Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

Hello and happy Monday,

With Barcelona’s 404 weather error 🌧️ hopefully now fixed, the ecosystem also has a spring in its step. This week, we report on (more) massive funding for Factorial and other firms, impressive financials from Catalan startups, and big updates for Revolut & Wallapop users.

Enjoy the issue and have a great week! 💥

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• More funding for Factorial: the SaaS unicorn bags €110M

• Pangea Aerospace raises €23M series A 

• Next-gen camping platform HolaCamp raises €10M

Barcelona startup news

• Fintech Novicap closes 2024 with 28% revenue growth and hits €2B volume since inception

• Homecare startup Qida assisted over 8,000 families in 2024, created over 3,200 jobs & strengthened its presence in the public sector

• AI startup M47 AI Company expects to increase revenue by 30% & exceed €13M by 2025

Spanish investment news

• Madrid-based padel platform Playtomic raises €65M, reaching €270M+ valuation

• Basque eye-tracking company IRISBOND gets €4.5M

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Lanzadera promotes 125 new startups with a new customized program for each company (full list)

• Project Europe: 125 top European founders unite to fund and mentor the next generation

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Decelera final batch open call: Join the world's first startup deceleration program for founders at a 10-day program in Menorca – Add “Barcinno” in the referral box to access the fast-track selection process

• Mango StartUp Studio & Modaes launch 5th Fashion StartupContest to connect entrepreneurs, fashion companies, and investors; deadline 10 Apr

• Mastercard For Fintechs 2nd program: Access to networking, funding, and exposure through events, competition, and learning resources

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Fintechs gaining momentum in Catalonia: Firms like Unnax, Qonto, Monei & SeQura accounted for 20% of investment raised by Catalan startups in 2024

• theRest: Improving food delivery margins for restaurants

Tech & Business News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Seat prepares to manufacture its first electric cars

• Wallapop begins to offer delivery & collection points with InPost

• WG Drones, a Mexican company specializing in drone technology for light and pyrotechnic shows, relocates operations to Girona

• EADA strengthens its presence in Barcelona with a second campus to reach 1,000 students

Tech & big company news in Spain

• Revolut now allows customers to pay taxes through a partnership with AEAT 

• Valencia-based Criptan’s study reveals that Spaniards allocate over €4K to crypto, while Catalonia has the highest adoption in the country at 19.8%

Good Reads & Watches

• 10 Legendary Pitch Decks That Raised Billions (Facebook, Tinder, Airbnb, etc)

• Interesting insights from Outvise’s Business Tech Freelancer Study, the first analysis of its kind 

• Communicate with Confidence: The Blueprint for Mastering Every Conversation (Mel Robbins, EN)

• How to Invest in & Build Impactful Startups, Barcelona edition (turnedVC, EN)

Great Events

This week:

• Tue, 25 Mar @18:00: PITCH & CONNECT BCN – The tech event for generation Z!

• Tue, 25 Mar @18:30: Beyond The Grind: A New Approach to Founder Success webinar, with Evaristo Babé, Co-founder & CEO of Pulpo

• Wed, 26 Mar @17:00: Webinar: Get Ready for the 2024-2025 Tax Return with Tech Barcelona and Entre Trámites

• Thu, 27 Mar @18:30: Semrush Marketing Meetup: The Content Trifecta

Upcoming:

• Wed, 2 Apr @18:30: BCN FinTech X Barcinno #019: The Tech behind FinTech – Barcinno discount included 💥

• Fri, 4 Apr @18:00: Barcelona AI Music Meetup v2.0

• Thu, 6 Apr @18:00: Barcelona Tech Job Fair Spring 2025

• Tue, 8 Apr @09:30: Founders Fundamentals: The Power of Networking 

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