Hello and happy Monday!

IQS Tech Fest: Join The New Industrial Revolution

Get ready to join the new Industrial Revolution at IQS Tech Fest, Europe’s First Festival of Industrial Startups, on Thursday, January 23 in the Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm.

The alliance between innovation, science and technology can transform the world. This is why IQS Tech Factory, the first industrial accelerator in Spain, will celebrate how technology has shaped our lives and imagine what will come next, emphasizing how technology is a way to address the challenges of our society.

At IQS Tech Fest, the most innovative entrepreneurs and innovation experts of our era will gather in Barcelona, making our city the cradle of industrial entrepreneurship once again. The event will feature startups that can change our future, keynotes, round tables, an investment forum, and the IQS Next Tech Demo Day where The Most Promising Industrial Startup of the Year will be selected. Secure your ticket now at a 30% discount with our exclusive code: BARCINNO30IQSTF2020

Analysis of the Barcelona & Catalan Startup Hub 2019

ACCIO published an analysis of our local startup hub here in Barcelona. Main takeaways:

• Barcelona is the main startup hub of Southern Europe

• 1,500 startups (approx 10% scaleups)

• €2.8B capital raised since 2015

• 3 unicorns in 15 years (eDreams, Letgo, Glovo)

• 5th most preferred hub for international digital talent digital

• 22% of founders are women

Get the full report (in Catalan) here.

Ok, that's it from me. Have a great week and see you out there!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• The Catalan Government identifies 1,500 startups in Catalonia, 38% more than three years ago

Spanish investment news

• Galician startup Docuten closes a €1.5M investment round

• Sevilla-based startup Le Room Service lands €620K

• Valencian startup SolverML gets a €600K investment

• Madrid-based Cink Coworking receives a €300K+ investment

• Venture capital investment in Spain totaled €737M and was spread across 517 operations in 2019

Startups news

• Barcelona travel startup Exoticca doubled revenues to reach €48M in 2019 after entering new markets in Canada & Australia

• Catalan ecommerce Freshly Cosmetics records €12.6M in revenues in 2019, plans to reach €25M and open brick and mortar store in Madrid in 2020

• Barcelona startup InflightVR featured in top 12 technology trends for airlines and airports for 2020

• Barcelona-based startup NovaMeat plans to bring its 3D-printed vegan meat to the restaurant sector this year

• Catalan startup The EyeHarp wins Barcelona Activa's Premi d’Emprenedoria Social for its gaze-controlled digital musical instrument that allows people with physical disabilities to learn to play music

VC, investment & crowdfunding news:

• Spanish VC Portobello Capital to launch €150M fund aimed at Spanish firms from the mid-market segment

• Barcelona-based Meridia Capital prepares the launch of a second, €150M VC fund that will be aimed at Spanish firms with high growth potential

• Barcelona-based VC Inveready launches GAEA Inversión, its first fund aimed t medium-sized companies

• Barcelona & London-based SI Capital Private Equity creates Seastainable Equity Fund to help save our oceans 

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories:

• Looking to become an entrepreneur but lack the idea & team? Then apply to Demium's #AllStartup weekend before Jan 28th

• INDESCAT opens call for Business and Sport Awards; startups can apply until the 4th of February

• Desafía San Francisco opens call for its Silicon Valley immersion program; startups can apply until the 9th of February

• Orange and EOI open call for new edition of their Lánzete program; you can apply until the 16th of February

• Conector Startup Accelerator opens call for Barcelona program

• Spanish accelerator Lanzadera kicks-off 2020 with 21 startups from the food, health, logistic and finance sector

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews:

• Evoca: combining music therapy & virtual reality for improving the well-being of Alzheimer's patients

• Pangea Aerospace: who's behind the Aerospace company from Barcelona?

• World Tech Makers: learning solutions for the present and the future

Tech News

• European Blockchain Convention places Barcelona at the center of the blockchain universe

• €40M construction planned for 22@ in Barcelona

• What to expect from the MWC 2020 in Barcelona next month

Mobility in Barcelona

• Barcelona public cycling scheme Bicing to expand to 11 neighborhoods, double the number of electric bikes and roll out 97 new stations

• Testing times for second wave scooter startups in Barcelona (by TechCrunch)

• FGC begins €4.1M construction work in Placa Catalonia to prepare the station for a higher frequency of train transport

Tech news in Spain:

• Spanish telco AHIMAS acquires Vinfortel, Vinfortalia and Rebeloak

• Spanish Supercomputing Network closes 2019 with record computing allocation

• Barcelona bank Banco Sabadell hires IBM for €1B IT upgrade

Politics & Economics

• The volume of investments in Spain reaches €8.5B - a new record

• Spain’s Foreign Ministry approves reopening of Catalan ‘embassies’

• Spain’s PM seeks to bolster economic credentials with cabinet picks (Financial Times)

• Spain's Government Under Fire for Blurring Lines Between Executive and Judiciary (New York Times)

Good Reads

• The State of Blockchain in Catalonia

• Will 2020 be the year that Spanish venture capital lifts off?

• 5 Spanish startups that have disrupted the industry in 2019

• Spain’s coal mining industry was once a thriving way of life. Now only dust remains (The Independent)

Good Videos & Podcasts

• Interview with Daniel Dümig, New Business & Innovation Manager EMEA at ASICS Corporation (by Money Makers)

• Interview with Ocatvi Uyà, CEO & Cofounder of Nauta (by Itnig)

• Interview with José Pérez Agüera (CPO) & Fernando Díaz (CTO) of Mercadona Tech (by K Fund)

• Interview with Sara Orra, COO of Trioteca (by Lunes Inspiradores)

Great Events

This Week

• *Mon, 20: European Blockchain Convention*

• *Tue, 21 Jan: RACE by EBC*

• Tue, 21 Jan @18:30: Digital Sapiens- Hyperloop & Blockchain

• Wed, 22 Jan @19:00: Cross Connections – Machine Learning

• Wed, 22 Jan @19:00: Startup Founders Workshop – Create Your Perfect Pitch

• *Thu, 23 Jan @18:30: Startup Grind Barcelona with Iñaki Arrola (Managing Partner @ K Fund)*

Next Week

• Tue, 28 Jan @15:30: XII S2B Demo Day

• Tue, 28 Jan @18:00: Innovation in Digital Medicine

• Tue, 28 Jan @18:30: Rebuild your SEO in 1 Hour Workshop

• Wed, 29 Jan @14:00: Money Makers - Pitch your startup to investors

• Wed, 29 Jan @19:00: START(it)UP - How to find an investor?

2020 Q1 Key Events:

• Mon-Thu, 24-27 Feb: Mobile World Congress

• Mon-Wed, 24-26 Feb: 4YFN

See the full event calendar here.

See the full MWC2020 Parties & Events Guide here.

Startup Jobs In Barcelona

• Unnax is looking for a VP Sales - B2B SaaS

• Agile Content is hiring a Senior Java Software Engineer

See the full job board here.