Hello & happy Monday!

Today's edition features big news like:

• Wallapop valued at €450M, up from €305M

• Google to invest over $650M in Spain over next 5 years

• In-person MWC event in Barcelona this June is still on

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That's it! Let's get right into it! Have a great week!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Social impact startup Baluwo opens a €500K funding round

• Fintech startup Goin receives a €500K investment

Barcelona Startup news

• Wallapop’s valuation soared from €305M in 2019 to €450M last year, according to investor Vostok New Ventures

• Proptech startups Floorfy and Housell collaborate on optimizing virtual Real Estate viewings

• Leading online wills service Testamenta.es absorbs Testamentos.es and integrates it into its management team

• Fintech bnc10 promotes its app to allow joint donations to families vulnerable to COVID

• AI platform Citibeats collaborates with the WHO to analyze data and social media content surrounding the pandemic

• Wallbox Pulsar Plus offers the easiest way yet to charge electric cars at home

Spanish investment news

• Madrid-based dental company Dentix purchased out of administration by US PE house Advent International for an agreed €62M

• Madrid-based SaaS startup Lang.ai lands a €1.66M investment round 

• Madrid-based Online billing startup Billin sold to Italian software company Teamsystem for €1.5M

• Murcia-based MedTech startup Inbentus raises its first €500K funding round through Crowdcube

• Valencia-based electronics manufacturer FERMAX acquires a 20% stake in software startup DEKALABS

VC, investment & crowdfunding news:

•  Andbank Spain promotes the creation of 225 start-ups through €45M Think Bigger fund

• Barcelona-based VC fund Meridia Capital manages Copenhagen-based podcast platform Podimo’s €11.2M funding round

• Wayra participates in Silicon Valley-based video distribution platform YBVR’s €1.24M funding round

• Telefónica’s Wayra and Zone2boost collaborate on promoting open innovation in the startup ecosystem

• Spanish startups saw a 36% rise in investment activity in 2020

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories:

• GoHub accelerator invests in Divirod the Boulder-based startup using AI to predict climate disasters

• EIT Food seeks innovative Southern European agri-food projects to help them grow internationally

• Enagás and Lanzadera are looking for innovative energy startups

• Biscayan accelerator BBK Venture Philanthropy issues €100K in financing to local innovative startups

• Telefónica's Open Future seeks tech ventures for investment in its first call of 2021

• MAPFRE selects 27 innovative projects for the 4th edition of its social innovation awards

• Over 50 Spanish startups apply for Horizonte Factoría’s industrial challenge

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews:

• Yabba: new ecommerce startup that looks to buy Amazon FBA businesses to scale them & leverage synergies among them

• Marc Coloma, CEO of Heura: "Entrepreneurship is not about reinventing the wheel, but in making a better wheel"

• Pere Vallès: CEO of Exoticca, a travel tech startup with €20M+ funding

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona:

• MWC insists on holding in-person June congress in Barcelona despite the pandemic

• Barcelona could convert Nissan plant into battery factory to save jobs

• Catalan firm SEAT adopts eye tracking glasses to make driving more intuitive

Tech news in Spain:

• Google to invest over $650M in Spain in the next 5 years, including the installation of a cybersecurity ‘Centre Of Excellence’ in Malaga

• Acciona to go public with its renewable energy division

• MasMovil acquires Spanish energy startup Lucera

• Spain is the 9th most exposed country in the world to ad fraud according to Optick’s 2020 Ad Fraud Report

• Malaga to trial Spain's first self-driving bus

Politics, Legal & Economics

• Food Wars Episode VII: According to El Confidencial, the Spanish government is faced with internal disagreements on the new labor regulation to manage food delivery drivers; mostly about whether digital platforms should be treated as an employer or a tool

• Self-employed workers affected by the COVID crisis in Catalonia can now access a new €2,000 aid from the Generalitat de Catalunya

• Spain’s economic recovery forecast for this year has been adjusted down to 5,7%; growth of 6,3% predicted for 2022

• 900K workers are now under the furlough scheme ERTE as numbers rise 

Good Reads

• Report: The Food & Drinks sector in Catalonia, a top destination for international companies

• Barcelona, the new Sports Tech hub

• Overview of the Spanish foodtech market

• 10 Spanish startups that are helping to make teleworking easier

• The Future of Business Travel

• How to scale up European tech

Good Videos & Podcasts

• Interview with Ana Maiques, CEO & founder Neuroelectrics

• Interview with Jordi Vendrell & Xavier Redó, COO & CTO at MarsBased

• Interview with Ousman Umar, Founder of Nasco Feeding Minds

Great Events

This week:

• Mon-Thu, 22-25 Feb: Startup Grind Global Conference

• Mon-Fri, 22-26 Feb: Bootcamp exclusivo para SDR’s

• Wed, 24 Feb @ 18:30: Startup Grind BCN VC Night

• Thu, 25 Feb @ 17:00: From Covid to Mars

Upcoming:

• Tue, 2 Mar @ 18:30: Product Growth Mapping

• Wed, 3 Mar @ 18:30: Leaders Meetup: “Reinventarse o Morir(se de pena)”

• Thu-Fri, 4-5 Mar: Lead Today. Shape Tomorrow. 2021

• Mon-Fri, 12-16 Apr: 5th European Blockchain Convention 

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

Jobs

• Bourbon Creative is looking for freelance German, French & English B2B tech content writers; apply per email here

• Cuideo is looking for a CMO & Growth

• Zurich Insurance Company is hiring a Digital Marketing Manager

• Universitat Oberta de Catalunya is recruiting an Executive Manager

• Colvin is looking for a Senior Paid Social Manager

• Amenitiz is hiring a Sales Operations Manager

• Signaturit is recruiting a Head Of Partnerships

• Typeform is looking for a Head of SEO

• Unnax is recruiting a:

• - Product Owner

• - Client Support Engineer

• - Deputy Technology Director