Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

Hello and happy Monday 🏈,

This week’s main headlines:

• Huge funding for ID Finance, Heura & Paack 💰

• Catalonia counts record startups 🏆

• BCN fintech Monei trials digital euro 🪙

Secure your spot for the biggest FinTech networking event in Barcelona during MWC & 4YFN!

🙌 We're super excited to finally announce BCN FinTech Futures: Networking & Investor Insights – Presented by Scaleway!

We have an outstanding lineup of international panelists, including confirmed speaker Marc Oliver Hauser from Tenity as well as additional yet-to-be-revealed fintech investment experts. They will share their insights on what fintech trends will shape the future and what fintech investors are looking for in the current market.

This special edition takes place during the week of MWC/4YFN, so it’s your chance to mingle 🤝 with both local and international fintech leaders to learn, network, and grow in a casual atmosphere with free drinks and snacks.

🔥 Act fast to snag our super early bird tickets – the most affordable way to ensure your participation in this flagship event. Better yet, the link below gets you a special Barcinno community discount of 50%. But hurry, tickets are limited and, judging by last year's experience, they’ll sell out quickly!

👉 Sign up here

Have a great week!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• ID Finance secures €140M in debt financing led by i80 Group

• Heura Foods closes €40M Series B funding

• Paack gets €10M from the ICO

• Real estate platform Wolo raises €1.5M

• M&A platform for SMEs Deale gets €1M 

• Femtech Domma closes €950K

• Climate risk platform Mitiga Solutions receives investment from Telefónica 

• Dogfy Diet now fully acquired by Carulla group 

Barcelona startup news

• Fintech Monei begins trials of a euro-backed stablecoin (EURM) under the supervision of the Bank of Spain

• Traveltech Exoticca seeks €300M revenue, to reach profitability & grow in LATAM 

• Healthtech Emily.AI wins Cuatrecasas Acelera

• Inbiomotion to distribute pioneering breast cancer test in the UK & Ireland

Spanish investment news

• Madrid home physio startup UrbanFisio closes €1M

• Plastic-free ocean initiative Gravity Wave raises €500K round led by the Gasol brothers

• Tech consulting firm Sngular acquires fellow Madrid-based talent platform Circular

• PC Componentes owners buy Malaga-based gaming pioneer Atlas Informática

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Aldea Ventures launches €125M fund combining direct operations in startups and investment in European VCs

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• MWC’s Call4Tech (The Collider Venture Builder) is open for researchers transforming health, industry, or the environment who want to go to market; apply until Feb 25

• Start your own business with G-accelerator: applications for the Impact Call 2024 edition are now open

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Lizcore: The Strava for climbers

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Catalonia sees over 2,100 startups in 2023, a 4% increase and the highest figure on record

• IESE Business School community has created 102,800 jobs worldwide & raised $14.5N in capital, including 3 unicorns

• Parlem Telecom increases turnover by 34% at €49M & reaches positive annual profitability for the first time

Tech & big company news in Spain

• Spain's high court suspends $209 million fines on Apple & Amazon amid appeal

• Meta challenges EU’s Digital Services Act supervisory fee as unfair

Politics, legal & economics

• Representatives from EU member states unanimously voted last week to advance the Artificial Intelligence Act

Good Reads

• Google’s AI now goes by a new name: Gemini

• All about Disney & Epic Games’ new franchise universe

• Beyond VC Funding: Essential Tips For Startups Thinking About Crowdfunding

• The best events for entrepreneurs in Spain

Good Videos & Podcasts

• M&A Masterclass with Brian Flynn & Dimitri Steinberg, Founder Partners (Life on Mars, EN)

• Empowering women in tech through professional communities (Outvise, EN)

Great Events

This week:

• Mon, 12 Feb – Thu, 15 Feb: Barcelona HealthInnovation Week 2024

• Mon, 12 Feb @09:00: Tech Spirit Barcelona – Health Edition

• Tue, 13 Feb @19:00: First Time Angel Investing? Steps, Maps & Guides to Start

• Thu, 15 Feb @18:00: Pitch workshop with 4YFN winner, Payflow’s Benoit Menardo

Upcoming:

• Mon, 19 Feb @19:00: Pitch Masterclass: Improve your 4YFN sales pitch

• Tue, 27 Feb @09:30: The New Future Proof: The Role of AI & Blockchain in the Transformation of Companies → Use code Barcinno for 45% off 😄

• Wed, 28 Feb @20:00: Angels & Beers (for Investors)

• Tue, 12 Mar @18:30: Fuckup Nights Barcelona (Vol. XLVII) 

• Tue, 12 Mar @19:00: Advanced startup Investing: Deal terms, Cap table, Valuation, Due Diligence

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

🗓️ Check out our regularly updated MWC Parties & Events guide here.

Startup Jobs:

• Giga (UNICEF/ITU) is hiring a Front End Software Developer

• Bike Club is looking for a Junior Operations Manager - Logistics/ Customer Service