Ricardo Gomez-Acebo, Ana Botín’s nephew, is “very proud” of his new adventure with Pablo Casado.

A few hours ago, news broke about the Hyperion Fund, a venture capital fund that is seeking almost €150 million for investments in the cybersecurity, defense, technology and artificial intelligence sectors. With the help of several partners, among which two company names and Spanish policies stand out: Pablo Casadoformer President of the People’s Party and Ricardo Gomez-Acebo Botinson Paloma Booty O’Shea And Ricardo Gomez-Acebo and Calparsoro. Gomez-Acebo was “very proud of the project we just launched” in a LinkedIn post (a platform his partner hasn’t updated since he left the IR leadership). “With a great desire to contribute to the Spanish technological and industrial structure.”

Partner Casado was born in New York in 1990, where his mother devoted herself to the world of art, although the first stages of his studies took place in Madrid, and then he went to university in Massachusetts, the same state in which his mother completed two years of study. decades ago. Gómez-Acebo chose the financial sector and although he started out at his grandfather’s Banco Santander (today run by his aunt Ana Botín), he soon established himself on his own. After three years at Morgan Stanley, he led two private equity funds over the past decade.

Activities he temporarily suspended when he discovered the world cybersport, a professional video game competition that has been a trend in the digital world for some time. Gomez-Acebo became the executive director of MAD Lions, the team League of Legends which counted among its partners two youtubers the most famous in our country, Guillermo Diaz, willirex And Samuel de Luque, Vegeta 777. When the team was acquired by the Canadian multinational OverActive Media in 2019, Gomez-Acebo joined its structure, where he became business director of the European Union. However, in April 2023, a few months before his second wedding to architect Monica Remartinez, Gomez-Acebo began a new and still unknown business adventure.

This was the same season when the former President of the Popular Party, Pablo Casado, periodically appeared in secrets in Madrid due to his active activity in finding partners and capital for a future investment project, which forced him to move around Europe and the United States. States are exploring the agenda acquired over years of work in politics. At that time, there was already talk that Casado wanted to start something related to the defense industry. This something was finally revealed as the Hyperion fund, already presented to the National Securities Market Commission. Hyperion aims to raise €150 million for investment in cybersecurity, aviation and other defense and technology sectors in Europe, with a particular focus on Spanish SMEs. Although they stated from the very beginning that they would not invest in lethal weapons or ammunition.

Among the fund’s participants are international advisers, ranging from the former NATO Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen(led the coalition from 2009 to 2014), former French Minister of Defense, Michel Alliot-Marieor investors naming their venture in Spanish, e.g. Martin Varsavsky. Casado and Gómez-Acebo are accompanied by names also known in the world of Spanish defense as main partners: Jose Antonio Bartrina, who became president of the industry business association; or Joaquin OrtizAdvisor to the Ministry of Defense during the People’s National Pedro Moreneswhen Casado was a member of Congress and Deputy Secretary for Public Affairs of the PP.