VALENTIN GARAL.Valentin Garcia Alcocer

Innovation strategist / Professor / Speaker / Agrifood expert

The future
is built,
not predicted.

Turning innovation into business for companies, institutions and founders. 15+ years of innovation, from industrial design to innovation hubs on three continents. 7+ years focused on agrifoodtech.

Work with me
15+

Years of innovation

10+

Years teaching

300+

Startups mentored

40+

Training programs & courses

6

Innovation hubs launched worldwide

Valentin Garcia

From design
to strategy.

My career started in industrial design, moved into innovation consulting and grew into building food innovation ecosystems. Today the focus is the intersection of strategy, agrifoodtech and agile execution.

Professor & Mentor

Adjunct Professor, IE Business School & IE School of Science and Technology

10+ years teaching design and innovation methodologies and Agile Scrum project management, from bachelor to master programs. Capstone tutor in corporate programs and speaker across IE initiatives. Also lecturer at UNIR, Universidad Europea and IED.

IE University UNIR Universidad Europea IED Istituto Europeo di Design
01

Innovation strategy

Strategic innovation: opportunity mapping, sizing, prioritization, PoCs, pilots and scaling up of new categories and products. Special focus on food and beverage corporations.

02

Innovation ecosystems

Ideation, launch and daily management of 6 food innovation hubs worldwide, connecting corporations, governments, research centres and startups.

03

Open Innovation & Venturing

Open innovation programs, corporate venture capital (CVC) design and family office advisory, plus acceleration, validation and fundraising readiness for startups.

04

Agile & design methods

Design thinking, Scrum, lean startup, SAFe and creative thinking programs and workshops for leadership teams. Certified ScrumMaster® 001777553.

05

Global speaker

Keynotes, panels and masterclasses across Europe, Latin America, the US and the Middle East. Moderator and conductor who turns complex topics into clear, actionable and engaging experiences for any audience.

06

Design roots

An award winning industrial design studio, before strategy took over. See the archive

Agrifoodtech

Let's build
the future
of food.

Translating opportunities into tangible growth: identifying strategic, technological and financial growth engines, and activating them through internal and open innovation (accelerators, R&D programs and hubs) that deliver measurable value on the P&L.

8.5B

People to feed by 2030

Food is facing its biggest challenges in decades. Every one of them is a business opportunity.

Population growth/Scarce resources/Tight margins/Geopolitical tensions/Inflation/IP concentration/Regulation/New consumer demands/New production technologies

The winners will be those who understand the market, the technology and the whole value chain, from farm to shelf.

Highlighted projects.

Madrid Food Innovation Hub Spain Design and launch of a public food innovation hub: 15+ incubation and 4 acceleration programs, 4,900 students trained and 100+ PoCs in its kitchen-lab.
Intrapreneurship & Innovation Program, Porkcolombia Colombia Design of an intrapreneurship and innovation toolkit for 50+ pork farmers, giving producers practical methods to innovate in their own businesses.
Agrifoodtech CVC, Loacker Italy Design of a corporate venture capital (CVC) model to connect the company with startups and open new growth avenues.
F&B Program, Tourism Development Fund Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Food and beverage innovation program designed for Saudi Arabia's Tourism Development Fund to accelerate the growth of the national F&B sector.
Food & Water Challenge, Sabah Al-Ahmad Center Kuwait Open innovation challenge for Kuwait's Sabah Al-Ahmad Center to source and pilot new solutions for food and water security.

Worked with.

Ideas
in print.

All articles
LinkedIn / Jan 2026 / ES Esto no es un perrito, es una estrategiaHow Grupo Dia turned retail innovation and marketing into a string of smart moves. Read article LinkedIn / Dec 2024 The next frontier in upcycled foodsWhy upcycling is moving from niche to necessity as margins shrink. Read article LinkedIn / Sep 2024 Collaboration and hybrid products will reshape dairy's futureHybrid products, new technologies and partnerships redefining the dairy category. Read article

Seen & heard.

The New York Times✕AD✕Elle China✕Telemadrid✕RTVE✕Kuwait TV✕El Mundo✕ABC✕Alrai TV✕esRadio✕Revista Alimentaria✕designboom✕The New York Times✕AD✕Elle China✕Telemadrid✕RTVE✕Kuwait TV✕El Mundo✕ABC✕Alrai TV✕esRadio✕Revista Alimentaria✕designboom✕
Food 4 Future·Food Innovate Summit Amsterdam·The Future of Protein Production & Cultured Meat Symposium Chicago·Agrifood Innovation Days·Madrid Fusión·EURO-MENA Show FNF· Food 4 Future·Food Innovate Summit Amsterdam·The Future of Protein Production & Cultured Meat Symposium Chicago·Agrifood Innovation Days·Madrid Fusión·EURO-MENA Show FNF·
Valentin Garal, innovation keynote speaker, on stage Valentin Garal, innovation keynote speaker, on stage Valentin Garal, innovation keynote speaker, on stage Valentin Garal, innovation keynote speaker, on stage Valentin Garal speaking on a panel at the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
MasterChef

And yes, you may remember me from the 7th edition of MasterChef Spain. A great experience: I finished 3rd runner up, and it was my entrance into food, with a scholarship at the Basque Culinary Center.

Let's build
what's next.

Contact info@valentingaral.es LinkedIn
“Technology is never merely technology. It reveals man and his aspirations towards development.”
Benedict XVI / Caritas in Veritate, 2009
© 2026 Valentin Garal