Barcelona has all the top qualities of a booming startup ecosystem. One of it’s most solid pillars is a community with a strong collaborative mindset that fosters innovation, encourages the birth of new projects and supports their growth. This environment has produced more than 1,200 startups, and there are many more to come. These are the companies that we at Barcelona Startup News want to showcase to the world.
The name of the city has always been synonymous with innovation, which makes it an ideal setting for a technology hub. It’s also home to many renowned entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and other influencers who act as catalysts in driving progress.
Each year, Barcelona’s calendar is webbed by a network of startup events that bring together local and international players of the startup scene. An ecosystem could not thrive without the invaluable ideas shared, lessons learned and connections made during these moments. However, startup events and tech conferences in Barcelona are not the only forums for entrepreneurs: coworking spaces, startup incubators and accelerators also contribute to bringing the community together.
Below, we share the success stories of the best startups in Barcelona and the people behind them: how they started and where they’re heading. We also bring you lists of top Barcelona startups in different industries, the most recent Barcelona startup news and guides to the Barcelona tech scene.
Read on to discover what makes the Barcelona startup scene thrive!
A new innovation hub has been born in Barcelona. It’s in a beautiful old building right by the harbor and it’s home to Barcelona’s only Digital Business School, The Valley. Apart from being one of the only schools in Spain where students can attend courses focused specifically on digital innovation, … more of this ‘Stories’ post
Imagine a platform where any entrepreneur, from anywhere in the world, could set up an EU company with EU banking, without ever having to set foot in an EU country. If you lived in Barcelona, for instance, you could choose whether you want to go through the potentially gruelling (if eventually … more of this ‘Stories’ post
Barcelona-based Alpha, a Moonshot facility established by Telefonica, adopts Google X’s mentality to change the world Not that long ago, in this very galaxy, Google came up with the concept of Moonshots. They’ve been using this semi-branded neologism to refer to most of their innovative projects rolling out of the … more of this ‘Stories’ post
Mattia Franco is the CEO and Co-Founder of Xceed, a Barcelona startup that just won the award for the fastest growing startup in Spain at Tech5 Awards. They may be known as a “party startup” because of their app, which lets users find and buy tickets to the best parties in … more of this ‘Stories’ post
Memories are the best gifts you can possibly give to you loved ones. But until we can export memories directly from our brains Black Mirror style, how do you actually wrap them up and hand them over to your family and friends? zapptales, a Munich-based startup founded by Barcelona-born Daniel … more of this ‘Stories’ post
Luis Martín Cabiedes is one of the most important investors in internet and technology ventures in Spain. He’s also a professor at IESE, a philosophy graduate, a sailor, a motorsport enthusiast – and he must have a wealth of other faces that I have not yet had the chance to … more of this ‘Stories’ post
Riding a scooter can brighten up your day, and you don’t even have to own one to be able to enjoy its many benefits. Scooter sharing services like eCooltra are making sure that there is a scooter available for you at any time, wherever you may be. And Barcelona is … more of this ‘Stories’ post
I am perfect food is a young Barcelona startup here to help solve a global problem that is everyone’s concern, but hardly anyone talks about: food waste. Their intention is to try and fight food waste on as many fronts as possible, and they’ve got a bunch of brilliant ideas … more of this ‘Stories’ post
Startups in Barcelona have had another great year. According to the latest figures, 2018 has managed to surpass 2017 – the best year in the history of the ecosystem until now – in terms of investment, with 130 deals sealed and more than €900M in funding raised by Barcelona startups. There … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
We’re super impatient when it comes to potentially groundbreaking technologies that are almost a reality but not quite yet. That’s why we’ve taken it upon us to find three Barcelona startups that we can’t wait to see grow – and change our reality. What these startups have in common is … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
The food industry is an ideal field for experimentation, and Barcelona startups are on the front line. They’re coming up with more and more innovative ideas on how to reduce food waste by foodsharing, how to become as efficient at food delivery as possible, and how to create diet plans, for example. Their … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
Travel tech startups, from Barcelona and around the globe, are taking off at an incredible rate and changing not just the way we book our trips or pick out destinations, but our entire concept of travelling. Prominent trends in the travel tech industry typically rely on using artificial intelligence, machine … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
This year, Barcelona made the Eu-startups annual list of hottest European startup hubs once again. And not just made it, but came fifth for the third year in a row, bested only by the humongous ecosystems of London, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam. The ranking itself is great news and definitely … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
Now that virtually every startup wants a slice of the delivery cake, the question is no longer what to order for lunch, but which delivery app to use. We’ve been on a mission to find the best food delivery service in Barcelona, and we’ve finally found the one! We put … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
Is it just a fad, or is it a new revolutionary way of living and consuming that’s taking over the world? The effect of the sharing or collaborative economy can be seen very clearly in a wide range of industries from tourism to entertainment, and it’s constantly on the rise. … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
Another month has gone by, and we’ve selected another batch of Barcelona startups that just closed funding rounds to serve as living proofs of the undiminished vitality and amazing potential of our city. From biotech to virtual reality, IoT and social networking apps, Barcelona startups are at the top of … more of this ‘Top startups’ post
This January, the Barcelona tech and startup scene is treating us with a bunch of great meetups to chase away the post-vacation blues. Whether you’re looking to start a career in AI, have a fintech startup you’d like to see succeed, would enjoy a guided trip to the Barcelona supercomputer … more of this ‘Events’ post
For some people, December is all about Christmas. For others, like the entire tech and startup community in Barcelona, the last month of the year is only partly about shopping for presents, decorating trees and overbaking cookies. Each year, we put all our remaining energy into making sure we end … more of this ‘Events’ post
Just like every month, Barcelona techies and startup people have a plethora of events to choose from. November brings, among other events, a prestigious summit focused on the sharing economy and smart cities, the yearly Startup Grind Barcelona conference, a social impact forum for startups and investors, as well as … more of this ‘Events’ post
Meet top investors, entrepreneurs, developers, and journalists from all around the world in the second edition of the Startup Grind Barcelona Conference! It’s the only tech event in Barcelona where you’ll have the chance to learn from the best companies – Google, Shazam, N26, Dow Jones, Codeacademy, etc. – about … more of this ‘Events’ post
Disrupt is TechCrunch’s flagship event where startup founders, investors, tech leaders and startup enthusiasts meet up to connect and shape the future of technology and innovation together. This year, on November 29-30, TC is bringing the renowned symposium to one of Europe’s most active tech hubs, Berlin. The event is … more of this ‘Events’ post
Blockchain is without a doubt the most discussed new technology these days, and many would say that it is on the brink of disrupting our lives. However, a lot has to happen before that vision can become a reality. First of all, we need platforms to talk about what exactly … more of this ‘Events’ post
Looking for business partners? A job in tech? Customers for your product? An opportunity to grow your network? You will have the chance to find all of these and more at this month’s tech and startup events. From networking meetups to niche conferences focusing on smart cities, IoT and blockchain, … more of this ‘Events’ post
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words ‘digital nomad’? For me, it used to be the image of a pair of hipsters with impeccably kept beards sitting in a yurt or in the back of a van typing away on their laptops doing … more of this ‘Events’ post
To celebrate summer in Barcelona, Bida app is offering their app completely free till October 1st! That means anyone and everyone (over the age of 18, of course) can discover Barcelona’s top-rated bars and restaurants and get a free drink every 3 hours in any of these hotspots. If … more of this 'News' post
The Barcelona Ventures Silicon Valley Acceleration Program is presenting 6 startups with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get access to funding in the United States. The 6 companies planning to expand or raise capital in the US have completed the first 5 weeks of the acceleration program in Barcelona and are … more of this 'News' post
No more cash or awkward face-to-face meetings when you’re buying or selling second-hand stuff on Wallapop! One of Barcelona’s most popular startups, the leading mobile marketplace in Spain, Wallapop is expanding its realm by launching a new, secure in-app payment service called Wallapay. Future plans include starting a home delivery service and … more of this 'News' post
The German electronics manufacturer Bosch is planning to bring its electric scooter sharing system, which is already successfully running in Berlin, to the streets of Barcelona and Madrid, according to El Confidencial. As the city with the second largest number of motorcycles in Europe, Barcelona could prove to be an ideal … more of this 'News' post
Electric car owners can now charge their vehicles at Tesla charging stations in the parking lots of El Corte Inglés department stores in Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao, reports El Español. Charge It While You Shop The idea is that by plugging their car in, owners can take advantage of the time … more of this 'News' post
The future is is much closer than it seems. Zero 2 Infinity, a privately owned, Barcelona-based startup that designs and launches satellites to near space, has completed a milestone mission on 1 March, when it successfully launched its first rocket from the Edge of Space. A small step for mankind, a huge … more of this 'News' post
With only one week to go until Mobile World Congress Barcelona, the tech world is completely hyped to find out what mind-blowing innovations the biggest names are about to announce. That the mobile industry’s race against time will continue with new technologies aiming to increase download speed and enhance user … more of this 'News' post
The multinational e-commerce giant Amazon will be opening its Barcelona logistics center in El Prat de Llobregat and starting the delivery of packages on 4 October. The company is planning to create no less than 1,500 jobs at the new site in three years’ time. As of right now, 40 open … more of this 'News' post