Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

Hello all,

This week’s main headlines:

• 💰 AI platform Piper raises €3M

• 🪑 Kave Home: €200M sales, +28%.

• 👴 Elderly care Cuideo: €80M revenue

Trends in tech recruitment revealed 🧑‍💻

Barcelona developer recruitment platform Joppy has released a new report with Circular: Crisis? Trends in Tech Recruitment 2024. What’s interesting is not that two competitors have teamed up, but the topics they address. Surveying tech workers and recruiters side by side, here are some of the most interesting takeaways:

• 💻 When asked which work benefit software engineers value the most and recruiters think will be most attractive in 2024, both sides are in agreement at 90-95%: yes, it’s remote work.

• This is followed closely by health insurance and family support, indicating both sides' shared value of work-life balance and well-being.

• Plus, 80% of engineers said they are against ✋ returning to the office. This confirms the significant shift in workplace dynamics and the impact of the pandemic on the tech community's attitude towards remote work.

• 🤖 Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a shared common thread of concern about the rise of AI. This has surged significantly compared to early 2023, increasing by 77% among engineers and a hefty 96% among recruiters.

• So there does seem to be some worry about AI's effects on both roles as well as in the broader tech landscape.

• However, 66% of developers are proactively looking to enhance their AI knowledge and skills, so there’s a recognition of its growing importance of in the industry.

• 🌍 Worry about the economic situation is another topic that’s seen a lot of growth. Since early 2023, recruiters’ concern has increased by 40% and engineers' by 17%.

• Nearly 50% from both profiles expressed concern about the issue, so there’s definitely a shared unease about how the economic uncertainties may impact their careers – and the tech industry as a whole.

📊 Now, let's hear your thoughts:

As always, results will be shared in our next edition.

Have a great week! 🎃

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• AI platform for sales teams Piper raises €3M

Barcelona startup news

• Furniture company Kave Home to hit €200M in sales this year, +28% vs 2022; plans to double its network of stores in 2024

• Elderly care platform Cuideo to reach €80M in revenue this year, +33% compared to 2022

• Order & pay restaurant startup Honei launches in Latin America

• Maternity startup LactApp opens first-of-its-kind lactation care clinic in Barcelona

Spanish investment news

• Basque eye-tracking technology IRISBOND lands €2M

• Madrid-based Galeneo Health secures €1M led by Ship2B

• Tech device rental platform Rentall gets €1.1M

• Valencia fintech Uelz Pay bags €800K in round led by Wayra

• Madrid sports class & teacher marketplace Vivra gets €145K

• Madrid startup Signalit acquires Noister & renames as Onum to develop the first data observability SaaS

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Fintech & Web3 fund & incubator Funding Fast looks to raise first round of capital at €16M

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Pan-European investor community BEYOND announces 2nd open call to help early-stage companies raise cross-border capital; apply until Nov 17

• EIT’s Accelerate 2023 call will give financial support to startups developing innovative manufacturing services and products; apply until Dec 1

• Port of Barcelona joins forces with Canadian accelerator Novarium to promote the blue economy

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Email5: Spam-free, high-privacy multimedia email

• Floox: New Barcelona manufacturer of ultra-fast electric chargers

• Rand: CEO Pol Martin explains what the fintech does in a 40 sec video

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Google rolls out Immersive View & other AI features; BCN one of first chosen cities

• American Airlines adds more flights to BCN for Mobile World Congress

• HP to create up to 80 jobs with a new Barcelona innovation and design center

• Seat:Code moves to new office in @22 tech district

• The Knot Worldwide opens new 3.600m2 office in Barcelona with space for up to 300 employees

• Barcelona Health Hub celebrates 5 years with 500 members in its ecosystem of health startups

• US firm Oracle Health opens European Oracle Health Support Hub in Barcelona

Tech & big company news in Spain

• Netflix will eliminate its basic plan in Spain: a new price increase is coming

• Inditex signs €70M deal to buy recycled polyester cycora & aims to drastically reduce its products’ environmental footprint

• BBVA Sparks extends €50M debt financing to Madrid fintech Twinco Capital

Politics, legal & economics

• EU lawmakers make progress in crucial talks on new AI rules

Good Reads

• Typeform: Why AI-powered marketing teams are about to do their best work yet

• Forbes Interview: These are Pau Gasol's criteria for investing

Good Videos & Podcasts

• How B2B Marketers Can Create Human-Like Interactions in an Increasingly Digital World: Kristen Habacht, CRO @ Typeform (MarketingProfs, EN)

• From hacker in Hong Kong to €1M turnover in 12 months: ZenRows (SeedRocket, ES)

• Flexliving with Esteve Almirall, co-foudner of Node Living (Itnig, ES)

Great Events

• Wed, 8 Nov @18:30: Startup Grind BCN: Amir Salihefendic (CEO & Founder @Doist); 40% Barcinno discount already applied in the link

• Fri, 17 Nov: Jump2Digital: Mobile World Capital BCN digital talent festival 

• Wed, 22–Thu, 23 Nov: B GOOD DAY: Spain’s annual B Corp movement event

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

Startup Jobs:

• Signaturit looks for a Head of Product Marketing

• Preply wants a Revenue Operations & Strategy Manager

• Click&Boat recruits a Head of Brand & Communication

• Flax & Kale hires a Brand Manager