The region has attracted major foreign technology players, with nearly 20% of foreign companies being technology-focused.
On Tuesday, Albert Castellanos, the Secretary of Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, made a significant announcement, revealing that Catalonia is now home to 1,835 foreign technology companies. This marks a 5.9% increase from 2022 and a substantial 34% surge from 2019, pre-dating the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the Business Competitiveness Agency of the Ministry of Business and Labour,
This announcement took place at the inauguration of the fourth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona, an annual gathering for startups and technology and digital companies in Catalonia. Organized by Tech Barcelona with the support of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the event took place on December 12 and 13 at the Llotja de Mar in Barcelona with an expected turnout of 8,500 participants, including startups, scale-ups, investment funds, and major corporations.
During his address, Castellanos underscored the evolution of Catalonia's startup ecosystem over the past decade, according to Catalonia Trade & Investment (catalonia.com). Castellanos highlighted the collective efforts of Tech Barcelona, accelerators, private entities, and ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment to position Barcelona and Catalonia as a hub for startups and entrepreneurship on a European scale.
He also emphasized the pivotal role of "public-private collaboration" in this journey, transforming Barcelona into "the first startup hub in Southern Europe, the second favorite in the European Union for startup creation, and the fifth in rounds of financing raised.” Castellanos reflected on the exponential growth, stating, "Just six years ago, we had half as many startups as today, and they attracted four times less funding than today," according to Catalonia Investment & Trade.
Castellanos also said that the development of this pioneering ecosystem in Europe has attracted major foreign technology players to establish their R&D and innovation centers in Catalonia, with nearly 20% of foreign companies in the region being technology-focused.
According to Castellanos, future challenges include the need to "augment the critical mass of startups, especially deep-tech ones, fostering open innovation as a common practice in Catalonia, and encouraging emerging companies to catalyze greater technological risk in R&D," according to Catalonia Trade & Investment.
Source: https://catalonia.com/w/there-are-1-835-foreign-technology-companies-in-catalonia-6-more-than-in-2022?id=1274260
This announcement took place at the inauguration of the fourth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona, an annual gathering for startups and technology and digital companies in Catalonia. Organized by Tech Barcelona with the support of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the event took place on December 12 and 13 at the Llotja de Mar in Barcelona with an expected turnout of 8,500 participants, including startups, scale-ups, investment funds, and major corporations.
During his address, Castellanos underscored the evolution of Catalonia's startup ecosystem over the past decade, according to Catalonia Trade & Investment (catalonia.com). Castellanos highlighted the collective efforts of Tech Barcelona, accelerators, private entities, and ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment to position Barcelona and Catalonia as a hub for startups and entrepreneurship on a European scale.
He also emphasized the pivotal role of "public-private collaboration" in this journey, transforming Barcelona into "the first startup hub in Southern Europe, the second favorite in the European Union for startup creation, and the fifth in rounds of financing raised.” Castellanos reflected on the exponential growth, stating, "Just six years ago, we had half as many startups as today, and they attracted four times less funding than today," according to Catalonia Investment & Trade.
Castellanos also said that the development of this pioneering ecosystem in Europe has attracted major foreign technology players to establish their R&D and innovation centers in Catalonia, with nearly 20% of foreign companies in the region being technology-focused.
According to Castellanos, future challenges include the need to "augment the critical mass of startups, especially deep-tech ones, fostering open innovation as a common practice in Catalonia, and encouraging emerging companies to catalyze greater technological risk in R&D," according to Catalonia Trade & Investment.
Source: https://catalonia.com/w/there-are-1-835-foreign-technology-companies-in-catalonia-6-more-than-in-2022?id=1274260