Silicon Valley, United States – October 15, 2026 – When he left banking, he did so thinking about moments like this. Making his first investment means seeing a dream begin to become a reality. He dedicates this achievement to his parents, his family, his partner, and his daughter Kiara.
It is the first step in a clear strategy: identifying the best technical founders before the market does and helping them build global companies.
Kiara Ventures is no longer just investing in the future: It now has it in its portfolio
The Spanish fund founded by Pedro Ramón López and David Cayuela Penalva closes its first investment in a Silicon Valley technology startup. It marks the beginning of a story that started in a bank office and now looks toward the world.
Some moments cannot be measured in figures. They are recognized by what they mean. For Kiara Ventures, that moment has arrived. The venture capital fund specializing in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups has signed its first investment in a company born in Silicon Valley. The deal turns into reality a promise that began taking shape years ago, far from California, amid financial statements, banking operations, and hundreds of entrepreneurs who walked into the office of a bank director looking for something more.
That director was Pedro Ramón López. A few months ago, he explained why he had left a successful career in banking to support those building tomorrow. He summed it up in a phrase that has become his motto: the future does not wait; the future is built. Today, that phrase has founders, a project, and a first page written.
The first check is never just a check
In the world of venture capital, a fund’s first investment has something of an initiation ritual. It is when the investment thesis moves from paper to reality, when the vision meets the real world, and when the investors who believed in the project see that commitment being fulfilled. For Kiara Ventures, it also carries a personal meaning.
“When I left banking, I did so thinking about moments like this. For years, I watched extraordinary entrepreneurs come through my office and always felt that I could do more for them. Signing our first investment means seeing a dream begin to become a reality,” explains Pedro Ramón López, General Partner and co-founder of Kiara Ventures. “This is for my parents, my family, my partner, and my daughter Kiara, who gave this project its name. She and all the children of Spain are the ones who will build the companies of tomorrow.”
The company selected is led by a team of technical founders who match the profile the fund has been looking for among innovation communities in Silicon Valley, Stanford, and Berkeley: ambitious vision, execution capabilities, curiosity, and the resilience needed to keep moving forward when things do not go according to plan.
“We invest in people before metrics,” López emphasizes. “At the early stages, there are no financial statements to analyze. There are looks, conversations, and an intuition built over many years of seeing which teams go far and which ones fall by the wayside. We saw something special in this team from the very first meeting.”
A bridge between Europe and Silicon Valley
Kiara Ventures was created with a clear mission: to build a bridge between Europe and the world’s most influential technology ecosystem. This first transaction is the first stretch of that bridge.
The fund provides its companies with more than capital. It gives them access to a network of European investors and entrepreneurs, opens doors to new markets, and offers the support of a team that knows both sides of the Atlantic from the inside. It also understands both sides of the table, having experience as a banker, entrepreneur, and investor.
“Silicon Valley has something that cannot be found anywhere else: the ambition to build global companies from day one. Europe has talent, engineers, and researchers capable of competing at the highest level. Our role is to bring these two worlds together,” says David Cayuela Penalva, co-founder of the fund, who has developed much of his career alongside technical founders in the Californian ecosystem. “This is the first of many companies with which we want to write that story.”
An invitation to be part of the future
With this first investment, Kiara Ventures is beginning to build a portfolio focused on artificial intelligence, software, energy, and automation—the sectors redefining the global economy. It is doing so with a proposition aimed at two audiences.
For European investors looking to participate in the next generation of technology companies, Kiara Ventures offers a gateway to opportunities that are normally accessible only to those who live within the Silicon Valley ecosystem. The fund invests at the earliest stages, when potential is greatest and access can make a difference.
For founders who are just getting started—in California, Spain, or anywhere in Europe—the fund aims to be the first partner to believe in them when there are still no figures to justify that belief. They are looking for a travel companion who can contribute experience, networks, and long-term commitment.
“I would like us to be remembered years from now for having supported great entrepreneurs when they were barely getting started,” concludes Pedro Ramón López. “Today, we have taken the first step. The best is yet to come.”
About Kiara Ventures
Kiara Ventures is a Spanish venture capital fund specializing in pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups, with a focus on the Silicon Valley, Stanford, Berkeley, and other leading international innovation communities. Founded by Pedro Ramón López and David Cayuela Penalva, the fund connects European investors with the next generation of technical founders and helps build companies with global ambitions from day one.
Press contact: [email protected]
Media ContactCompany Name: Pedro Ramon Lopez GarciaContact Person: Press OfficeEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://kiaravc.com/
