Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

Hello community,

This week’s main headlines:

• €42M+ for Routal, Sesame & LuzAI 💰

• Wallbox results 📈

• 2 new BCN innovation hubs 🏢

Spring is bringing fresh growth 🌱 to the Barcelona ecosystem. This week, we share some exciting funding rounds (almost all AI-related), investment and growth in Catalan healthtech, and strategic expansions that spotlight our local startups.

And remember, we also rely on the amazing community we represent to promote Barcelona’s innovation and startup news–click here for some ways to get involved.

Have a great week!

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Logistics startup Routal raises €1M to enhance AI-driven route optimization

• Cultural tourism app Identify Travel closes €400K first round

Barcelona startup news

• Wallbox generates Q1 revenue of €43.1M, an increase of around 23% 

• Limited-run sneaker startup Newcop expands with a new store in France

• Beyond You, a data science startup that seeks to reverse aging, wins the Barcelona Sports Hub Competition

Spanish investment news

• Valencian HR startup Sesame closes €23M

• Whatsapp GPT assistant LuzIA gets €18M fresh funding

• Madrid-based Medicsen raises €5M

• 3 rounds from CDTI:

  • Talent platform The Wise Seeker: €4.7M

  • Internxt: €1.4M to develop post-quantum encryption algorithms

  • Deeptech coding software Appentra Solutions: €1.2M

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• European Investment Bank (EIB) steps up defence support with SME-friendly policies

• Ocean 14 Capital Fund champions the blue economy with €201M investment in aquaculture, reducing plastic waste, ending overfishing, and more

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Women Tech EU: Investing €12M in equity-free grants to support 160 women-led deep tech companies; deadline 20 May

• Health Revolution Congress 2024: Connect with 12 corporates, SMEs & hospitals to solve their innovation challenges in digital health; deadline 23 May

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Bumerang: Saving 2,500 single-use takeout containers a day

• Interview with Ruben Bonet, Co-Founder & CEO of deeptech Fractus

• Manina Medtech: Facilitating IVF success with AI

Tech News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Fira Montjuïc to get a huge €290M renovation; one part will be an innovation & startup hub

• US private investment fund XY Booster opens new innovation center & HQ in BCN

• Catalan companies dedicated to digital health grew by 24%, now totaling 331

• 60% of VC investment in the Catalan health sector is from international capital

• ​​AINA develops Matxa at the BSC, the first speech synthesis model with Catalan variants

• Exhibition showcasing Catalonia's tech innovation to open through MWCapital, including displays of MWC tech

Tech & big company news in Spain

• Lots going on with BBVA & Banco Sabadell: Sabadell accuses BBVA of breaching tender offer regime and offering 'incomplete data'; elPeriódico made a live update page 

• Design platform Freepik makes its 5th and biggest acquisition, Murcian AI image tool Magnific

• TikTok to expand e-commerce business, TikTok Shop, into Spain & other markets

• Microsoft hit with Spanish startups' complaint about cloud practices

Good Reads

• The Future of Business is Agentic - here's what that means and how to prepare 🙌 

• Hiscox SME funding report–81.2% of entrepreneurs rely on their savings to launch

• 10 pitches deeptech VCs want to hear

• 15 Things You Didn’t Know Your iPhone Could Do

• FT: Is remote work good for women?

Good Videos & Podcasts

• From coach & student in Mexico to revolutionizing fitness in Barcelona: Lapso Studios (Metrópoli BCN, ES)

• Interview with Tim Schumacher, impact investor, entrepreneur & General Partner at World Fund (EU-Startups, EN)

Great Events

This week:

• Wed, 15 May @18:00: Tech Up Nights 2nd Anniversary

• Wed, 15 May @18:30: ITH#5: Revolutionizing global veterinary & human care through high tech

• Wed, 15 May @18:30: Barcelona Activa Connect: Barcelona Pitch comp 

• Wed, 15 May @18:30: AI in the office: Automate your daily life (with Marta Quirós & Ylenia Porras)

• Thu, 16 May @09:30: TB x ICF Sessions: financing in initial startup stages

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

Upcoming:

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

• Tue, 21 May @18:30: Startup Grind BCN hosts Greg Scown (Founder at TextExpander) → link includes 40% discount 🔥

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

• Wed, 29 May @18:30: Startup Grind Tech Summit 2024 Human Intelligence

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