• L’acord de col·laboració facilita l’accés al finançament al teixit empresarial de Barcelona, a fi de contribuir en el creixement de l’emprenedoria actuant com a complement del finançament privat

Barcelona, 27 de novembre de 2023.- L’Institut Català de Finances, l’entitat financera pública de Catalunya, ha signat un acord de col·laboració amb l’associació Tech Barcelona per incrementar el coneixement de les solucions de finançament existents i impulsar el finançament de l’ecosistema tecnològic i digital de Barcelona. L’acord consolida la relació de la banca pública de promoció de Catalunya amb el teixit empresarial de la ciutat.

En aquest sentit, l’ICF té productes com l’ICF Venture Tech, fons de capital risc destinats a invertir en projectes tecnològics i/o d’innovació en les seves etapes inicials i amb models de negoci innovadors, o IFEM Innovació, un finançament en coinversió amb inversors privats i fons de capital risc en forma de préstec participatius per a empreses en fases inicials o en les primeres etapes de creixement.

Vanessa Servera, consellera delegada de l’ICF: “Per a l’ICF, aquest conveni amb Tech Barcelona és una aliança estratègica per fer més sòlida la relació de la banca pública de promoció de Catalunya amb l’ecosistema tecnològic i digital. L’ICF és un agent de finançament rellevant en el sector tecnològic i d’start-ups i aquest acord contribueix a materialitzar encara més la seva posició i a incrementar el coneixement de les solucions de finançament que ofereix.”

Miquel Martí, CEO de Tech Barcelona: “L’Institut Català de finances ha estat i és un agent clau en el desenvolupament de l’ecosistema tecnològic català, per la seva implicació com a inversor directe i col·laborant amb el venture capital. Formalitzar aquest rol a través de la seva incorporació com a partner de Tech Barcelona reforça la visió compartida de que la col·laboració publicoprivada és clau per a l’impuls de l’ecosistema”.

El conveni signat preveu la col·laboració entre Tech Barcelona i l’ICF en la promoció d’iniciatives, programes i esdeveniments de l’àmbit tecnològic i digital, l’organització de tallers i grups de treball, i la participació a actes com el Tech Spirit Barcelona o el 4YFN.

Tech Barcelona, associació independent i sense ànim de lucre que treballa per a consolidar Barcelona com un hub tecnològic i digital de referència internacional, representa a més de 1.300 socis i compta amb el suport més de 90 organitzacions partners, líders en el seu sector, compromeses amb el projecte.

• The pharmaceutical company, which has a production plant in Barcelona, strengthens its commitment to the development of the city’s health and life sciences innovation ecosystem.

• With this incorporation, the tech association has the backing of a dozen corporations in the health sector, and a significant representation of startups, investment funds, hospitals and research centres.

Barcelona, 21 November 2023. – The pharmaceutical company Angelini Pharma has joined Tech Barcelona as a Corporate Partner to jointly promote the development of the innovation ecosystem in health and life sciences in Barcelona. With this incorporation, the association now brings together a dozen corporations in the health sector, and a significant representation of biotech, medtech, digital health and healthtech startups, specialised investment funds, universities, research centres and the public health system, with the aim of boosting their growth through technology.

Angelini Pharma is a century-old Italian pharmaceutical company with an international focus on the therapeutic areas of Brain Health, pain and inflammation, ophthalmology and Consumer Health. With more than 45 years of presence in Spain, the company has one of its five production plants located in Sant Quirze del Vallès (Barcelona), from where it manufactures more than three million units of Juanola tablets per year. Having consolidated Barcelona as the epicentre of its operations and engine of scientific innovation, with more than 200 employees and a digital innovation centre, Angelini Pharma is strengthening its commitment to the city to catalyse the future of healthcare through digitalisation.

In February 2023, Tech Barcelona launched Pier07, a reference hub for business innovation in the health and life sciences sector. Located at Via Laietana 26, it hosts all the players in the health sector value chain and in a short time has become a meeting point to promote its growth through the generation of connections, content and strategic projects.

This alliance is a strategic confluence to enhance the transformation of the healthcare sector and have a positive impact on society. In the words of Olga Insua, CEO of Angelini Pharma Spain, “At Angelini Pharma we have a track record of more than a century of improving people’s health and quality of life through innovation and collaboration. This alliance with Tech Barcelona will not only strengthen our capabilities, but will also contribute to reinforcing the city’s digital health ecosystem to accelerate the arrival of healthcare solutions based on cutting-edge technologies that address the healthcare challenges of the present and the future”.

For his part, Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, assures that “the health and life sciences sector in Barcelona represents a fundamental pillar in the development of technology and innovation in the city. Collaborating with long-standing and cutting-edge partners, such as Angelini Pharma, enhances our ability to improve the quality of life and well-being of all citizens through technology”.

Por Miguel Gómez.

Tan pronto te llenan las 90.000 localidades del Camp Nou, como reúnen a centenares de miles de viewers ‘finde’ tras ‘finde’ con la colaboración de los mayores streamers de Twitch, Youtube y TikTok. La capacidad de atracción de la Kings League InfoJobs, la competición de fútbol voluble y frenético de Gerard Piqué y Oriol Querol, ha llamado la atención de algunas marcas valientes. E Infojobs fue de las primeras en apostar por este proyecto tan disruptor.

“En mi época de director financiero, nunca habría aprobado un patrocinio así” reconoce Román Campa, CEO de Adevinta Spain, ante la sonrisa de quien sabe que la campaña ha sido un exitazo: “Nilton Navarro [Brand Manager de InfoJobs e impulsor del patrocinio] me convenció que éste era el camino correcto. Y sólo el tiempo lo ha confirmado”. Infojobs está presente en el nombre de la liga masculina, serigrafiada en las camisetas de todos los equipos e, incluso, involucrada como la plataforma tecnológica que gestiona el proceso de selección de jugadores.

Para entender mejor este fenómeno, representantes del ecosistema tecnológico y digital de Barcelona convocados a la Tech Barcelona Dinner, se reunieron en el restaurante de Casa Seat junto a los protagonistas de la historia. La cena, sin embargo, contraprogramaba el After Kings, el programa de los lunes por la noche que repasa las mejores jugadas de la jornada anterior. “Lo que para el público son tertulias entre amigos, para nosotros es el equivalente a un consejo de administración”, ironizó Oriol Querol, CEO de la competición. Pero no lo decía en broma: tuvo que irse antes de empezar a dar bocado, corriendo hacia el plató. “Esta noche, que no salga de aquí, anunciaremos que, durante las finales de la Kingdom Cup, los presidentes saltarán al campo del Palau Sant Jordi haciendo puenting desde 25 metros de altura”. Quien diría que Oriol es el personaje más serio en este circo de la Kings.

Eduard Scott, Managing Director de Goatch (joint venture creado por Gerard Piqué y el streamer Ibai Llanos), confirmó este estilo desenfrenado de la liga: “Hemos puesto el deporte al servicio del entretenimiento. Hasta el árbitro, que tradicionalmente debería seguir el reglamento, en nuestro caso sigue las directrices de la sala de realización”. Y para los sponsors, esto es una excelente noticia. Poner el entretenimiento en el centro permite que la creatividad vuele. Lienzo en blanco, libertad absoluta para proponer y crear: el único objetivo es el impacto. A los asistentes -en su mayoría responsables de innovación, marketing o tecnología en empresas reconocidas- los ojos les hacían chiribitas cuando Gabriel Lluch, Commercial Manager de la Kings y Queens League, explicó algunas de las activaciones de partnerships: Netflix, por ejemplo, convirtió el CUPRA Arena en un set de cine con tanques y militares, y Mahou aprovechó los descansos entre partidos para montar tertulias de bar con cervezas en mano. “Llevo sólo un mes aquí, y ya parece que haya pasado más de un año”, resumió Gabriel.

La cena acabó con esta apertura de miras, y la sensación de que todo es posible. Y, sobre todo, explicitando la necesaria colaboración entre el ecosistema tecnológico de Barcelona y los promotores de estas ideas disruptivas que, en definitiva, ponen a Barcelona en el ojo del huracán. Aún más. Valentía para crear, valentía para creer.

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.