Barcelona's Weekly Tech Update

Hello and happy Monday,

Welcome to issue 600! BCN takes center stage with unicorn funding, product launches, and ecosystem growth thanks to Banco Sabadell’s new dedicated startup hub. And big news for the wider founder world this week – the European Commission’s EU Inc. gets off the ground, a regime hoping to make Europe the easiest place in the world to start, fund, and grow a tech company, says Tech.eu.

Enjoy the read and have a great week 💥

Startup & Investment News

Barcelona investment news

• Wallbox arranges €22.5M injection to strengthen its financial restructuring

• Edtech Preply adds €127M & nearly triples valuation to unicorn status

• BIHUB invests in startup Scircle to create a Barça perfume

Barcelona startup news

• OrgBnB is born, a platform that turns companies into their own Airbnb to connect remote teams 

• Flanks & finReg360 launch EDX, Europe's first standardized financial data exchange protocol

• SheAI launches bootcamp for women entrepreneurs to close the AI gender gap 

• Genesy creates internal AI-powered system to ship code directly from Slack

Spanish investment news

• Madrid AI maintenance solution Fracttal closes $35M

• SETT invests €30M in Universal DX, which uses AI for early cancer detection

• Málaga career platform Taalentfy closes €1.5M

VC, investment & crowdfunding news

• Talent VC Demium rebrands as Mission and unveils €35M fund for Spanish startups

• First Drop VC closes 2025 with €7.4M invested

• Zubi Capital participates in Hamburg-based one.five’s €14M round to scale its sustainable packaging AI platform

Open calls, accelerator news & incubator stories

• Experiencia de cliente 360°: Pilot and scale innovative solutions & get visibility in the LATAM retail market; deadline 31 Jan

• Norrsken AI Pitch: for Pre-seed AI & Impact startups improving the lives of people and the planet; deadline 9 Feb

Barcelona startup & entrepreneur profiles & interviews

• Shoptimus AI: Smart shopping list arrives at Bon Preu

• Uxia’s Borja Díaz-Roig on why UX breaks when validation is too slow

Tech & Business News

Tech news in Barcelona

• Banco Sabadell opens new Barcelona hub 100% dedicated to startups 

• The CNMC has now authorized Nave’s €377M purchase of Wallapop

• An ISE that goes further: more attendees, technology & an impact exceeding €520M

• Mango recognized as a Top Employer 2026 for its leadership strategy & talent management

Tech & big company news in Spain

• EU Commission to launch EU-Inc to simplify cross-border startup business

• Oriva Therapeutics debuts with the backing of Asabys to advance new treatments in women's health

• Spotahome’s founder Artacho hands over the reins to a new CEO

Good Reads & Watches

• Manfred’s Tech Salary in Spain Guide 2026

• Report: The real picture of how CFOs work in Spain & where they’re headed in 2027

• Iñaki Berenguer’s 10 tech predictions for 2026

• How HOFF created a global brand from Spain (ES)

• Road to CTO with Xavier Redó, CTO at MarsBased (ES)

Great Events

This week:

• Tue, 27 Jan @10:20: SIA Startup/Investor Open Coffee 

• Wed, 28 Jan @09:00: Onclusive on the road: The new era of marketing and communication

• Wed, 28 Jan @18:30: Applied AI beyond the hype: InnoIT & Back Market

• Thu, 29 Jan @17:00: The Elephant in the Room: An experiential workshop for co-founders

Upcoming:

• Mon, 2 Feb @17:00: Formalize your business: Guide to setting up an SL 

• Tue, 3 Feb @18:00: Leading teams without losing authority or humanity

• Wed, 11 Feb @13:00: Women Investors' Lunch by SIA
  

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