# Julio Cotorruelo

> Julio G. Cotorruelo is the co-founder and CEO of Domestika, the global online learning community for creative professionals. Starting in 2002 as a modest Spanish-language forum for designers in Madrid, Domestika grew under his leadership into a unicorn valued at $1.3 billion, with over 8 million members, 2,000+ courses, and a presence in six languages. A notoriously press-shy entrepreneur, Cotorruelo built one of the world's largest creative education platforms by championing affordable, pay-per-course learning and the belief that creativity is best learned through doing - not just reading.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Domestika
- **Organizations:** Domestika, Webactiva
- **Nationality:** Spanish
- **Education:** Degree (field not specified), Universidad de Deusto
- **Known for:** Co-founded Domestika in 2002 and grew it from a small Spanish creative forum to a global unicorn, Led Domestika to a $1.3 billion valuation in January 2022 after raising $110M in Series D funding, Built one of the world's largest creative education platforms with 8+ million members and 2,000+ courses

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Enrolled at Universidad de Deusto in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
- **1997** — Graduated from Universidad de Deusto
- **2001** — Founded Webactiva, a digital services company targeting Spanish SMEs
- **2002** — Co-founded Domestika with Tomy Pelluz, Gabriel Suchowolski, and David Duprez as an online creative community forum in Madrid
- **2007** — Became a Domestika platform member (account registered March 2007)
- **2008** — Following the financial crisis, pivoted Domestika from community forum toward paid, instructor-led courses
- **2013** — Launched online courses on Domestika, transforming the platform into a curated learning marketplace
- **2014** — Relocated Domestika headquarters to Berkeley, California to fuel global expansion
- **2017** — Domestika reached 1 million registered users
- **2020** — COVID-19 pandemic drove a 200% engagement increase on Domestika
- **2021** — Domestika raised $20M in Series C at $350M valuation; launched Domestika Plus subscription; reached 5+ million members
- **2022** — Domestika raised $110M in Series D led by Zeev Ventures, achieving unicorn status at $1.3B valuation; platform reached 8+ million members
- **2024** — Domestika expanded AI-integrated creative curriculum and continued multilingual expansion

## Achievements

- Co-founded Domestika in 2002 and grew it from a small Spanish creative forum to a global unicorn
- Led Domestika to a $1.3 billion valuation in January 2022 after raising $110M in Series D funding
- Built one of the world's largest creative education platforms with 8+ million members and 2,000+ courses
- Expanded Domestika to six languages with subtitles in eight, serving a global creative community
- Relocated and scaled Domestika from Madrid to Berkeley, California, growing to over 1,400 employees
- Developed a unique pay-per-course model averaging $10-15 per course, contrasting with subscription-only platforms
- Built production studios in Madrid, Mexico City, London, and New York to create high-quality course content
- Achieved 200% engagement growth during the 2020 pandemic, accelerating platform adoption globally

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Domestika expanded its AI-integrated creative curriculum, adding courses covering AI tools for creative professionals
- **2022-01** — Domestika raised $110M in Series D from Zeev Ventures and GSV Ventures, achieving unicorn status at $1.3B valuation
- **2021-10** — Domestika raised $20M in Series C at a $350M valuation and launched Domestika Plus subscription service

## Links

- Website: https://domestika.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/julio-g-cotorruelo-5435a19
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Domestikaen

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/julio-cotorruelo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26