• The agreement allows the German company to be further involved in the development and cooperation of Barcelona’s health innovation ecosystem.

• Tech Barcelona reinforces its strategy to vertebrate business innovation in the health and life sciences sector with the imminent opening of Pier07 in Via Laietana 26

• Under its objective to become a leader in digital innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and a key site for the group globally, Boehringer Ingelheim plans to continue investing in its digital and technological hubs in Sant Cugat del Vallès in the coming years

Barcelona, February 9, 2023. – The German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim joins Tech Barcelona as a Corporate Partner. Its incorporation allows a greater involvement of the company in the development of the innovation ecosystem in health and life sciences in Barcelona. In addition, the agreement reinforces the association’s strategy to connect all the agents involved in the value chain of the health sector to solve needs detected through technology.

Tech Barcelona will launch Pier07, a hub of reference in business innovation in the health and life sciences sector, reaffirming the association’s commitment to public and private actors in the sector. The building, located at Via Laietana 26, will house startups, pharmaceutical companies, investors, institutions, universities, research centres and the public health system, which will be represented and actively participate in the contents and activities of the association.

In its commitment to sustainability, not only of the environment, but also of the communities where it is present, Boehringer Ingelheim contributes to the generation of job opportunities, in this case, with the investment in its digital and technological hubs in Sant Cugat del Vallès. This type of centre represents a development for the region, the universities and the community in general. In the last year, the company has allocated 13 million euros to technological projects and plans to continue investing in the coming years. The company’s goal is to become a leader in digital innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.

For Esther Donado, Medical Transformation & Innovation Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim Spain, “signing this agreement with Tech Barcelona allows Boehringer Ingelheim to join Barcelona’s innovation ecosystem, connect with key players such as technology companies and startups, and contribute to the evolution of the healthcare world. This fits with our commitment to transforming the lives of people and animals for present and future generations, as it allows us to be an active part of the process of technological transformation and to get closer to the needs of healthcare professionals, as well as patients, who are at the centre of all our decisions”.

Marieta Ramos, Head of the IT HUB at Boehringer Ingelheim Spain, recognises this agreement as fundamental in the strategy that the company is carrying out in its trajectory, within the technological and digital framework in Spain with its HUBs, which currently employ 340 people and continue to grow in 2023 with a growth forecast of more than 10%.

For his part, Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, assures that “the incorporation of Boehringer Ingelheim as Corporate Partner reaffirms the involvement of large pharmaceutical companies in the health ecosystem of Barcelona, one of the strategic pillars of the country. The application of technology in the health and life sciences sector is crucial because it will accelerate its impact at all levels: citizens, the health system and professionals in the sector”.

• The agreement allows one of Europe’s leading fashion groups to engage with Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem.

Barcelona, January 30th, 2023. – Mango, one of Europe’s leading groups in the fashion industry, has joined Tech Barcelona as a Global Partner with the aim of engaging with Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem. This incorporation allows Mango, as an agent with a long history in the retail and e-commerce sector, to actively participate in the generation of knowledge and debate on the present and future of both sectors.

In addition, the agreement will broaden and deepen Mango’s connection with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, corporations and institutions committed to digitalisation and innovation. In this regard, in April 2022 the company created Mango StartUp Studio, a fashion startup accelerator whose mission is to promote innovation, detect growth opportunities and participate in the development of new technologies or business models. Mango StartUp Studio seeks companies or ideas in the development phase to carry out seed capital investments that bring innovation to the value chain of the fashion industry and improve the customer experience.

“At Mango, innovation and technology are part of our essence and DNA. For this reason, we are particularly excited to be part of Tech Barcelona, a collaboration that will allow us to move forward in our digital transformation process hand in hand with one of the top leaders of the digital and technological ecosystem in Barcelona, as well as an international benchmark organisation,” says Elena Carasso, Online and Customer Director at Mango.

For Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, “Mango represents a great success story in the retail and e-commerce sectors, so its involvement in Tech Barcelona will expand the connections and synergies needed to innovate and facilitate the digital transformation of the sector. In addition, being able to count on Mango’s leadership and experience in Tech Barcelona’s activities and content will undoubtedly help startups, corporations and institutions solve new challenges with technology at their core”.

The agreement also gives the company access to Tech Barcelona’s dynamic working groups, organised to identify technological solutions, share challenges and knowledge and support participants’ public policy strategies.

• The agreement opens up business opportunities abroad for startups in the Barcelona ecosystem

• The public business entity will have a physical presence at Pier01, the association’s headquarters

Barcelona, January 25th, 2023. – ICEX Spain Export and Investment has signed a collaboration agreement with Tech Barcelona, a private non-profit association that promotes the city’s technological and digital ecosystem, to promote the internationalisation of startups and facilitate their business opportunities abroad.

For ICEX, the importance of the agreement with Tech Barcelona stems from the need to channel towards international technology hubs in Spain the business opportunities that ICEX instruments represent in terms of supporting the technological and innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the idea of joining forces with leading entities.

Tech Barcelona, through the Urban Tech Campus, and mainly Pier01, where the association’s headquarters are located, has become a meeting point for the different actors that make up Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem, fostering innovative development and decisive contacts between agents in the ecosystem.

For this reason, ICEX has established a physical presence at Pier 01 to better understand the characteristics and needs of the Barcelona ecosystem and to develop its informative work on international business opportunities for the companies located there, as well as promotion supported by the new ICEX instruments.

Chema Blasco, Director of Infrastructure, Health and ICT at ICEX, explains that “the protocol signed between ICEX and Tech Barcelona, as well as the contracting of a physical space for ICEX at Pier01, responds to the interest of reaching more actors of the technological and innovative entrepreneurship ecosystem in Barcelona with information about commercial promotion instruments for the startup ecosystem managed by ICEX, which are proving to be successful”.

According to Blasco, “there is no better way to do this than hand in hand with a partner like Tech Barcelona, as it opens up the possibility of incorporating ICEX into existing activities in the ecosystem and creating new joint actions with actors in the Barcelona ecosystem in terms of business development abroad for startups, attracting talent, funds and top foreign startups and promoting open innovation, and thus providing continuity in a more specialised way to the important work that the Territorial Directorate of Trade of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism/ICEX in Barcelona has been doing. The clients that receive ICEX services are to a large extent startups, scaleups, corporations and investment funds in the ecosystem”. Finally, he confirmed that “this example can serve as a model for collaboration in other key cities in the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem”.

Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, assures that “we work to provide the ecosystem with the maximum resources to grow and promote the international expansion of startups and scaleups. For Tech Barcelona, the international relevance of the ecosystem is a strategic priority, and having ICEX close by must contribute to accelerating this process”.

• The startup offers solutions based on artificial intelligence and Big Data with the aim of identifying and retaining technological talent

• Tech Barcelona has promoted different initiatives such as Tech Up Nights, Workshops and Working Groups to address the challenges of the future of work

Barcelona, 23 November 2022. – Talent Match, a human resources consultancy based in Barcelona, joins Tech Barcelona as a Corporate Partner. This agreement will allow the Catalan startup, which offers innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence and big data, to become more involved in attracting and retaining talent in Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem.

Talent Match has a matchmaking platform that collects the characteristics and preferences of each candidate to cross-reference them with the requirements of the vacancies offered by companies. On the other hand, it also applies data engineering techniques through which it analyses the data generated by employees, with the aim of understanding their needs and predicting future situations.

In Barcelona, the demand for technological profiles grew by 40% in 2021, while the supply of available profiles only grew by 10%, according to the Digital Talent Overview 2022. Given this situation, the partnership with Talent Match aims to identify the most innovative tools to improve and facilitate the selection process; retaining the best talent in the city through technology.

Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, assures that “innovation in human resources must be a priority for startups and corporations to be able to attract and retain the best talent, especially in a market as competitive as the technological one. Having allies like Talent Match will undoubtedly facilitate this process for all players in the ecosystem, and will position Barcelona both nationally and internationally as the ideal city to work in”.

In the words of Guillem Llacuna and Jordi Valenzuela, co-founders of Talent Match, “at Talent Match we consider Tech Barcelona a reference within the startup ecosystem in Europe. For Talent Match, as a startup linked to the field of talent and technology, it is a pleasure to be part of it and to be able to do our bit by working together with other technology companies that also see the area of talent as an opportunity to innovate and a key factor in the success of any company”.

Tech Barcelona, as a private non-profit association representing more than 1,200 companies in the digital and technological ecosystem, works to anticipate the tools and trends that are transforming the future of work. That is why, this year, it has promoted different initiatives such as Tech Up Nights, Workshops and specialised Working Groups.

• The agreement aims to jointly promote and support disruptive projects in the edutech and culture sectors

• The cooperative will invest in edutech’s entrepreneurial projects under the Abacus Next investment plan

Barcelona, 22 November 2022. – The cooperative Abacus has joined Tech Barcelona as a new Corporate Partner. With this agreement, the cooperative is committed to participating in initiatives aimed at promoting business development and digital talent in the fields of content creation and distribution for education and culture, and to identifying investment opportunities in start-ups in these fields.

This collaboration will allow the cooperative nature of Abacus, with the participation of nearly one million consumer members and more than 700 working members, to be incorporated as a way to innovate and add value in the digital environment of the Tech Barcelona ecosystem, based on a set of initiatives that facilitate the transfer of knowledge between the two organisations.

Salva Garcia, co-director of Abacus, values this alliance very positively and considers that “for the cooperative it is a great learning opportunity due to the leadership that Tech Barcelona exercises in the European digital entrepreneurial ecosystem. This agreement will provide us with experience and knowledge to advance and consolidate the Abacus Next investment and strategic plan, especially in edutech and culture, two pillars of our commitment to digitalisation”.

According to Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, “Abacus is a leading organisation with a long experience and a benchmark in the education sector. Its incorporation into Tech Barcelona is an example of how a model of innovation in constant evolution can have a social and economic impact, as well as a reference for many of the industries that have the challenge of facing the digital transformation”.

• The agreement illustrates the commitment of the venture builder with the creation of tech-based startups

Barcelona, October 26th 2022. – Farside Ventures, a venture builder specialised in creating ‘deep tech’ startups, joins Tech Barcelona as a Corporate Partner. The alliance will clearly illustrate the commitment Farside Ventures has to the creation of projects based on tech transfer, as well as reinforcing its connection with the rest of tech agents of the entrepreneurial and innovative tech ecosystem.

Farside Ventures brings together the verticals 101 Ventures, 5G Ventures, The Data Venture, Fintech Ventures and Sustainability Ventures, specialised in markets such as smartphone, 5G, blockchain, metaverse and financial technology, which already have 18 startups in their portfolio and €20.5M in funding. The venture builder, founded by the entrepreneurs Rafael García-Escarré, Marc Borrell, Jordi Priu, Oriol Relats and Guillemro Briones in Barcelona in 2020, aims to promote a hundred startups in the next four years, with a value raging between €75M and €100M.

Tech Barcelona, a non-profit association that promotes Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem, represents more than 1,200 innovative companies from all sectors who share a common commitment to technology.

Rafael García Escarré, co-founder and CEO of Farside Ventures, stated that “joining Tech Barcelona means working hand in hand with an entity that shares our spirit of creating an advanced entrepreneurial ecosystem. Without a doubt, this collaboration will allow us to continue working to contribute to barcelona’s leadership and thus position the city as a benchmark on the international technology scene”.

For his part, Miquel Martí, CEO de Tech Barcelona, assures that “the commitment of a group of investors to promote technology transfer through the creation of startups is a good example of the evolution and maturity of the ecosystem. From Tech Barcelona, we want to support all initiatives that contribute to add value and encourage more and more technology-based startups”.

• El acuerdo conecta la innovación y las soluciones de transformación digital de GFT con las startups y corporaciones de Barcelona
• La compañía alemana, especializada en soluciones tecnológicas para el sector financiero, asegurador e industrial, cuenta con un laboratorio de innovación digital ubicado en Sant Cugat

Barcelona, 20 de octubre de 2022. – Tech Barcelona, la asociación sin ánimo de lucro que vertebra el ecosistema digital y tecnológico de Barcelona, incorpora a la tecnológica alemana GFT como nuevo Corporate Partner. La compañía alemana, que cuenta con una larga experiencia en el mercado español, hace una apuesta decidida para implicarse más con el talento e innovación de startups y corporaciones de Barcelona.

GFT, fundada en 1987 y ubicada en 16 países, desarrolla soluciones tecnológicas y ofrece asesoramiento especializado a empresas del sector financiero y asegurador, así como de la industria manufacturera. Además, dispone desde el 2014 de un laboratorio de innovación digital ubicado en Sant Cugat, un espacio seguro que ofrece la posibilidad de simular escenarios reales a través de demos y prototipos tecnológicos. Adoptando las últimas tendencias tecnológicas e investigando sobre los nuevos hábitos y comportamientos sociales que derivan de ellas, este LAB desarrolla nuevos modelos actuando como puente entre las startups, las pymes y las grandes corporaciones.

Manuel Lavín, CEO de GFT en España, valora muy positivamente esta alianza. “Tech Barcelona es a día de hoy uno de los principales pilares del ecosistema de startups europeo y no ha parado de sumar partners en todos estos años. GFT quiere formar parte de esta gran familia de la innovación tecnológica y el emprendimiento para seguir apostando por la cocreación”.

Por su parte, Miquel Martí, CEO de Tech Barcelona, destaca que “grandes empresas internacionales y con experiencia como GFT hagan una apuesta decidida por Barcelona y su talento, hecho que sin duda beneficia al ecosistema de startups y corporaciones de la ciudad. Desde Tech Barcelona compartimos además su espíritu colaborativo, que permite trabajar de forma conjunta para alcanzar soluciones innovadoras e impactar positivamente en la sociedad”.

La multinacional GFT lleva dos décadas operando en España, periodo en el que ha realizado más de 2.500 proyectos para más de 100 clientes de todo el mundo, con un equipo de 2.000 personas repartidas entre sus sedes de Alicante, Lleida, Madrid, Sant Cugat, Valencia y Zaragoza.

• Both entities sign a collaboration agreement that connects them as “Strategic Partners” for the next four years

Barcelona, 14 October 2022. – Avançsa and Tech Barcelona signed a collaboration agreement on Tuesday for the next four years with the aim of promoting initiatives to encourage and promote the activity of the business ecosystem of the technology and digital sector in Catalonia, with Barcelona as a city of reference.

ech Barcelona is the independent non-profit private association that works together with entrepreneurs, startups, large corporations and other entities and agents of the ecosystem to position the city of Barcelona as one of the main technological and digital hubs at an international level.

In this sense, Avançsa will be able to count on the support of Tech Barcelona in its general initiatives to promote economic activity in Barcelona, attract talent and generate social impact, including identifying needs and proposing general proposals and measures.

For its part, Avançsa will support Tech Barcelona in the association’s promotion and representation activities in the field of entrepreneurship and the technology and digital sector, which aims to position Barcelona as a global hub of reference, as well as to attract investment, companies and talent in these areas.

In this way, Avançsa and Tech Barcelona become Strategic Partners to collaborate on strategic projects and organise activities together.

• The agreement promotes the connection of Italian startups and companies with the Barcelona ecosystem to generate activity and attract projects

Barcelona, 5 October 2022 – The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona and Tech Barcelona have signed an agreement to boost the connection of Italian startups and innovative companies within the city’s digital and technological ecosystem. This collaboration reinforces Barcelona as a world reference city in attracting investment, companies and talent.

Tech Barcelona, a non-profit association that promotes the technological and digital ecosystem of Barcelona, currently represents more than 1,000 members and 1,200 companies from all sectors that have technology as a driver of transformation. For its part, the Italian Chamber of Commerce supports more than 200 companies with a strong presence in the Italian-Spanish market, as well as small and medium-sized start-ups and companies with the intention of expanding. The companies represented by the Italian Chamber of Commerce belong to different sectors of the so-called ‘Made in Italy’ in Spain and strategic sectors for the Catalan economy, such as logistics, pharmaceuticals and agri-food.

According to Federica Falzetta, Secretaria General de la Cámara de Comercio Italiana in Barcelona, “in the last decade Barcelona has become a technological and digital hub of great importance. In this new environment, the number of Italian companies aligned with the world of information technology has been growing to the point that the Chamber has decided to undertake different strategic actions, such as MyStart BCN and the partnership with Tech Barcelona, to align its services to this new digital technological environment”.

Alessio Merella, member of Tech Barcelona and Business Development Manager of Abinsula, an Italian software company with presence in Barcelona, assures that “under this alliance, we promote the Italian ecosystem represented by the Chamber: synergies, networking and strategy for the mutual growth of these two important institutions”.

According to Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, “the close relationship we have with the Italian Chamber of Commerce should serve to attract even more investment and talent, as well as to generate opportunities for the city”. He also adds that “involving relevant actors with international representation in the economic and technological development of the city is an essential step to position Barcelona as a world reference hub”.