Serial entrepreneur who founded Grand Voyage in 2013 with €20k, bootstrapped to €21M revenue and profitable since inception (except 2020 COVID); took the company public on BME Scaleup in 2025 retaining 57% ownership; previously founded Oferum (daily deals) and experienced a painful co-founder breakup that led to Suma Capital investment in 2018.
no scored calls yet — needs a stated position or a categorical verdict, with a matured window vs SPY
Arvin Abarca took Grand Voyage public on BME Scaleup instead of selling to another PE fund or strategic buyer to avoid a new shareholder pact with a fixed exit horizon; the IPO lets him keep 57% ownership, raise modest capital at a fair valuation without liquidation preferences, and access public financing for bolt-on M&A while maintaining operational freedom.
Arvin contrasts EA and Activision — which became dominant by buying studios rather than being acquired — with the European tendency to build for exit; he adopted the 'be the buyer' mindset, using the IPO as a platform to consolidate rather than sell.
Arvin argues Inditex is a 'great tech company' not because of code but because of supply-chain mastery and operational scale; he uses it to counter the Silicon Valley bias that only asset-light software deserves high multiples, showing capital-intensive models can compound efficiently.