Antonio Baena

Antonio Baena has a diverse work experience spanning several industries and roles. Most recently, they have been a Partner at sbalboa since 2019, where they help startups expand and scale internationally by defining target markets, building roadmaps, and selecting local partners. Prior to that, from 2017 to the present, they worked as an Innovation Advisor at UCI Applied Innovation, where they provided guidance and mentorship to UCI-affiliated ventures and facilitated engagement with the local entrepreneurial community.

In 2012, Baena founded Quesnay, a company that helps large companies with innovation strategies and implementation by identifying and working with innovative startups worldwide. From 2005 to 2016, they were the Founder and CEO of BPO Solutions Group, which provided business process outsourcing services to telecommunications, utility, and financial companies.

Baena also has experience as the COO of Zed Group, a leading mobile content and services company with operations in 60 countries. Antonio served as the Founder and CEO of 118AB, a company that provided directory assistance services for telecom operators and media companies in Spain. Additionally, they held the position of General Manager at HP Enterprise Services in Spain and was responsible for the company's activities and revenue.

Earlier in their career, Baena worked as the General Manager at Multitel Group, an investment fund focused on telecom, media, and technology sectors in Spain. Antonio successfully launched more than 10 companies during their time there, including ONO, Orange, Wanadoo, and Multicanal. Antonio also served as the COO at Cadena COPE and worked as an engineer at FCC Servicios Ciudadanos.

Throughout their career, Baena has demonstrated expertise in business development, entrepreneurship, innovation strategy, and outsourcing.

Antonio Baena's education history includes completing a BS, MS in Electrical Engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid from 1985 to 1991. Antonio then pursued an MBA in Finance at IESE Business School from 1999 to 2000. In 2001, Antonio attended Thunderbird School of Global Management for a brief period, where they focused on Leadership Global Enterprise.