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Passionate about the SF model, Sergio Palau initially believed he was too old (42) to become a searcher. As a result, he co-founded Palboa Capital two years ago, a fund of SFs. After reaching soft commitments of €8M, the fund ultimately did not reach its fundraising target. However, this experience allowed him to build strong relationships across the global SF ecosystem and gain deep exposure to searcher evaluation, LP engagement, and international deal sourcing. These learnings, combined with the fact that he met many searchers in their mid-40s, directly motivated the launch of Intuito Capital, with a sharpened strategy and a singular operating focus: acquiring a Spanish SME. He has attracted investors such as Alza Capital, Forti SF Partners, Barrilero Legal Angels, Iberica Investment Partners, Cabiedes Capital, Ventura Search Capital, the Ruiz family, Henning von Kalm, EPA Investissements, Dellin Investments, Gallium Growth, José Antonio Larraz, and Tobias Mohr.
An MBA graduate from NYU Stern, Sergio is a seasoned operator, entrepreneur, and finance professional with over 20 years of experience across four countries. His multidisciplinary background spans industrial engineering, corporate finance, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, combining strategic acumen with hands-on operational capability. He began his career at Qualtia Alimentos, one of Mexico’s largest food manufacturers, where he took on cross-functional roles in supply chain, procurement, marketing, and strategic planning, leading national system implementations, driving cost efficiencies, and contributing to the development and acquisition of regional companies. He later gained experience at Virgin Mobile USA in customer acquisition and market analysis. After returning to Qualtia, he helped design the company’s five-year strategic plan and supported M&A activity before transitioning into investment banking at Vector Casa de Bolsa, where he executed M&A and project finance transactions across diverse industries, including complex capital raises and investor relations. He then moved to the buy side as CFO of Fraterna, a real estate developer, where he led major land acquisitions, equity raises, and construction financing for large-scale urban projects, followed by a CFO role at Equus Parque Corporativo. Motivated to pursue entrepreneurship, he later moved to Spain, where he gained private equity experience at Skypointer, analyzing investments and presenting opportunities to the investment committee, and started a restaurant from scratch.
Sergio is driven by a deep belief that SMEs are the backbone of the Spanish economy and that they can unlock significant untapped potential when paired with strong, committed, hands-on leadership. He is seeking to acquire a company that fits the traditional SF criteria and will focus on sectors such as light manufacturing, B2B logistics services, healthcare, and education.
