Hello and happy Easter 🌷

Today's main headlines:

• Madrid ruled out & MWC to stay in Barcelona until 2024 📲

• Wallbox to invest €10M in its first US EV charger factory 🏢

• Heura exceeds €1M crowdfunding goal by +4x 💸

Hopefully, the long weekend has given you all not only some overdue sunshine but a chance to recharge your batteries ready to take on the second quarter.

And with spring in the air and a bit more time on our hands, the break is also a great time to get out the diary, open up the iCal, and plan the year ahead. So–especially with everything finally starting back up again–let’s talk events.

Whether it’s crypto conferences, networking nights, or the world-famous MWC, Barcelona’s myriad events keep us united, help us share knowledge and opportunities, and add tons of value to our city and ecosystem. They also undoubtedly help to put, and keep, Barcelona on the map as the inspiring, buzzing European tech and startup hub that it is.

With all that said, here are some of BCN’s biggest events–the latter few of which you may want to jot down and get your tickets for ASAP:

• Mobile World Congress (MWC) + 4YFN (usually around Feb/Mar)

• EU-Startups Summit (May 12-13 this year)

• European Blockchain Convention (June 26-28 this year)

• Smart City Expo (Nov 16-18 this year)

Not forgetting the frequent, smaller-scale community events too, such as:

• Startup Grind Barcelona & Mataró talks & networking (monthly)

• Afterworks at Tech Barcelona (monthly)

• The Valley masterclasses & talks (several monthly)

• BCN FinTech Afterwork (new; next one on 25 May)

As always, we welcome you to add your event here and check out the calendar here.

Have a great week! 🌻

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Heura Foods exceed €1M crowdfunding target by more than 4x

Barcelona startup news

• E-signature firm Signaturit increases revenue by 29% to €18M after Ivnosys merger

• Seqera Labs recorded 800% YoY growth in 2021 & a client base including 8 of the world’s top pharmas

• BCN wealthtech abroaden makes TNW list of fintechs fixing our broken financial system

• Wallbox to invest €10M in its first US electric charger factory

• Proptech Finteca managed 5K mortgages at €750M in 2021; up 150%

• Tech accelerator Parlem Ventures selects its 3 winning Catalan startups with digital identity, AI & securtech projects 

• Renfe to open mobility startup accelerator Trenlab in Mataró this September

Spanish investment news

• Madrid-based fintech firm Ritmo secure €184M

• UK-Spanish fintech superapp for frontline workers Wagestream receives €161M

• San Sebastian/Madrid-based simulation software creator Voovio raises €2.6M

• Mallorcan API-fied digital twin creators Hotelverse get €1M

• B2B wealthtech platform Allfunds acquires Web Financial Group

• Leading Spanish CX provider Konecta merges with Italian company Comdata 

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Andbank open €60M fintech-focused fund for Europe, LATAM & US startups

• Navis Capital launch €36M fund to invest in medtech & biotech fims

• Madrid-based shopping coupon app Qoala launch €500K crowdfunding campaign

• New BCN-based Grow VP is authorized & ready to invest in deeptech startups from universities & research centers

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Andbank open €60M fintech-focused fund for Europe, LATAM & US startups

• Navis Capital launch €36M fund to invest in medtech & biotech fims

• Madrid-based shopping coupon app Qoala launch €500K crowdfunding campaign

• New BCN-based Grow VP is authorized & ready to invest in deeptech startups from universities & research centers

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews:

• Interview with Adriana Torelló Perelló, event & program manager at Venturelab

• Blue Containers Project: using maritime containers as sustainable housing & equipment

• Readmefy: Spain’s first dedicated digital book startup

• SolarMente: startup that wants to unite solar energy and blockchain technology

• Wavveup: offering a free scalability assessment for your startup

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona:

• Gov agree to keep Mobile World Congress in Barcelona until 2024 as Madrid ruled out

• Japanese firm AGC Pharma Chemicals to invest €90M & create 100 new jobs in BCN

• US-based hospitality SaaS Cloudbeds arrives in BCN and looks to hire 1.000 talents in the region

• Vueling to expand its innovation workforce by 20% with 100 hires in BCN & elsewhere

• The agri-food industry is thriving in Catalonia; it’s Spain’s leading export region

• La Boqueria chosen as site to trial 5G for AR-powered remote personal shopping

• Catalan Tourism Agency leads new project TOURBIT promoting the digitization and innovation of tourism SMEs

• Desigual earned €3M in 2021 with revenues of €371M – 1/3 from online sales

• UK hospitality group Ennismore debut in Europe with new luxury SLS hotel for 22@

Tech & big company news in Spain:

• LaLiga match broadcast live via TikTok for first time in Spain

• Capital Energy form alliance with Google's cloud-computing service to speed up digitalization

• Iberdrola suffered a data-hacking cyber attack but sensitive details were spared

• Lilium, the German developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing jet, begins flight testing in Spain

• PcComponentes launches new platform coined the ‘Murcian Amazon’  

Politics, Legal & Economics

• A surge in investment & new projects make wind power Spain's main source of electricity generation

• New sustainability rules for retail/hospitality business owners include free water & reusable or packaging-free products

• How to complete La Renta in Spain

Good Reads

• 4 reasons why Catalonia is the next hub for alternative protein in Europe

• 10 European legaltech startups shaking up the industry (incl. BCN’s RedPoints)

• 11 startups reindustrializing Spain to help end the supply crisis (incl. BCN’s Kumux)

• The case for sustainability in quick commerce: an interview with Gorillas Spain CEO

• List of European tech visas for working and launching a startup

• ​​Cabify developer Alejandro Frias: Our frontend stack

• 7 types of NFTs: a guide by the European Blockchain Convention  

Good Videos & Podcasts

• The Fintech Files: abroaden's Elliott Locke on removing the headache of investing while living abroad (EN)

• Interview with Huw Slater, COO of TravelPerk (EN)

• The secret power of onboarding with Canva’s Melanie Perkins (EN)

• Video interview with Javier Sanchez, angel & co-founder of Unibo, for Impulsa Ventures (ES)

• Interview with Quino Fernández, CEO of AticcoLab (ES)

• Foc a Terra discuss video call etiquette in the digital modern world (CT)

Great Events

This week:

• Tue, 19 Apr @18:30: Online Event: Take your first steps in coding with Ruby

• Tue, 19 Apr @19:00: Open Coffee Startup Networking. Open conversations about startup life & fun

• Wed, 20 Apr @19:00: Free Masterclass | Learn to design apps with Figma

• Thu, 21 Apr @18:30: Virtual & Augmented Reality: Xartec Salut Talks - Beer & Open Talks Afterwork

• Mon, 25 Apr @18:30: Startup Grind BCN ft. Fuckup Nights BCN

Upcoming:

• Wed, 27 Apr & Thu, 28 Apr: EdTech Congress Barcelona

• Wed, 27 Apr @19:00: Masterclass | Let’s Pitch to WIN: how to succeed with a pitch

• Thu, 28 Apr @19:00: Masterclass | Marketing Automation: automate your Customer Journey

• Tue, 10 May - Thu, 12 May: Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress 

• Tue, 10 May @09:00: IoT Solutions World Congress Startup Competition 2022 

• 12-13 May: EU-Startups Summit

• 26-28 Jun: European Blockchain Convention in Barcelona

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

Jobs

• Bourbon Creative is hiring a Freelance German Content Writer (100% remote)

• Honest Greens is looking for a Data Engineer

• Opticks is recruiting a:

• - Sales Development Representative - French Market

• - Sales Development Representative - Spanish Market

• Typeform is hiring a:

• - Senior IT Procurement Specialist

• - Motion Designer

• Wallapop is recruiting a Research Ops

• Netcentric is looking for several IT positions

• Seaya Ventures are looking for Investors