Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

Hello and happy Monday,

This week’s main headlines:

• TikTok launches pay-to-use app in Spain 📲

• New Rosberg Ventures fund 🏎️

• BCN healthtech funding 🏥

BCN FinTech X Barcinno #014 on Wednesday 💳

We’re excited to introduce our third panelist for this Wednesday’s event on Payment Technology: Elie Bertha, Head of Product at Thunes.

💡 In this edition, you’ll discover how payment tech is revolutionizing fintech and non-fintech industries alike, evolving, and creating new opportunities.

Join Barcelona's largest recurring fintech event to meet with the local community, network, and learn from its movers, shakers, leaders, and visionaries: sign up here (50% discount applied, selling fast 🔥).

Meanwhile, there’s plenty going on this week, so let’s get into it!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Medtech Emily.AI raises €480K to apply AI to oxygen therapy

• Mowoot gets funding to launch its groundbreaking IBS treatment project

• MiiN Korean Cosmetics welcomes Barlon Capital as strategic partner

Barcelona startup news

• Former Glovo CPO Bartek Kunowski launches new project Joey, a safe online social space for pre-teens

• Fintech Flanks wins the 2024 #WealthTech100 award

• Deporvillage increases revenue by 10%, with a €166M net turnover

• Barcelona Music Lab selects the 7 global startups for its accelerator, including New Electronic Assistant & Xtended Reality Music Hub from BCN

Spanish investment news

• Valencian edtech Kokoro Kids closes €2.25M from The LEGO Foundation

• Sales SaaS Intelia raises €1M 2nd round

• Asturian engineering startup Autecnia gets €550M to expand in Spain & Portugal 

• Padel app Playtomic gets investment from Rafa Nadal

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Rosberg Ventures, the VC fund founded by F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, launches a $75M fund

• Alantra leads large rounds in Dublin-based GridBeyond & Toronto-based SWTCH Energy through its Energy Transition Fund, Klima

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• BStartup launches the 4th edition of BStartup Green to invest in startups facilitating the transition to sustainability

• The Ministry of Science, Innovation & Universities opened a new NEOTEC call to finance small-company creation & growth (€20M with €5M reserved for women-led projects); until 10 May 

• Pitch your startup's main challenge & TheNTWKCommunity will help you; apply now for the summit on 28–29 May

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Fabbric: The startup that allows you to design, produce & sell fashion in just a few weeks

• Discover the 12 semi-finalists of the BCN Sports Hub Competition 2024

Tech & Business News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Barcelona selected as UNESCO World Capital for Architecture in 2026

• Chinese carmaker Chery’s new BCN deal said to create 1250 jobs

• Catalan beauty group Puig debuts on the stock market

• French startup Fleet consolidates its commitment to Barcelona, bringing in €2.5M and tripling its workforce

Tech & big company news in Spain

• TikTok launches new incentivized rewards app in Spain & France; but the European Commission flags its addictiveness 

• N26 introduces free joint accounts

• Non-profit Female Startups Leaders participate in the eMerge Americas Miami 2024 to boost visibility of Spanish-speaking tech entrepreneurs

• Ultralytics, a provider of open-source YOLO models and no-code platform, included in the newest European Intel Ignite cohort

Good Reads

• A balanced look at the AI myths upsetting the apple cart: Manuel Bruscas, VP Data Analytics @ Holaluz 

• WTF is going on with the Economy - Spain and Chocolate: abroaden

• ‘Different isn’t wrong’: Neurodiverse founders share their experiences of running a startup

Good Videos & Podcasts

• Glovo: helping the high street: Interview with Co-Founder Sacha Michaud (Startups Magazine, EN)

Great Events

This week:

• Mon, 22 April: E3 Initiative: The First Ever Career Fair for Startups

• Wed, 24 Apr @18:30: BCN FinTech X Barcinno #014: Payment Technology → 50% off code applied

• Thu, 25 Apr @18:00: Women in STEM networking

• Thu, 25 Apr @18:30: VC & Founders Conference - Tech for Non-Tech Founders

• Sat, 27 Apr @10:30: 4Voices Public Speaking for teens: The Digital Jungle: navigating the online world

Upcoming:

• Thu, 2 May @18:30: Attico Talks: The CEO Brain: Reach Your Full Potential

• Mon, 13–Tue, 14 May: E-SHOW Barcelona (eCommerce, Digital Marketing, Big Data & AI) 

• Thu, 16–Sat, 18 May: ESADE Entrepreneurship Summit 2024

• Tue, 21–Thu, 23 May: Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress

• Wed, 29 May @18:30: Fuckup Nights Barcelona 6th Anniversary

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

Startup Jobs:

• Bourbon Creative needs an FR Writer (Native French, 100% remote)

• Powens is hiring for several roles (tech, sales & product)

• Joey is looking for a Senior/Staff Software Engineer

• Antai Ventures seeks a Co-Founder: Talent Marketplace