Luis Reyes, a 39-year-old Mexican-American investor, has declared Barcelona the best city his family has ever lived in. After residencies in Mexico, São Paulo, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, Boston and Madrid, Reyes and his family chose the Catalan capital for its combination of professional opportunities and quality of life.
Reyes is the founder of Iberian Ventures, a €60 million private equity fund specialising in buy-and-build strategies for Spanish SMEs. His career has taken him from Silicon Valley, where he worked with Google and Riot Games, to consulting roles at McKinsey and Bain. Now settled in Barcelona, he highlights the city’s technical talent pool, strong industrial base outside the centre, and modern infrastructure.
For his family, the city’s access to the sea, international schools and rich cultural offer were decisive factors. ‘Barcelona brings together talent, infrastructure, quality of life and a strategic position in Europe,’ he said.
Still, Reyes believes there is room for improvement. He criticised the regulatory and fiscal environment, citing a lack of agility in administration, insufficient tax incentives for reinvestment and uncertainty that discourages long-term investment. He called for policies that balance wealth distribution with job creation rather than penalising those who drive growth.
Despite missing the energy and speed of New York, he sees Barcelona as a place with the potential to regain momentum if it embraces ambition and supports entrepreneurship. ‘It is where we have lived best as a family,’ he admitted, underscoring both the city’s lifestyle advantages and its economic promise.
👉 Join our WhatsApp broadcast channel to get all of the latest news delivered to you
