Hello & happy Monday! Let's get down to business.

Today's headlines:

• 'Catalan NASA' heads into orbit

• 21 Buttons gets acquired

• Biotech Roka Furadada raises €1.5M

Barcinno Special: Are incubators worth it? - Part II

Ever wondered what it takes to build an incredible startup. Find out more about Elliott Locke’s experience of going through the F10 incubator in Barcelona as he grows his wealth-tech startup, abroaden. In this second part of the series, he shares his experience and thoughts after completing the program's first month. Read more here.

Have a great week and see you out there!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Biotech firm Roka Furadada raises €1.5M

• Tourism startup Oasis Hunters raises a €135K funding round

Barcelona Startup news

• Fashion startup 21 Buttons acquired by Madrid-based recommendation app Peoople

• Fintech company fonYou vows to help one billion people without access to traditional banking methods join the digital economy

• Aflorithmic re-creates Albert Einstein’s voice and invites you to have a chat with him

• Wallbox joins forces with Iberdrola for 100 % renewable energy consumption in its new factory and offices in Barcelona

Spanish investment news

• Navarra-based HealthTech startup Medibiofarma raises a €1.3M funding round

• Murcia and Miami-based travel software startup STAYMyway raises a €1.2M funding round

• Salamanca-based BioTech startup Neurofix Pharma opens a €1.13M funding round

• Valencia-based software startup Bionline raises a €750K funding round

• Madrid-based RaaS startup Nova Talent raises a €524K funding round through Crowdcube

• Sevilla-based luxury campsite company Kampaoh raises a €300K funding round

VC, investment & crowdfunding news:

• Barcelona-based VC Evolve Healthcare prepares for the launch of a €300M fund

• - Evolve Healthcare also acquires a minority stake in London-based homecare startup Cera

• Spanish VC Columbus Venture Partners closes its 3rd fund at €120M

• Barcelona-based VC Antai Venture Builder launches the first-ever ‘media for equity’ fund

• Spanish VC Ysios Capital participates in Swiss HealthTech startup Synendos Therapeutrics’ €21.7M Series A funding round

• Madrid-based asset manager Tressis launches its first VC fund

• Spanish VC Back Fund launches with the support of Inveready

• Encomenda Smart Capital has been the most active Spanish tech VC in 2021   

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories:

• Aena launches startup accelerator at Barcelona-El Prat Airport

• Startupxplore announces its ESports investment day

• Andalucía Startup Roadshow’s winners are announced

• CreceStartup is looking for 10 startups with innovative technologies to improve companies logistics

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews:

• AllRead MLT: unblocking ports congestion and avoiding delays

• Fourth Floor: the rental management platform for owners

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona:

• 'Catalan NASA' heads into orbit with Catalonia's tiny Enxaneta satellite

• Barcelona’s public transit leads the way in smart tags accessibility

• Swedish commercial vehicle startup Volta Trucks is considering producing its Volta Zero electric truck in Barcelona

• A study by the Music Technology Group (MTG) in Barcelona Music reveals gender bias in music recommendation algorithms

Tech news in Spain:

• Spain is about to shatter the gig economy’s algorithmic black box

• Telefónica renews its corporate image to make it "more flexible, relevant, and differential"

• Bizum to introduce QR code payments in Spain

• Merck launches its Spanish innovation office Fast Forward

• Renault will certify the parts of its vehicles with blockchain technology in Spain

• CaixaBank and BBVA to lay off over 10K employees

• Netflix doubles Spain-based production facilities

Politics, Legal & Economics

• Spain registers the highest public deficit in the EU in the year of COVID

Good Reads

• Barcinno special: The Startup Classroom – Abroaden’s Incubator Journey II

• Introducing the Glovo ‘mafia’: the employees turned founders

• Innovative Barcelona: "We must encourage the nexus between what is public and what is private"

• Can you make a living from podcasting in Spain?

• ENISA’s resounding commitment to Spain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

Good Videos & Podcasts

• Itnig discusses Coinbase and Cryptocurrencies, Clubhouse, Business Books, Podcasts and other topics

• Digital transformation, innovation and BEER, with Laura Gil (Damm)

Great Events

This week:

• Tue-Thu, 27-29 Apr: Business Secrets_Week [CAT]

• Wed-Fri, 28-30 Apr: EU-Startups Summit

• Wed, 28 Apr @17:00: An Introduction to Coding with CodeOp: HTML & CSS

• Wed, 28 Apr @18:00: Startup Grind BCN: Pitching to US VCs, with Mar Hershenson & Pepe Agell

• Thu, 29 Apr @ 12:00: Sustainability is the new digital; with Yolanda Erburu

Upcoming:

• 6-7 May: Automobile Barcelona

• 28 Jun - 1 Jul: MWC 2021

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

Jobs

• Opticks is hiring a Product Designer

• Netcentric is recruiting a Marketing and Communications Manager

• Wallbox is recruiting a Product Owner OCPP products

• Outbound People is looking for a Senior Account Executive- German Market

• Almirall is hiring a Marketing Director Spain

• Factorial is looking for a Customer Engagement Executive

• Whisbi is hiring a Digital Marketer B2B

• TripAdvisor is looking for a Global Operations Strategy Director

• Glovo is recruiting a Brand Marketing Services Director