Some people learn very early on to do what they are told is best. Others, like José Almansa, don't. By the time he graduated from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid with a law degree and from Instituto de Empresa (IE) with an MBA, he had been taught that competition drives our world. In disagreement with that view, he brought together a seven-people team to figure out ways to foster collaboration instead of competition. In 2006, Almansa launched the HUB Madrid, which—along with four other European HUBS— was a pioneer of what would later be the international Impact HUB. Tired of listening to the common catchphrase, "you can't do it," he continued innovating and launched an online auction system.In 2008, Almansa cofounded an app-based gaming firm, which was downloaded by millions of users. Banco Santander acquired the start-up. His goal was to create business models that generated both economic and social benefits. For that reason, in 2015, he launched two new software systems. One was designed to legitimize an individual's social resume based on the person's contribution to the ODS, while the other was focused on non-financial reports for companies. Almansa is also LOOM's cofounder, a new platform dedicated to shared office spaces, based on the innovation model K*órdica. Merlin Properties acquired K*órdica.Jose Almansa is also the author of "El Fin de la innovación. La Era del innovador", a book in which he asserts, "innovation does not exist. People who innovate, though, do. Innovation results from the innovator's creative process when trying to find a solution for an unresolved need that previous responses could not solve. That's why we need to reconnect with our sensible, creative and innovative side, use new creative processes, live the K*Order to find unexpected responses, build societies that progress from the bottom up, and rethink everything."Almansa has been a public speaker since he turned 23 years old, a volunteer with the homeless, a professor at Instituto de Empresa, a columnist in national newspapers, a promoter of NGOs looking to improve social well-being, and a participant in multiple cooperation projects in different African countries for over 15 years.His motto—Memento Mori.