Barcelona

A great mix of a mature ecosystem, an easy living city, technical and emerging companies supported by great infrastructure, affordable prices, cultural diversity and an open minded mentality make Barcelona an attractive city for a growing startup ecosystem.

Startup Genome blog (2019)

In Barcelona there is a solid startup ecosystem that enables the collaboration among all its building block: startups, VCs, corporates, universities and public organizations. The talent attraction and retention is one of the key drivers as well as the entrance of international VCs we have here.

Richard Calvo, former CEO at Yababook

Thanks to the unwavering spirit of innovation that has characterized the city long before technology came into the picture and a collaborative community that would be hard to find anywhere else, Barcelona has unequivocally become the place where things happen.

ESEI Business School blog
Ecosystem Highlights
  • 1500 startups

  • 3rd most popular city among startup founders in Europe

  • 5th European Startup hub

  • 6th in the world for attracting International Talent

  • 22% of startup founders are women

  • 19% of startup employees are from abroad

  • 64% of startups work in 4.0 related technologies

  • 20% of startups operate in lifescience areas

  • 664M€ invested in Barcelona startups in 2019

  • 32% of founders have tech skills

  • 17k highly qualified professionals come to Barcelona during 2019

  • 2800M€ of private investment, in 5 years

Barcelona is much more than an ideal place to spend some great vacations. It is also the Mobile World Capital and Europe’s fourth best smart city – both for its environmentally sustainable initiatives and also for its thriving tech ecosystem. Startups in Barcelona can only meet growth. Whether because of the great access to investment and or simply to a community of entrepreneurs that never ceases to stick together. For you, as a business owner, there will always be support and advice. Barcelona Activa, in particular, offers a whole range of services both for entrepreneurs living abroad and foreign companies looking to invest in Barcelona. Start your journey in the city and meet success.

Noteworthy Content:

Contact

Itziar Blasco Donoso

Barcelona Activa
Land & Start
SETTLING IN THE CITY
STARTING YOUR BUSINESS
Access to talent

Barcelona is a magnet for international talent: the city places 6th in the world for attracting International Talent (Esade’s MBA City Monitor). Barcelona Activa provides services to assist you during the recruitment process, from the identification of vacancies (search for candidates in the Barcelona Activa database and other recruitment sources), and the shortlisting and submission of candidates. For more information follow the links below: Talent Management Service; Job offers.

Education

Education is one of the government’s strategic priorities and is considered to be essential to the region’s economic and social development. Detailed information about the educational system in Catalonia/Barcelona can be found here.

Tech Ecosystem
Hot startups & scaleups
New companies

Markets

 

Diversity and Inclusion

Barcelona is always committed to inclusion and diversity. And equality is also among businesses’ main concerns. Check out some training and programs regarding that topic. To boost gender equality, there is even the LIDERA.

Barcelona in the Media
Barcelona’s TravelPerk acquires US competitor

TravelPerk, a Barcelona-based business, has acquired US NexTravel to accelerate its expansion into the US market. Details are here.

Payflow extends seed round funding to €2 million

The investment happens 8 months after the launching of this Barcelona financial wellness startup. Read the full article.

Polaroo manages your recurring expenses

According to a study from this fintech, 33% of 15,000 people admit having monthly expenses they don’t want to pay. Polaroo has a way for them to save money. Know more about this startup.

BusUp raises €6M to expand to the US

The corporate bus commuter management raised Series A round. Read everything here.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CITY

Contemporary architecture, beautiful beaches, Romanesque churches or unique markets. Barcelona has the color of gold and never ceases to impress, also with the best restaurants, nightlife and sightseeing itineraries. To live and to work in, the city has everything to be happy with: it’s an open city, both for people and for commerce, and can be proud of being among the most innovative tech ecosystems. Come and enjoy.

City Map

ACTIVITIES & CASE STUDIES
In what comes to business and startups, there are many seeds of growth spread throughout Barcelona. One of them is the Cleantech camp initiative. It’s a programme that supports the creation of startups in the fields of energy-efficient and smart cities, renewable energy, sustainable mobility, smart grids, IoT and AI energy, cybersecurity and blockchain. Cleantech camp consists of boosting the entrepreneurial spirit, providing the right training in business management, guidance actions to analyse the feasibility of business ideas, training to acquire entrepreneurial skills and behaviours, connecting startups with stakeholders in the sector and facilitating access to capital. But Barcelona can also be proud of being the stage of the Mobile World Congress, the most influential exhibition for the connectivity industry worldwide and the 4YFN. Other activities in the city include the IoT Solutions World Congress or the Smart City Expo World Congress. All in all, with initiatives like these, Barcelona keeps building a stronger startup ecosystem, where everyone connects and grows higher, but also a brighter future for all as well.

 

This City's Cases
Opportunities
03.06.2024
Global, Vienna

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