Barcelona, 7 November 2023. – Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Airbnb, met this morning with representatives of Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem, convened by Tech Barcelona. With the backing of the association and in front of an audience that included entrepreneurs linked to the city’s technology sector, Blecharczyk reinforced his commitment to Barcelona, expressed his gratitude for serving as an inspiration for many local entrepreneurs and highlighted the most immediate challenges facing the company.

The Airbnb co-founder has highlighted the importance that the new European regulation on short-term rentals – which under the Spanish EU presidency is about to be approved by the European Parliament – will have on the company’s relations with local governments. “This regulation will mark a turning point as, for the first time, platforms and local authorities will have clear guidelines on how to share data, enforce rules and make the rules work for everyone. This new EU framework is a great opportunity to re-establish and rebuild our conversation with authorities at local and regional level in Spain, including Barcelona”.

Airbnb began operations in Spain in 2012, just four years after launching in San Francisco. “We chose Barcelona because it is not only a place of incredible history and culture, but also a centre of innovation and technological progress where we can find talent; we are proud to be part of this community,” said Blecharczyk. Airbnb, which has been part of Tech Barcelona since 2016, made one of its first acquisitions in Barcelona: in 2017 it bought Trip4real, a Barcelona-based startup that was a foundational part of the platform’s experience business.

Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona: “Airbnb’s arrival in Barcelona in 2012 had a very important impact on the city’s self-recognition as an entrepreneurial and technological city. Since then, the company has played a very important role both at the ecosystem level (with the acquisition of the startup Trip4real), as well as for the firm and constant commitment of Barcelona as a global tourist destination. Nathan Blecharczyk’s visit and the meeting with Tech Barcelona’s partners and associates reinforces this ongoing commitment and support for the local entrepreneurial community. We at Tech Barcelona look forward to continuing to work closely with Airbnb and taking advantage of the opportunities that the new European regulation will bring for the benefit of all”.

Airbnb believes it has a lot to offer cities like Barcelona that receive millions of visitors a year, both tourists and people who want to settle in the city to work.

In addition, Tech Barcelona accompanied Blecharczyk to the Smart City Expo, where he took part in the opening session with Mar Galtés, the association’s director of corporate development, in which they discussed topics such as the dispersion of tourism. 2023 marks the record for travel dispersal on the Airbnb platform, a year in which guests have stayed in more than 100,000 cities and towns around the world, a record number. “We believe our platform helps provide a solution by dispersing travel, helping guests discover unique new destinations and communities beyond the usual tourist hotspots. And we are constantly investing in new technologies to support this work,” remarked Blecharczyk during his speech.

Blecharczyk, who had not visited Spain since 2017, pointed out the importance of creating projects that bring value to the local community. “The biggest impact Airbnb is having is on the hosts. Being a host in Spain has been an economic lifeline for many,” added Blecharczyk, who pointed out that, in Spain, almost 8 out of 10 hosts only have one listing on the platform. The company highlights that this is an indicator that, for the most part, these hosts are individuals or families who share their residence on an occasional basis, or also a private room or a second residence when they are not using it.

• Tech Barcelona and ESTEVE share their desire to promote technological innovation in their ultimate goal of improving people’s lives through healthcare.

• The agreement allows the pharmaceutical company to establish greater connections with Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem.

Barcelona, 25 de octubre de 2023. – Pharmaceutical company ESTEVE has joined the Tech Barcelona as a Corporate Partner with the aim of promoting its new innovation model, based on establishing solid collaborative relationships with platforms specialising in innovation and health sciences. Tech Barcelona represents Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem in a transversal way and has a strategic focus on the health sector, where it already brings together more than ten large companies from the pharmaceutical industry, numerous startups and public and private institutions.

Since ESTEVE was founded more than 90 years ago, its purpose has been to improve people’s lives. The pharmaceutical company’s joining Tech Barcelona as a Corporate Partner is a significant step in the realisation of this commitment. This partnership provides ESTEVE with unrivalled access to an advanced healthcare innovation ecosystem, as well as a network of specialised and diverse talent and initiatives. By joining Tech Barcelona, ESTEVE strengthens its transformational project, supporting its position as a leader in biomedical innovation.

José María Giménez Arnau, Chief Scientific & Medical Officer of ESTEVE: ” Joining Tech Barcelona will boost our innovation model, bringing us together with an innovative, diverse and specialised ecosystem in healthcare. It is also a commitment to talent in biomedical research. This collaboration strengthens our founding raison d’être, as leaders in health innovation, promoting advances that will contribute significantly to improving people’s quality of life”.

“Tech Barcelona shares with ESTEVE the historic desire to improve people’s lives through innovation and technology, from Barcelona and with a global outlook. This alliance will allow us to build greater relationships in the health and life sciences sector with one main objective: accelerate its impact on citizens, the health system and its professionals,” says Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona.

Tech Barcelona’s commitment to the health sector is structured around Pier07, a hub of reference in business innovation in the health and life sciences sector. Located at Via Laietana 26, the building houses startups, pharmaceutical companies, investors, institutions, universities, research centres and the public health system, all of which are represented and actively participate in Tech Barcelona’s content and activities. The space is part of the Urban Tech Campus project, a network of connected buildings for innovation and technology to be integrated into the city.

Barcelona, October 19, 2023. – WindowSight, the Barcelona-based visual art and photography streaming platform, has become a Corporate Partner of Tech Barcelona, the leading association that supports the city’s technological and digital ecosystem. This collaboration introduces dynamic visual elements into Tech Barcelona’s workspaces, providing a productivity boost and reinforcing the symbiotic relationship between art and technological innovation.

The WindowSight customizable platform will enable people working in Tech Barcelona’s Pier01, Pier03 and Pier07 to get inspired by more than 12,000 visual artworks, which will be displayed daily at the workplace screens. In a place where people spend around 8 hours a day, it has been shown to be essential to provide an alternative source of visual breaks and new stimuli, in order to prevent boredom and disengagement, and more importantly, to alleviate stress levels and eventually boost the overall productivity and effectiveness.

“We managed to take this collaboration one step further than just a partnership, by promoting not only what the hub itself supports –digital and technological innovation– but also what Barcelona stands for as one of the most cultural cities in the world for centuries. In addition, we noticed a huge opportunity to enrich Tech Barcelona’s spacious and modern buildings with dynamic visuals that boosts the hub’s identity and its team’s potential”, states Pol Rosset, CEO and Co-Founder of WindowSight.

Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, remarks, “Barcelona is a leading city in terms of entrepreneurship, technology and culture: the challenge now is to make them work together. What better place to achieve this harmony than within the spaces of Tech Barcelona, where entrepreneurs and visitors can tap into the multitude of benefits that art brings to the workspace”.

Barcelona, October 11, 2023. — Mindset Consulting, an international strategic communications agency for tech companies and VC funds, has joined forces with Tech Barcelona, the independent and non-profit association dedicated to positioning Barcelona as a leading technological and digital hub. This agreement links the consultancy firm as a PR partner of reference to guide local entrepreneurs in expanding their global presence and to aid international founders in establishing Barcelona’s tech ecosystem.

Mindset Consulting was founded in 2020 and focuses on the U.S., Europe, and Latin America markets. The company was recently named the Agency of the Year by the 2023 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards.

“With our cross-border expertise in strategic communications, we are thrilled to work hand-in-hand with Tech Barcelona and contribute to their mission. Together, we can achieve better results in assisting local entrepreneurs to make their mark worldwide and help international founders enter the high-potential Spanish market,” Dina Mostovaya, founder and CEO of Mindset Consulting, says.

Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, remarked on the partnership, stating, “This partnership with Mindset Consulting marks a pivotal moment in our journey to propel Barcelona’s tech ecosystem onto the global stage. Together, we will create synergies that harness the city’s immense potential.”

Founded a decade ago, Tech Barcelona now represents a network of over 1,300 members and 80 partner organisations, and industry leaders, all united by their commitment to pioneering the most innovative technologies.

• Both entities join forces to collaborate and improve urban mobility in Barcelona through innovation and technology.

• FREENOW, backed by BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Mobility, has an innovation centre in the city with 150 employees dedicated to the development and smooth running of its taxi driver application for all the countries where the company operates.

Barcelona, 9 October 2023. – FREENOW, Europe’s mobility super app, has become a Global Partner of Tech Barcelona, the independent non-profit association that is the backbone of Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem. The alliance aims to continue driving technological innovation in the field of urban mobility to improve the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants.

Since 2019, FREENOW has a technology centre in Barcelona dedicated to the development of the taxi driver app, where 150 highly qualified professionals develop and ensure the proper functioning of the driver app for all the countries in which it operates. With a presence in 9 markets and more than 150 European cities, the German company, backed by the BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Mobility, offers users a wide selection of vehicles, from taxis to car sharing, scooters, bicycles, electric scooters and public transport (only in Germany), to decide how, when and where to move at any time and in a couple of clicks.

“Barcelona was the first city where we started offering our taxi services 11 years ago. We were pioneers in offering a digital tool that allowed the taxi sector to modernise and contact users in a simple and efficient way. Since then, we have focused on continuing to improve our technological services through innovation and digitalisation. Today, the FREENOW app goes further, connecting our users with taxis and new sustainable modes of transport, thus promoting more efficient and connected mobility within cities,” says Isabel García Frontera, General Manager of FREENOW Spain.

For his part, Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, assures that “this alliance will contribute to the sustainable development of Barcelona through the application of technology in the field of mobility, one of the fundamental pillars of the city. The power of the entrepreneurial ecosystem joins the international experience of FREENOW to lead the growth of new models of connected and sustainable urban mobility for the benefit of all citizens”.

• The agreement reinforces the French company’s involvement in the development of Barcelona’s healthcare innovation ecosystem, with its epicentre at Tech Barcelona’s Pier07
• Sanofi further strengthens its position in the city, where it already has its headquarters for Spain and one of its international digital innovation hubs

Barcelona, September 6^th 2023. – The biopharmaceutical company Sanofi joins Tech Barcelona as a Corporate Partner to continue supporting the development of the innovation ecosystem in health and life sciences in Barcelona, which Tech Barcelona has been developing from Pier07. The agreement is part of the strategy of the association to establish links between all the agents in the health sector and to resolve needs detected through technology.

In January 2023, the French company centralised its two offices in Barcelona into a single headquarters, located in the Meridian building, where it had already located one of its global digital innovation hubs, employing more than 400 people who are responsible for leading Sanofi’s innovation and transformation at an international level. The company maintains another headquarters in Madrid and a production centre in Girona.

For its part, in February 2023, Tech Barcelona launched Pier07, a benchmark hub for business innovation in the health and life sciences sector. The building, located at Via Laietana 26, houses startups, pharmaceutical companies, investors, institutions, universities, research centres and the public health system, which are represented and actively participate in the contents and activities of the association.

Heidi Van De Woestyne, Head of People&Culture at Sanofi Iberia, stresses that “we were pioneers in creating one of the first digital hubs in the city, and we want to continue to be a benchmark in this regard. Tech Barcelona is a strategic partner to continue developing this innovation ecosystem, to attract the talent we need and, in short, to continue developing, from Barcelona, innovative solutions to improve people’s lives and health”.

Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, assures that “the application of technology in the health and life sciences sector is vital to accelerate its impact, both on citizens and on the health system and its professionals. In this sense, the incorporation of Sanofi as a Corporate Partner is excellent news that reaffirms the commitment of large pharmaceutical companies to innovation and the development of a health ecosystem of reference in Barcelona”.

• The agreement aims to develop strategies, together with Technology by PageGroup, geared towards the generation, attraction and retention of technological and digital talent in the city.

Barcelona, September 5, 2023. – Michael Page, the leading recruitment consultancy for skilled, middle and senior management, has become a Corporate Partner of Tech Barcelona, the private non-profit association that supports Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem. The agreement aims to develop joint strategies aimed at generating, attracting and retaining technological talent, especially that which fosters innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration between startups and corporations.

The consultancy firm will drive these initiatives through its Technology by PageGroup vertical, which has teams of consultants specialising in different technological areas – Development & Architecture, Data & Analytics, Infrastructure & Cybersecurity, IT Management & Governance and Business Applications – and an international network of contacts of more than 250,000 industry professionals.

For Joana Barbany, Business Development Director at Michael Page, “this alliance was born to reduce the digital talent gap that exists today in Barcelona. If we want to continue to lead the economic and digital ecosystem, we have to focus above all on people and human resources”.

For his part, Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, highlights the importance of talent as the main asset of the technological and digital ecosystem: “Having an international leader in recruitment like Michael Page will help us to meet the growing demand for specialised profiles and to maintain the attractiveness of Barcelona for talent at a global level”.

According to the Digital Talent Overview 2023 report, in Barcelona, the demand for technological profiles experienced an increase of 35% in 2022. The agreement between Michael Page and Tech Barcelona seeks to reduce this lack of talent and simplify the profile selection process thanks to the experience of the consultancy firm and through the association’s programme of content, activities and connections.

• The agreement connects MingoThings International’s innovation and digital transformation solutions with Barcelona’s startups and corporations

• The global presence of the technology consultancy also favours the internationalisation of Barcelona’s technology ecosystem

Barcelona, 26 July 2023. – Tech Barcelona, the non-profit association that supports Barcelona’s digital and technological ecosystem, has incorporated the technology consultancy MingoThings International as a new Corporate Partner. The agreement aims to promote the internationalisation of startups and technology corporations in the city and jointly promote the development and digital transformation of the industry.

MingoThings International, an innovative technology solutions integrator, is headquartered in Barcelona and operates from Mexico, Nairobi, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, working on multiple projects around the world. This will allow startups and corporations associated with Tech Barcelona to access the consultancy’s network of international connections, promoting their international expansion.

For Francesc Domingo, CEO of MingoThings, “the strategic partnership with Tech Barcelona represents an important milestone in our goal to lead technological innovation in the industry. The collaboration with Tech Barcelona will give us a stronger presence in the local market and a direct connection to its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are excited to join forces to jointly drive digital transformation in Barcelona and offer comprehensive, cutting-edge solutions and development programmes to both our clients and Tech Barcelona’s partner companies.

For his part, Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, assures that “the incorporation of MingoThings will strengthen our ecosystem and allow us to continue to jointly drive digital transformation in the industry in Barcelona. In addition, MingoThings’ global presence and network of international contacts will be a valuable asset for startups and corporations in the city looking to expand internationally.

Tech Barcelona currently represents more than 1,300 partners and has more than 80 partner organisations, leaders in their sector, committed to the project. MingoThings International works with a global network of more than 500 strategic partners and collaborators, covering a wide range of industries and sectors (smart cities, education, transport, tourism, security, health, etc.).