Juan Roig: Spanish supermarket tycoon that set his eyes on fashion start-ups

He was born to do business. Juan Roig started from a very young age to work in food distribution. However, the entrepreneur has also bet on other projects through Lanzadera, the start-up accelerator that he launched in 2013 and has backed so far 200 companies.

From disruption within traditional businesses to searching for innovation far beyond the food industry. Juan Roig, chairman of Spanish supermarket giant Mercadona, has developed a flair for detecting potential in young businesses. In 2013, the tycoon launched Lanzadera, a start-up accelerator that has backed with twenty million euros nearly 200 companies in the last five years.

Juan Roig was born in October 1949 in Valencia, in the bosom of a large family. His father ran the company Cárnicas Roig, located in the Valencian town of Pobla de Farnals, where Roig soon became familiar with the ins and outs of food distribution. In 1977, the parents of the investor and businessman decided to transform their butcher shops into grocery stores, giving birth to Mercadona.