Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

Hello and happy Monday,

In case your inbox seems a little empty this summer…☀️

Barcinno is taking a break in August, returning in September with what’s sure to be a bumper edition. But as always, if you have any news to share, fill out this form and we’ll include it in the next one.

🍸 And if you’re in town on August 20th, BCN FinTech is hosting one of its hugely popular fintech vermut & networking events. Check out the details here.

Have a great summer, hopefully with time to rest and recharge. See you in September! 

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Digital accessibility startup QualiBooth secures €2M

• Corporate transport service BusUp closes €2M led by Bonsai Partners

• Biodegradable material producer Pack2Earth raises €1.6M

• Cuatroochenta acquires 100% of MP Services, a leading BCN firm in anti-fraud for ecommerce

Barcelona startup news

• New startup artiso, of former Mango execs, launches its AI tool to streamline fashion’s creative engine

• Ranked by revenue, Rever and danelfin among the top 10 in Sifted’s 100 fastest-growing startups

• Ocean Ecostructures joins KAUST ScaleX to bring its marine renaturalization technology to Saudi Arabia

• Young translation startup Link3rs wins award as the 3rd best emerging company in Europe

Spanish investment news

• Vacation home co-ownership platform VIVLA closes €8M 

• Valencia-based Internxt raises €3.3M to become the “ethical alternative” to Big Tech

• Akaio, the Tinder of innovation, raises €2.3M

• Seville restaurant booking platform CoverManager acquired by PSG Equity

• Néboda closes €1.84M to scale its vertical veg farming model

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Startup investment club Akka invests €690K in OpenAI rival Anthropic

• Glovo’s Yellow fund invests in Danish HR AI startup Kiku

• Mundi Ventures co-leads a £12 million round in British insurtech Wrisk

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Learn about the startup program Introducing Future Foods Lab: The Venture Clienting Program by Nomad Foods

• InnovationShip: a traveling event dedicated to innovation in the Mediterranean, free for startups and SMEs; apply for Barcelona by 5 Aug

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Profile of Belvo, the platform leading Open Finance in Latin America from Barcelona

• Debify: Personal & business debt management, also opening €1M round

Tech & Business News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Korean tech giant Naver makes €600M offer to buy Wallapop 

• Catalonia moves up as a ‘Strongly Innovative European Region’, leading in Spain

• AI-powered app developer Codeway opens first global hub outside Istanbul in Barcelona

• Banco Sabadell posts record profits & aims to grow to €1.6B annually by 2027

Tech & big company news in Spain

• Tensions among fintechs as N26 poaches Trade Republic's Spanish boss

• German neobank Vivid launches Spanish IBAN for SMEs & entrepreneurs 

• idealista acquires real estate certificate service Certicalia

Good Reads & Watches

• Where to find media to consume instead of doomscrolling 

• Forbes List: The 100 Best Companies to Work For 2025 in Spain is back

• Why talented women are still shut out of European VC: What needs to change

• Anthropic Co-founder Ben Mann on Lenny’s Podcast (EN)

• Interview with Àlex @ Startup Grind Mataró: The values that truly matter in a company (ES)

Great Events

This week:

• Tue, 29 Jul @10:00: Conscious AI adoption for companies (online)

• Tue, 29 Jul @19:30: Barcelona Entrepreneurs Tuesday Meetup

• Wed, 30 Jul @15:00: 10 Years of Ethereum networking & celebration 

• Thu, 31 Jul @18:00: Talk: The Modern Marketer's AI Stack: Scaling Automation and Creativity

Upcoming:

• Tue, 12 Aug @10:30: Startup/Investor Open Coffee

• Wed, 13 Aug @13:00: Women Investors’ Lunch

• Wed, 20 Aug @19:00: Fintech Vermut & Networking by BCN FinTech

• Thu, 18 – Fri, 19 Sep: Fin- & RegTech Mission to Barcelona

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

Startup Jobs

• Hello Operator is looking for a Freelance Spanish copywriter (fintech)

• Powens Group is hiring for several Engineering/security roles

• Busup needs a Communications Specialist

• MoonPay is hiring a Product Marketing Manager