Hello and happy Monday,

This week’s main headlines:

• BCN ecosystems goes up in global ranking

• >€50M raised in Madrid, <€2M in BCN

• Demium closes program & becomes VC fund

Barcelona moves up 5 spots in Global Startup Ecosystem Report

Last week, Startup Genome released its 2023 Global Startup Ecosystem Report. While it is a global report, based on research and data from 3.5 million startups across 290 ecosystems, we are (of course) interested in the key takeaways regarding Spain and Barcelona:

• No Spanish city made it into the top 40 of the Global Startup

  Ecosystem Ranking (= Champions League)

• In the Emerging Ecosystems Ranking (= Europa League), Barcelona has moved up 5 positions since 2022 to #4 (Madrid is #13)

• This means Barcelona’s ecosystem is on the brink of getting promoted to the main category if it further improves in the rankings in the next edition

• Barcelona got top marks (9 out of 10 score or better) in 4 out of 6 categories, namely: performance, funding, connectedness, and talent & experience

• But performed poorly in the scores for market reach (6 out of 10) and, especially disappointing, knowledge (3 out of 10), which measures innovation through research and patent activity

• BCN’s ecosystem value is now $21 billion, up 91% since last year - thanks in large part to Unicorn Paack, with a value of €1.6B

• Barcelona experienced an increase of 24% in earlystage funding deal count and 12% in early-stage deal amount from the GSER 2022 - same numbers as Madrid

You can download the full report here.

The Happiness ROI Programme
^{Week 10: Recap}

Powered by The -C- Coach, in collaboration with Barcinno and OneCoWork.

It’s been a joyful journey together discovering key pillars of our wellbeing and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to share the simple exercises and tricks that directly contribute to higher levels of happiness. As we wrap up this instalment of the Happiness ROI programme, let’s first round up our findings over the last 10 weeks as we explored the 5 wellbeing pillars: values, mindset, gratitude, boundaries, and joy.

I took a look at the key themes across all the survey findings and it’s clear we undervalue simplicity. Sounds harsh doesn’t it? Breaking it down, there are some interdependent factors at play. Take a look at what else I found, as well as some final bits of advice to take with you into the summer:

As a thank you to everyone that enrolled in the programme, took part in the surveys, and enjoyed these emails each week, I'm sharing some special offers for you to continue your journey with me.

Get 40% off coaching

Get 40% off an exclusive introduction to coaching for just €210 inc. VAT (discounted from 345 Euros).
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Get 30% off Freedom Journey package

Get 30% off my most popular package, The Freedom Journey for just €1,450 inc. VAT (discounted from €2,115).
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Get your free summer mode guide

I've developed a free guide to help you enjoy the summer as the best version of yourself, with exercises and tips to set you up for success.

If you’re an organisation interested in me leading your very own in-house Happiness ROI Programme - please contact me. In-house programmes are complemented with group coaching and optional 1-2-1 coaching sessions.

This is the final installment of the Happiness ROI programme, although it’s just the start of your happiness journey. As you set off to enjoy your summer, I wish you all the happiness you deserve in your life, whatever shape or form it takes!

Please always feel free to contact me at any time if you need further support or guidance.

With heart and integrity,
Mehibe, The -C- Coach.

Have a great week!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Crypto startup Nebeus closes crowdfunding at €1.3M, 126% of its goal

• Ebike startup Niche Mobility also oversubscribes €250K crowdfunding at €400K

Barcelona startup news

• Hunger Brands, Heura & Väcka team up to launch new vegan brand Vungr; Väcka also selected for the 3rd Food (Tech)2 Challenger program

• Catalonia now has 300 IoT companies turning over €1.6M, up 5% YoY

• Imagin (CaixaBank) launches neobroker and scales its offer with investment funds & insurance

• Fleksy & Snapp Automotive enter into partnership for Android Automotive language input technology

Spanish investment news

• Madrid firm Trucksters closes €33M to become Europe’s first electric long-haul operator

• Madrid Digital asset firm Bit2Me raises €14M

• Madrid finance app Fintonic gets €5M

• Telecoms QoE firm MedUX secures €4.1M

• Foodtechs Foodyt and Miss Tipsi merge as Tipsi & raises €1.3M

• Galician startup Arengu acquired by US online identity platform Okta

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Demium to shut down its multiple incubator & accelerator programs and operate as a traditional fund, with a €25M vehicle

• NATO launches €50M startup accelerator to bring Silicon Valley ethos to Europe’s armies

• Ship2B launches €30M fund to invest in pediatrics, the first fund for social impact companies in this sector

• Impact Bridge launches €150M impact fund with support from the European Investment Fund & MicroBank

• Creator Fund expands its student investor model to 7 EU countries with first investments in deeptech startups

• FasterCapital announces raising capital services for startups based in Barcelona and Spain

• Catalan business angel network EconomistesBAN channels €3.1M into entrepreneurial projects

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• ICEX & Red.es open second call for Desafía Tel Aviv, an immersion and support program for Spanish tech startups to scale their business model globally; until July 25

• Pitch Competition application for this year’s BCN FutureTravel Summit is now open; until July 28

• Aena Ventures’ 2nd accelerator innovation program is open for startups solving a series of strategic challenges for Aena; until July 31

• Eroski launches venture program to build innovative solutions to challenges faced by the sector

• Huawei launches its cloud acceleration project in Spain after selecting the first 10 startups (3 from Barcelona)

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Enso Coliving: Flat sharing in the 21st century, Friends-style

• OK Clinker: The first portal for buying & selling construction materials

• Montse Puig & Pasqual Batalla: We need a Barcelona-born gaming unicorn

• Youwind: How to bill a million with offshore wind maps

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Catalonia to become the World's Gastronomic Region in 2025, with €9M government investment

• Barcelona Science Park companies raised €142M in 2022, a historical record

• BIKE24 invests €10M for a robotic logistics center in Barcelona, creating 50 jobs

• Taxi protest in Barcelona for limits on private-hire vehicles following European ruling

Tech & big company news in Spain

• Telefónica Tech & ARME to create mobile robotics technology hub

• The Basque Country reinforces its position as a tech entrepreneurship hub with over 1K startups & €100M investment in 2022

• Seville glamping startup Kampaoh launches in France

• Investment in innovation funds committed by BBVA reaches €600M

Politics, legal & economics

• Spain steals the show: Economic growth expected to overtake major global economies

Good Reads

• Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2023

• The 19-slide pitch deck BCN climate tech Jolt used to raise its recent €6M

• The Spanish painter who used a computer to create art half a century before AI

• European startups still have a long way to go to achieve gender parity

Good Videos & Podcasts

• What makes us human? Catalonia’s role in biggest-ever primate genome study (EN)

• Hell of a ride: The Unique Story of German startup Gorillas (EN)

• Microverse: Reinventing Online Education, with Co-founder Ariel Camus (Itnig, ES)

Great Events

This week:

• Wed, 21 Jun @18:30: Startup Grind BCN 9th Anniversary Event → This link gets you a 40% Barcinno community discount :)

• Thu, 22 Jun @17:30: Effective strategies & tools to grow your crypto startup

• Thu, 22 Jun @18:00: Tech Barcelona Afterwork

Upcoming:

• Wed, 28 Jun @17:00: The Collider Community Day

• Mon, 3 – Wed, 5 Jul: DevBcn: The Barcelona Developers Conference 2023

• Wed, 5 – Fri, 7 Jul: ETHBarcelona Conference

• Fri, 7 Jul – Sun, 9 Jul: ETHBarcelona Hackathon

• Wed, 12 Jul @18:30: #009 BCN FinTech: Details & sign-up link TBC

• Wed, 19 Jul @18:30: Startup Grind BCN w/ Ross McNairn, CPTO @ TravelPerk → This link gets you a 40% Barcinno community discount :)

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

Startup Jobs:

• Finch & Beak is hiring a Business Consultant, Sustainability 

• EIT Urban Mobility is hiring a Social Media & Website Assistant

• SumUp is hiring a Global Director of Revenue Operations

• Bsport Solution is hiring a Content Manager (EN native)