trusted and committed advisor. He is the consummate ambassador and vanguard for Pear as we take small but focused steps to support the most promising European companies from day zero. 

“I’ve experienced first hand that this is a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” says Pepe. “When we’re looking at a team, we want to make sure that not only are they smart, they have a unique angle. They know ‘why now’ and they have the ingredients to endure.” 

“Pear is bringing its knowhow, network and platform to Europe and partnering with entrepreneurs at the earliest stages.” said Pejman Nozad, co-founder of Pear VC.

Building a category-defining business in Europe? Connect with Pepe on Twitter @joseluisagell or say hi to him in Barcelona!