Hello & happy Monday,

This week’s main headlines:

• Catalan biotech Minoryx licenses drug for €258M 💊

• BCN startup Sateliot launch nanosatellite with SpaceX 🛰

• Cisco opens new chip design center in BCN 👩‍💻

Barcelona fintech startups standing out! 🌟

3 of the 10 hottest 🔥 Barcelona startups (as per WIRED) are fintech firms! This is yet another great sign that the Catalan capital is the place to be for European fintech firms. 🎖 Congrats to Payflow, Vitaance & HUBUC for making the list! And of course, there are many, many outstanding fintech firms here beyond that.

🔗 Looking to connect with & learn from the best fintech leaders in town? Join our upcoming BCN FinTech event on DeFi vs FinTech, featuring Philippe Gelis, Victoria Gago & Edu Forte, next week on Wed 23 Nov 2022 at OCW Plaça Catalunya. Sign up for free here.

EBC is back – and early tickets are already available ⛓🙌

One of the most prominent blockchain & crypto events in Europe is back in Barcelona! Yes, we could only be talking about European Blockchain Convention, which takes place this year on 🗓 February 15-17.

🏃‍♀️🎟 Grab an early ticket now and join 3,000+ attendees in the annual 3-day event where you can network with the startups, investors, corporates, and developers shaping the future of Web 3.0.

Better still, use the code BARCINNO25 to unlock a 25% discount on all ticket types here! 🎉

Have a great week ✨

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Biotech firm Minoryx licenses its star drug to German group Neuraxpharm for a package worth up to €258M plus double-digit royalties 

• UK-Barcelona Web3 sports & gaming startup Eterlast score €4.5M seed round

• Shipping & logistics industry SaaS AllRead secure €2.5M pre-series A

• Traveltech experience startup Flappin get €400K & report a 60% monthly growth in its first year

• New aesthetic medicine center Bloome get €300K injection from Colvin, Payflow & other local startups & angels

• AI content creation platform LEXY closes its first round of €150K

• Functional furniture brand Mirplay acquired by Nexxus Iberia VC 

Barcelona startup news

• Sateliot to launch first functional nanosatellite on one of Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, plus 4 more in 2023

• Travel apparel startup Tropicfeel open first physical store after invoicing €22M

• Glovo shuts down Lola Market, the online grocery startup it acquired just a year ago

• Wallapop open ‘secret’ physical pop-up store in Madrid

• Wallbox expands its partnership with Uber across Europe by offering drivers discounted EV chargers

• Touchstream expands relationship with AWS & AWS Elemental

Spanish investment news

• Valencian pre-owned bike marketplace Tuvalum get €3M

• Madrid retail and restaurant prediction platform Orquest raise €1.5M

• Madrid event management software Gopick receive €800K

• Madrid-based Advanced Analytics & AI startup Deko Data aqcuired by Alantra

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Inveready launch new €50M fund for biotech startups

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Grit’s Day has launched, a new monthly gathering space in BCN for founders and C-level partners to work on personal and professional challenges, network & learn from experts in different fields; click here to find out more & apply (currently in ES but they’re looking at launching an EN edition if there's enough interest)

• Second Vojext call for SMEs with an innovative idea in cognitive robotics, or ‘cobots’; apply until Dec 7

• Banco Santander & CISE launch 16th edition of youth entrepreneurship program Explorer, available for pre-incubation projects in 10 countries; apply unti Dec 13

• BFFood launches 5th edition for innovative solutions in the food industry; apply until Dec 20

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews:

• Interview with Eduardo Aznar, Opticks Security: “Ad fraud will cost $120B in 2022 alone”

• Dana: Digital therapy tool for pre & postnatal mental health

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona:

• US tech giant Cisco to open new chip design center in Barcelona

• German digital identity startup NeoKe wins Barcelona's FutureTravel Summit 2022 Pitch Competition; Barcelona social and video content-only travel app beder was among the 10 finalists

• Catalan pharmaceutical company Galenicum invests €10M in new R&D center & offices in Barcelona

Tech & big company news in Spain:

• Iberpay, BBVA, Santander & 26 Spanish banks launch digital euro proof of concept

• SEAT to build Spain’s first electric battery plant

• US firm John Deere opens its first European innovation center in Spain for high-value crops

Politics, legal & economics

• EU Commissions latest GDP forecast for Spain is 4.5% this year, 1.0% in 2023 & 2.0% in 2024; outpacing the EU average of 3.3% (2022), 0.3% (2023) & 1.6% (2024)

• Spain rejects criticism over slow spending of EU recovery funds

• Crypto Assets regulation (MiCA) in Europe has been delayed

Good Reads

• Barcelona has become the Spanish startup capital: these are the most notable

• Future Travel Summit Barcelona: recap and photos

• Going Green: European GreenTech Overview October 2022

• Inside Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s new crypto climate tech startup 

Good Videos & Podcasts

• Web Summit talk: The metaverse and the future of the internet with Naomi Gleit, Head of Product at Meta (YouTube video, EN)

• New York Times: lots of videos of the talks at COP27

• Sançar Sahin (Oliva): proper mental health, brand building and content at early-stage startups, the Typeform journey, and much more (K Fund podcast, EN)

• Enisa CEO José Bayón & Chema Pina of Aptki talk about financing alternatives, the state of entrepreneurship in Spain & more (ES video, EN subs)

Great Events

This week:

• Tue, 15 - Thu, 17 Nov: Smart City Expo World Congress

• Tue, 15 Nov @10:00: Innovation in the legal sector: Alumni UPF webinar

• Wed, 16 Nov @18:30: Startup Grind Networking Event & Drinks

Upcoming:

• Tue, 22 Nov @09:00: Esade Alumni Startup Day

• Tue, 22 Nov @18:30: Web3 Nights by European Blockchain Convention

• Tue, 22 Nov @18:30: Founders Match: Find your Co-Founder with Esade eWorks

• Wed, 23 Nov @ 18:30: BCN FinTech: DeFi vs FinTech - with Philippe Gelis (CEO Kantox), Victoria Gago (Co-CEO European Blockchain Convention) & Claudia Giraldo (CMO Common Sense)

• Thu, 24 Nov @18:45: We Are Grit’s NoBullshit Talk #03 | Mathieu Carenzo

• Wed, Nov 30: 9th Ship2B Impact Forum

• Wed, Nov 30 & Thu, Dec 1: Tech Spirit Barcelona (Tech Barcelona event)

See the full event calendar here & add your event here.

Startup Jobs:

• eDreams is hiring a Head of Fintech Products Strategy

• Antai Ventures need a Co-Founder: Edtech Toys Brand

• Lodgify is looking for a UX Writer

• Bicircular is recruiting a Chief Marketing Officer/CoFounder

• Bourbon Creative is hiring:

• - Freelance Content Writers and/or Project Managers (German, 100% remote)

• - Freelance Content Writers (English, 100% remote)

• Opticks is looking for a Frontend Developer 

• Unnax want a Business Development Executive

• Cognizant Netcentric have various open Marketing & Tech roles