Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

In partnership with

Hello and happy Monday,

Beyond Barcelona: Discover Sabadell’s Startup Ecosystem

Shoutout to Sabadell! As a proud resident, Barcinno’s Clemens is thrilled to see his adopted city embrace its entrepreneurial spirit. So we’re excited to shine a light on Sabadell’s growing ecosystem and its role in shaping the future of innovation in the Vallès region.

This week, Sabadell hosts its Entrepreneurship Week (November 25–29), 5 days full of action around innovation, creativity, and collaboration. From open coworking tours and workshops to forums, the week offers something for everyone. Highlights include the Cafè Aventura Forum on Nov 28 and a unique networking finale on the last day.

As one of Catalonia’s emerging startup hotspots, Sabadell is also stepping up with initiatives like the upcoming Sabadell Startup Hub. Driven by Marina, Alfred and Clemens (yep, same Clemens as above), it aims to foster a community that supports entrepreneurs and tech startups in Sabadell and the entire Vallès region.

So if you’re looking to connect or get involved, don’t miss this week’s events and follow the Sabadell Startup Hub’s journey on LinkedIn. Sabadell is proving that exciting things can happen outside Barcelona too! 🚀

Have a great week!

Handle your phone calls 24/7 with AI

Boost your business with Synthflow AI Phone Calls—available 24/7 to handle thousands of calls concurrently. Scale effortlessly as your needs grow and speed up lead response times. The assistants can book appointments into your calendar, transfer the calls to a human rep, and extract valuable info from each call. Integrates with your tech stack, get started from $29/month.

Let AI answer the phone

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Web3 gaming startup Monster League Studios closes over €3.7M

• Superlativa raises €1.5M in a round led by Iris Ventures to grow its natural stress-relief supplements

• Gate2Brain opens €1.5M bridge financing round aimed at Angels & Family Offices

• Insectius secures €1M funding round, led by GVC Gaesco with support from key business angels, to expand its modular insect farms across Spain

• Alternative investment platform (who financed Glovo, Cuideo, etc.) Dozen acquired by Orbyn Group

• 3D printing manufacturer BCN3D secures investment & unveils new factory

• B’ZEOS secures seed funding (undisclosed) to scale its seaweed-based sustainable packaging solutions

Barcelona startup news

• Openchip, backed by the BSC, aims to close 2024 with 100 employees, designing European-made microchips

• Loyal Guru, driving loyalty programs for global brands with AI, aims for €10M revenue and 30% growth in 2024

• Proptech Psquared invests €2M to revitalize vacant properties into profitable offices, achieving 30% growth in managed spaces and €33M in total investments to date

Spanish investment news

• Balearic biopharmaceutical firm Laminar Pharma raises €5.9M

• Madrid-based EZ Telecom secures €1M to expand rural connectivity and scale its white-label telco solutions

• Madrid startup Rhyde raises €460K led by Akka and EIT Urban Mobility to scale refurbished e-scooters and bikes for sustainable micromobility

• Andalusian solar startup Solum opens investment round

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• CDTI, through Innvierte, to invests €1B in 2024 to boost innovation in Spanish tech companies across key sectors

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Solvia PropTECH Awards open call for proptech startups in Spain; apply by Jan 22

• Barcelona Activa opens applications for its 15th Preincubation Program starting in March 2025

Tech & Business News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Barcelona ranks 8th in Europe for digital industry investment but remains a top choice for entrepreneurs

• Catalonia to launch a €3.6M digital platform for real-time health data integration

• Barcelona tests autonomous Ona Robot for last-mile deliveries, aiming to cut emissions and traffic

• Catalan companies secure over €636M in Next Generation funds for industrial projects

• CaixaBank to invest €5B in technology and hire 3,000 tech professionals under its new strategy

• Airbnb calls on Barcelona to rethink short-term rental restrictions, citing failure to address housing and overtourism

• Belgian unicorn Lighthouse raises $370M to grow in Barcelona, where it already employs 30 people

• Belgian Protime opens a Barcelona hub for 250 employees after acquiring local firm SoftMachine

• VHIO and Hospital del Mar create advanced CAR-T therapy showing strong, lasting results against HER2+ breast cancer in early tests

Tech & big company news in Spain

• Big Tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, and Google drive €24B investment surge in Spain's data centers

Politics, legal & economics

• Spain's GDP grows 3.4% in 2024, doubling the OECD average and surpassing US growth

Good Reads

• Women founders remain underrepresented in Spanish startups, with only 18% in 2024, though Catalonia leads with 44% female entrepreneurship

• Tech hubs, the driving force of the Catalan economy

• What do Catalan business leaders think about AI?: "Responsibility for decisions will remain with people"

Good Videos & Podcasts

• Jueves de Itnig: Leif Ferreira (Bit2Me) and Victoria Gago (European Blockchain) discuss Bitcoin, blockchain, and regulation (ES)

• Acumulem porquerIA: Overloaded by unfinished projects and tech we want to master: a cathartic bar therapy session; Foc a Terra (CAT)

Great Events

This week:

• Mon, 25 Nov - Fri, 29 Nov: Setmana de l'Emprenedoria de Sabadell

• Wed, 27 Nov @18:30: BCN FinTech X Barcinno #017: Wealth Tech: Reinventing Investment → discount applied :) 

• Thu, 28 Nov: FutureTravel Summit 

• Thu 28, Nov: Afterwork Pier01 - Tech Barcelona

Upcoming:

• Wed, 4 Dec @18:30: Fuckup Nights Barcelona 

• Thu, 5 Dec @16:00: Trans Atlantic Angel Conference 6: Final Demo Day Event

• Wed, 11 & Thu, 12 Dec: Tech Spirit Barcelona 2024

Got news or an event to share? Fill out this form.

Startup Jobs:

• Parlem is hiring a Chief Marketing Officer

• Amenitiz is looking for a VP Sales

• Bitpanda is recruiting a VP Technology Operations