Ibai Llanos and Gerard Piqué lead 3.75 million euro investment in snack startup Plesh

Investment and co-founder roles

Content creator Ibai Llanos and former FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué have led a 3.75 million euro funding round for Plesh, a Barcelona-based foodtech startup specializing in healthy chocolate snacks. Both figures join the business as partners and co-founders to guide brand development, expand distribution across Spain, and prepare for international entry. The capital injection represents the second financing round for the company, following an initial 1 million euro raise closed in 2024.

Piqué noted the market potential during the announcement of the agreement.

Plesh has a great product, a huge category ahead, and a team with a lot of ambition.

Llanos also stated that his commitment extends beyond a standard promotional arrangement, explaining that his objective was to participate from the beginning and help construct products rather than simply lending his image.

Product formulation and commercial footprint

Plesh produces a confectionery line formulated without added sugars and without polyols, relying instead on vegetable fibres and stevia to achieve standard taste and texture. The initial launch line-up comprises four items, including crunchy chocolate balls and chocolate-coated almonds enriched with dietary fibre and protein. The company positions the snacks as a healthier alternative to conventional chocolate products.

The brand maintains retail distribution in more than 3,000 points of sale across Spain. Products are stocked by supermarket groups such as Carrefour, Alcampo, Bonpreu, Ametller Origen, and Cal Fruitós, alongside transport hub outlets managed by Areas in airports and railway stations. Plesh also plans to expand into selected El Corte Inglés department stores.

Creator economy strategy and promotion

Chief executive Jaume Betrian stated that Plesh intends to bypass conventional television marketing by incorporating prominent digital creators directly into corporate equity, citing models such as Rhode or SKIMS. Betrian pointed to Llanos's public shift toward a healthier lifestyle as a natural alignment with the startup's nutritional focus.

We compete in a category dominated by brands that have spent decades, if not centuries, in the market and built brand awareness with massive television spending, and for a small brand, that is the big challenge.

Promotion for the product began with a video featuring Llanos and Piqué in a laboratory setting. To drive audience engagement, Llanos proposed a social media challenge pledging that both would stage a boxing match at his Velada del Año event if the announcement post reached 300,000 likes.

Corporate structure and financial background

Plesh was established in 2024 by Jaume Betrian, Juan Umbert, and Adrià Colominas, with the latter two also operating the firm Makeat. The startup runs design and marketing operations from its Barcelona headquarters with a team of eight employees, while product manufacturing is contracted to third-party factories in Catalonia.

According to filings in the Spanish Mercantile Register, Plesh generated 147,000 euros in revenue and recorded a loss of 601,000 euros in 2025. The company's existing capitalization table includes basketball athletes Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernández, the Boix family of Noel Alimentación, the founders of Incapto, Matcha & Go, and Grupo Confitería, alongside venture funds Mission and Banc Sabadell's BStartup.