Category: Tech Spirit Barcelona

23 December 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

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Relive the best moments of Tech Spirit Barcelona 2025

23 December 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

Tech Spirit Barcelona 2025 brought together over 4,000 people at a two-day event featuring more than 60 content sessions and 150 speakers at Casa Llotja de Mar.
If you would like to revisit a session you want to watch again or one you couldn’t attend, and explore the photo gallery, you can now do so through the following links:

If you enjoyed them, feel free to share them on your professional channels. Thank you very much for making Tech Spirit Barcelona 2025 a great edition.

23 December 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona
11 December 2025 News Tech Spirit Barcelona

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The tech ecosystem rallies around Tech Spirit Barcelona in its sixth edition

11 December 2025 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
  • The content-driven event organized by the Tech Barcelona association and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce surpasses 4,000 attendees, who filled the spaces of La Llotja de Mar over two days
  • This sixth edition featured more than 150 speakers and 60 sessions, highlighting the importance of fostering homegrown, purpose-driven technology from Barcelona
  • Shinephi, a startup developing technology to measure nanometric-scale structures in the semiconductor field, won the Catalan Pitch Competition organized by ACCIÓ, being named ‘Catalan Startup of the Year 2025’

Barcelona, December 11, 2025. Tech Spirit Barcelona, the city’s technology and digital content event, successfully concludes its sixth edition after bringing together more than 4,000 attendees at La Llotja de Mar. The initiative, driven by the Tech Barcelona association and co-organized with the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, has reaffirmed itself as the annual meeting point for the city’s innovation ecosystem.

Over the two days, held on December 10 and 11, the program revolved around the central message of this edition: the need for Barcelona to promote technologies capable of strengthening its competitiveness while at the same time improving people’s lives. “We have seen how Barcelona can lead a future with its own technology—competitive and purpose-driven,” said Miguel Vicente, president of Tech Barcelona, at the close of the event, thanking all the companies and institutions involved for their support.

The program took a cross-cutting approach to debates on entrepreneurship, the advancement of artificial intelligence and its economic and ethical impacts, trends in public and private investment, the transfer of science to the market, and new creative approaches in a transforming digital environment. To this end, it brought together 65 entrepreneurs, 25 investors, around a dozen scientific profiles and another dozen creatives, as well as some twenty representatives from major companies such as Google, AWS, and HP, among others.

One of the most notable talks during the second day was delivered by David Sanmartín, co-founder of Nothing, a British unicorn that has sold more than 7 million devices and is on track to exceed €1 billion in revenue in 2025. In a conversation with Josep M. Ganyet (Mortensen), Sanmartín shared how differentiation has enabled the company to grow in a sector dominated by giants: “Nothing was born with the idea of making phones that are different, both in design and software; they show what’s essential, and AI takes care of simplifying the experience even further.”

Artificial intelligence once again played a central role. Diana Núñez (Clueless Agency) explained how it is possible to create virtual influencers with thousands of followers and explore new creative models; Gonzalo Romero (Google for Education) highlighted the value of AI as a “virtual assistant” in learning, while Jorge Juan Fernández (Hospital Clínic) and Pep Martorell (Invivo AI) did the same in the healthcare field; Andreas Merentitis (OLX) reminded attendees that “the companies that integrate AI now will define the new rules of the game”; and Yuval Dvir (SandboxAQ), from a more disruptive perspective, warned that “we are still unable to imagine the superhuman intelligence that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could represent.”

According to Cristian Canton, associate director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, “AI will eventually become an infrastructure accessible to everyone, but we will need to invest millions of euros to reduce Europe’s current dependence on the United States.” In this vein, companies such as Aistech Space, Ideaded, Yplasma, Mitiga, Indra, and TRC, as well as research centers like i2CAT and Eurecat—all of them present during the event—are working from Barcelona to develop deep technologies that will enable greater sovereignty and competitiveness in global markets.

 

Shinephi, ‘Catalan Startup of the Year 2025’

The startup Shinephi has been recognized as ‘Catalan Startup of the Year’ after winning ACCIÓ’s Catalan Pitch Competition. The ICFO spin-off, led by Roland Terborg, has developed a technology that helps optimize the semiconductor manufacturing process through an imaging system integrated into the production line, acting as a metrology tool to measure structures at the nanometric scale.

The Secretary for Business and Competitiveness at the Ministry of Business and Labour and CEO of ACCIÓ, Jaume Baró, presented the award. He highlighted “the high level of maturity of the Catalan ecosystem, which made it very difficult to choose a winner of the Catalan Pitch Competition.” “We will support both the winning startup and the 24 finalists so they can help change the world for the better in the fields of education, science, medicine, and social sciences,” he added.

Over the two days, ACCIÓ also organized more than 600 meetings between investors and entrepreneurs with the aim of supporting them in their search for funding.

11 December 2025 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
10 December 2025 News Tech Spirit Barcelona

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Tech Spirit Barcelona 2025 Calls for the Promotion of “Purpose-Driven Technologies”

10 December 2025 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
  • Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona, during the first day of the event: “We must put citizens’ interests at the center of any technological innovation.”
  • The sixth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona, which once again brings together the city’s technological and digital ecosystem, focuses the debate on how to develop technologies that enhance Europe’s sovereignty and competitiveness without losing sight of their societal impact.
  • Elsa Punset and creative professionals have shared the stage with leading entrepreneurs and public and private investors during the first day of the event, organized by Tech Barcelona and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce at La Llotja de Mar.

Barcelona, December 10, 2025 – The sixth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona, promoted by Tech Barcelona and co-organized for the first time with the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, kicked off with strong attendance from entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, and sector leaders. Over the two-day event, December 10–11, more than 4,000 participants are expected across over 150 presentations and 60 sessions focused on technology, investment, artificial intelligence, and innovative new business models.

At the institutional opening, Miguel Vicente, President of Tech Barcelona, highlighted “the need, in the increasingly dual world we live in, to promote purpose-driven technologies that allow us to gain sovereignty and competitiveness while improving people’s lives,” emphasizing that “Barcelona has the talent, ambition, and capacity to lead this path.”

In the same vein, Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona, spoke about “technological humanism” and highlighted the city and its entrepreneurial ecosystem’s efforts to “measure the impact of technology and place citizens’ interests at the center of any innovation.”

The inauguration also featured Jaume Baró, Secretary of Business and Competitiveness of the Generalitat of Catalonia and CEO of ACCIÓ; Lorenzo di Pietro, General Director of Barcelona Activa; Josep Santacreu, President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce; as well as institutional and business representatives including María Galindo, Secretary of Digital Policies of the Generalitat of Catalonia; Francesc Fajula, General Director of Mobile World Capital; and Carolina Rodríguez, CEO of ENISA.

Where is AI Headed?

Elsa Punset, author and science communicator, discussed with Muriel Rovira-Esteva (EAE Business School) how artificial intelligence is transforming human cognition and social behavior. “When I interact with AI, it’s hard for me to see the difference from human intelligence,” she noted, warning of its risks but also its potential: “AI is by your side in a way no teacher ever could be; used wisely, it amplifies our intelligence.”

From an economic perspective, international investors Mason Sinclair (IQ Capital), Mattias Ljungman (Moonfire), Ángel García (Necta Ventures), Oriol Juncosa (Plus Partners VC), Sergi Bastardas (Orbio), and Sean Seton-Rogers (PROfounders Capital) debated whether AI investment is in a bubble or represents a sustainable opportunity.

Some voices, such as Aleix Valls (Liquid Lab), took a critical stance in a session titled “The Last Supper in Silicon Valley”, warning: “We are creating increasingly capable AIs, but we don’t know how to make them safer.” He added, “The real dilemma is whether we should pursue general AI or build less powerful, but truly useful and safe AIs.”

Elliot Norrevik, a 16-year-old Swedish entrepreneur who has already worked at the unicorn Lovable, is now ambitiously developing General Artificial Intelligence (AGI). He shared that he began programming thanks to video games, and his interest solidified after discovering AlphaZero, a model capable of learning without prior data. In his view, this approach is fundamental: “AI is like a child learning from zero,” observing, making mistakes, and adjusting its behavior until it can do “almost everything a human can do on a computer.”

Entrepreneur and Investor Highlights

The event welcomed established entrepreneurs like Sacha Michaud (Glovo) and Rob Cassedy (Wallapop), celebrating over a decade leading two of Barcelona’s most consolidated unicorns. More recent “Local Heroes” such as Carla Gómez (Theker Robotics) and Gerard Caelles (SpliceBio), alongside entrepreneurs like Roger Dobaño (Quipu) and Jaume Gomà (Reskyt), shared their experiences post-company sale and the challenge of starting again.

Additionally, Carolina Rodríguez (ENISA), José Moisés Martín (CDTI), Guillermo Jiménez (AXIS), Cristina Mena (Cofides), Clàudia Canals (Avançsa), Emili Gómez (ICF), and Miquel Rodríguez (Barcelona City Council) reaffirmed the public commitment to deep tech investment, often in collaboration with private vehicles.

During the first day, to stimulate the ecosystem and facilitate funding for Catalan startups, ACCIÓ organized more than 300 meetings between entrepreneurs and investors, as well as the first phase of the Catalan Pitch Competition, where 24 startups presented their business models in one-minute pitches. The final of the competition will be held tomorrow to determine the Catalan Startup of the Year.

The sixth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona is supported by ACCIÓ, Barcelona City Council/Barcelona Activa, CaixaBank DayOne, Port of Barcelona, ICF, Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat of Catalonia, EAE Business School, Iris, Airbnb, Damm, Mobile World Capital, Adamo, Bis, Danone, Esade, FreeNow by Lyft, GCO Ventures, HP, IFCO, Naturgy, Nestlé, OLX, Payment Innovation Hub, Qonto, RCD, Roca Salvatella, Sanofi, Seat Code, Shakers, and Xplore Studio.

10 December 2025 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
18 September 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

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Women in the tech ecosystem speak out: ‘We need more role models and more opportunities’

18 September 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

Women entrepreneurs, executives, investors and researchers in the ecosystem have spoken out: ‘We need more role models and opportunities.’

This was precisely the focus of Tech Spirit Barcelona – TechBcn4Women Edition, which we held yesterday at Pier07: to give visibility to women who are leading landmark projects in Catalonia and to offer a day of technological content with a programme entirely created by them. All with the aim of reducing the gender gap in a sector where women represent only 32% of all professionals.

Sandra Ruiz, directora general d’Economia i Societat Digitals, welcomed everyone by explaining the projects being developed in this area by the Government of Catalonia and invited the entire ecosystem to join these initiatives.

Women and the deep tech sector

Mireia Colina, Senior Business Development Manager at Indra, and Àngels Chacón, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at LLYC, opened the stage by focusing on one of the hottest topics in the sector: the development of dual technologies. Colina stressed that newspace and quantum technology will shape the future and that, for this reason, Europe will have to align itself and plan ahead in order to act jointly and not be left behind.

For their part, Mònica de Mier, CEO of Nextmol; Eva Martín, Head of Innovation at Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech; and Anna Escoda, Technology Transfer Manager at BSC, agreed on the need to create new female and technological role models, also in the environment of research centres and spin-offs, to generate an impact among future talent. Only then, they stressed, will girls begin to see studying engineering as natural.

Along the same lines, Dr Iolanda Domingo presented the initial findings of the report ‘No és feina de dones?’ by i2CAT and Telecos.cat, emphasising that there is still a long way to go and that now is the time to gain momentum.

Our grain of sand

The effort to transform the system and get more women working in the technology sector and occupying positions of responsibility must be a joint effort. That is why we invited Carla Zaldúa, Adriana Herrera and Elisabet Bayó to present Motional Hub, Reveal Genomics and Holomit, three leading technology projects.

We also had Susanna Kamph from Xplore Studio; Berta Sanmartí, Director of Transformation at Tous; Gabriela Dávila, HR Manager at Nestlé’s IT Hub; and Joana Barbany, President of the Digital Cluster and Technology Business Development Director at Michael Page, who explained how their companies are reinventing themselves and the role Barcelona plays as a driver of innovation: ‘There is a lot of talent in Barcelona and the local ecosystem is constantly growing, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to open a hub in the city,’ said Susanna Kamph.

Catalonia currently has more than 160 hubs, with new ones arriving every week. In a conversation with Laia Arnal, Director of Institutional Relations at the Vall de Hebrón Research Institute, Marta Tolós, Group Head of AI Services and Platforms at AstraZeneca, explained how the hub is working with AI based on data: ‘You have to start from the ground up, making sure that the data is correct, adequate and that there is consent for its use.’

‘Only 12% of venture capital funding goes to startups led by women.’

The morning ended with an investment round table that left us with a striking statistic: ‘Only 12% of venture capital funding goes to startups led by women.’ Elena Rico, Managing Partner at Impact Partners; Maite Malet, Principal at Asabys Partner; Peña Solano, Business Angel at WA4Steam; and Rocío Flor, Head of Innovation Financing at ACCIÓ, explained some of the difficulties women face in accessing this investment. Above all, however, they focused on the solutions and initiatives that should be promoted to increase this figure: creating specific programmes or funding aimed at women, creating role models and networking extensively.

At Tech Spirit, we demonstrated that it is possible to create a programme made up entirely of women and raising the technological bar with female founders, investors, executives and researchers. But it doesn’t end here; now is the time to continue driving change.

18 September 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona
28 May 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

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Researchers can also be CEOs, CSOs, and CTOs

28 May 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

They pour their hearts into their projects. They work day and night to solve problems, bring something new to the table, to innovate. They do it while taking risks, guided by an almost blind conviction, with no certainty of success. In the end, researchers and entrepreneurs have more in common than we think.

At the second edition of Tech Spirit Breakthrough, organized by Tech Barcelona in collaboration with Faber and Mitiga, we brought together entrepreneurs, public institutions, TTOs, and investors with a clear goal: to prove that projects born in research centers can also make a rapid impact on society. That researchers can also be CEOs, CSOs, CTOs… and hold every title in the startup world you can imagine.

Barcelona Activa, ACCIÓ, the Generalitat, and Biocat were the first to take the stage at Pier07, calling for stronger European alignment in tech transfer. Beyond local or regional efforts, only a large-scale strategy will bring our technologies to international markets.

What followed was an open debate between founders, TTOs, and investors, three key players in the tech transfer process, each with different but complementary experiences:

  • Some of the founders developing university-based projects called for more flexibility, especially regarding equity models: “we can’t allow this technology to gather dust on a shelf.” Institutional support must adapt to the real-world needs of spin-offs.
  • TTOs, for their part, emphasized that their role goes far beyond spin-off creation and financial management. “We have a responsibility to understand the potential impact of each project and help entrepreneurs create value.”
  • Investors highlighted that their role is not just to provide funding, but also to offer guidance and open up their networks to startups to help minimize early-stage mistakes.

The first part of the event flew by, leaving the conversation open-ended. Then came the turn of the true protagonists: 15 spin-offs pitched their solutions to a panel of investors.

Thank you to ATOM H2, Gate2Brain, CGI-Clinics, Time is Brain, Vaive Logistics, Manina Medtech, Ocean Smart Energy, Aurax, Blue Ant, Galtea Solutions, OneCareAI, Aridditive, Ephion Health, and Volum Technologies for showing the world how researchers are already CEOs, CSOs, and CTOs.


In Barcelona there are already 355 spin-offs, will you be next?

28 May 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona
21 February 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

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All the content from Tech Spirit Barcelona: Health Edition 2025

21 February 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona

In the second edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona: Health Edition, medical professionals, health technologists, pharmaceutical leaders, and entrepreneurs gathered at the Llotja de Mar during the Barcelona Innovation Health Week organized by Biocat. The sessions from the event are now available.

  • Turning the demographic tide: How can the world respond to aging societies and falling fertility | Marc Canals (‪McKinsey‬ & Company ) discusses the issue of demographic change, focusing on declining fertility rates and aging populations and the consequences that will happen: depopulation and shifts in economic growth. The talk serves as a call to action for governments, businesses, and communities to innovate and adapt in response to these demographic challenges.
  • Advances in Telemedicine | Núria Abdón (‪Fundació Tic Salut), Dr. Jesús Caballero (Hospital Arnau de Vilanova – Lleida‬ ) i Xavier Escayola (‪Sant Joan de Déu), moderats per Xavier Garcia (BetterCare), se centren en l’evolucio del model assistencial sanitari. També es fa una crida a la col·laboració entre el sector de la salut, la tecnologia i la ciutadania per adoptar noves solucions tecnològiques.
  • Healthcare Startup Pitches
    • Healthcare Pitches: RobSurgical  | Pitching de RobSurgical per Jaume Amat, startup que ha desenvolupat el Bitrack System, un sistema robòtic que permet fer cirugia híbrida.
    • Healthcare Pitches:  Nostrum Biodiscovery | Alexis Molina, from ‪Nostrum Biodiscovery‬, shares their approach to drug discovery and biotechnology. The presentation focuses on proteins, emphasizing the need to understand their structures to identify drug binding sites effectively.
    • Healthcare Pitches: Able Human Motion | Alfons Carnicero from ‪Able Human Motion‬ takes the stage to share how they developed their exoskeleton and their mission to make it accessible to all. The pitch wraps up with a live demo of the product.
  • Google Agents: The next frontier in Healthcare and Life Sciences | Lucrezia Noli from Google demonstrates how AI agents can transform the healthcare sector. She focuses on the importance of grounding them in reliable data to minimize hallucinations. The session concludes with a live demo of Agent Space, a platform particularly beneficial for tasks like clinical trials and regulatory compliance in the healthcare sector.
  • Generative AI in health, the Spanish market demand | Javier Perdices de AWS  explica cómo la inteligencia artificial generativa puede transformar el sector salud, con un enfoque especial en el mercado español. El 2025 será el año de la adopción de la IA, impulsando avances como la automatización en la confirmación de citas médicas, la mejora de la documentación clínica y un acceso más ágil a guías médicas actualizadas. Sin embargo, estos avances también traerán consigo desafíos clave, como garantizar la calidad de los datos y el cumplimiento de la normativa.
  • Nestlé Health Strategy | Fabrizio Monaco, from Nestlé shared insights into their “Good for You” health strategy, focused on delivering nutritious, tasty, and affordable food while promoting sustainability. Nestlé uses technology, including data analytics and AI, to optimize product development, improve consumer understanding, and encourage healthier habits.
  • Collaborative Innovation in Health for Impact on Results| En un debat sobre la col·laboració com a motor de la innovació, Roc Fages (CSAPG) Meritxell Centeno (Fundació Hospitalàries de Sant Boi), Marc Serra (Robopedics) i Marc Ramis (Montana Impact Fund) han compartit la seva experiència. Malgrat provenir d’àmbits diferents dins del sector salut, tots coincideixen en una idea clau: activar la innovació passa per col·laborar i provar noves solucions en diversos centres aporta un gran valor, ja que es viuen realitats diferents. Una sessió moderada per Felip Miralles (Eurecat).
  • Translating Draghi Report into Health Code | Montse Daban (Biocat) Carmen Rios (Doctomatic) and Cecilia Edebo ( Sahlgrenska Science Park) discuss the limited presence of the healthcare industry in the Draghi Report. They also explore how regulations in Europe compare to those in other regions, such as the United States and China.
  • Investment trends in health | En un panel liderado por Antonio Herce (Inveready) y Daniel Oliver (Capital Cell) se analizó la evolución del sector biotecnológico en Barcelona, destacando el creciente flujo de inversión y la madurez que está alcanzando el ecosistema. Destacan la importancia de la transferencia tecnológica y la colaboración, así como el papel fundamental del capital riesgo en la financiación de la innovación. También se centran en los mecanismos de captación de fondos. Panel moderado por Aleix Casals (AWS)
  • Adoption of Innovation within the Healthcare System: First Results of The Catalan Health System Innovation Access Program (PASS) | Robert Fabregas (Biocat) i Ramon Maspons (Aquas) repassen l’Informe de la BioRegió 2024 i detallen el funcionament del Programa d’Accés de la Innovació al Sistema de Salut de Catalunya (PASS)
21 February 2025 Tech Spirit Barcelona
17 December 2024 Tech Spirit Barcelona

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Tech Spirit Barcelona 2024, all the content

17 December 2024 Tech Spirit Barcelona

The fifth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona has been the most technological to date where deep tech technologies, such as artificial intelligence or quantum computing, have been the main protagonists. Now, you can catch up on all those sessions you missed.

CaixaBank Stage | DAY 1

 

Tech Barcelona Stage | DAY 1
CaixaBank Stage | DAY 2

 

Tech Barcelona Stage | DAY 2

 

17 December 2024 Tech Spirit Barcelona
13 December 2024 News Tech Spirit Barcelona

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TSB24 – DAY 2 | Tech Spirit Barcelona reaffirms its status as the leading event for the tech community

13 December 2024 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
  • The event organized by the Tech Barcelona association is approaching 4,000 attendees, who have filled the spaces of La Llotja de Mar for two days.
  • This fifth edition, “the most technological”, has had a total of 150 speakers, including more than 50 entrepreneurs and 30 national and international investors, as well as representatives of corporations and experts in technology, especially deeptech.
  • Yplasma, a startup that develops plasma actuators to improve thermal management, has won the Catalan Pitch Competition, organized by ACCIÓ, becoming the ‘Startup Catalana de l’Any’.

Barcelona, December 12,  2024. –Tech Spirit Barcelona, the event of reference for the technological and digital ecosystem of Barcelona, successfully culminates its fifth edition after registering nearly 4,000 attendees at La Llotja de Mar. The event promoted by Tech Barcelona, the private non-profit association that brings together entrepreneurs, investors, corporations and institutions, has reaffirmed itself as a key meeting for the innovative landscape of the city.

In this fifth edition, the event has stood out for its focus on disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing or microchip design, in an increasingly international environment. In total, 150 national and international speakers participated, including more than 50 entrepreneurs and 30 investors, along with technology experts and representatives of leading innovation companies. For the first time, more than half of the sessions were conducted in English, reflecting the growing international projection of Barcelona as a global technology hub.

“We have had great entrepreneurs, investors and corporations, in a demonstration of why Barcelona is a technological hub of reference worldwide,” said Miguel Vicente, president of Tech Barcelona, thanking the support of public institutions and partners that have made possible this event with more than 1,800 minutes of top-level content and opportunities for connection and networking. “We will continue working along the lines of this fifth edition, the most technological to date,” added the president of the association in view of the relevance of the technology-based projects developed in Barcelona.

On the second day of Tech Spirit Barcelona 2024, artificial intelligence took center stage once again. “We are still in the early stages of generative AI,” said Eduardo Ordax, Generative AI Lead at Amazon Web Services, who stressed that ”the big challenge today for companies is to integrate these models into their operations.” According to the expert, this process requires “developing the platform that supports them, the cloud”. After his speech, Ricard Torras, from Google Cloud, took the stage together with Nuclia AI, Piper AI and Nexus Clips, three startups that have built their businesses based, from the beginning, on artificial intelligence.

Other participants included Openchip, the company that will design chips ‘made in Barcelona’; Sateliot, the startup that launches nanosatellites into space together with SpaceX; and Submer, which recently raised 55 million euros to continue developing its technology to build sustainable data centers. The day concluded with a live interview with Israel Ruiz, president of Engine Ventures and former vice president of MIT, the most important technological institute in the world.

Yplasma, Startup Catalana de l’Any

The startup Yplasma has been recognized as the ‘Catalan Startup of the Year’, after winning ACCIÓ’s Catalan Pitch Competition. The startup develops plasma actuators to improve everything from the thermal management of electronic devices to the aerodynamics of aircraft wings. The executive director of ACCIÓ, Joan Romero, highlighted “the quality of the 24 projects and the presentations, which improves year after year”. For Romero, “the goal is to have 3,000 startups in Catalonia by 2030, but above all that they should be technologically differential because they are a fundamental axis to build the society of the future”.

Throughout the two days, ACCIÓ also organized more than 600 meetings between investors and entrepreneurs with the aim of boosting their search for funding.

13 December 2024 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
12 December 2024 News Tech Spirit Barcelona

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TSB24 – DAY 1 | Disruptive technologies and investment at Tech Spirit Barcelona 2024

12 December 2024 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
  • Maria Galindo, Secretary of Polítiques Digitals of the Generalitat de Catalunya; Laia Bonet, primera teniente a alcalde of Ajuntament de Barcelona; and Miguel Vicente, President of Tech Barcelona, kicked off ‘the most technological edition of the event’.
  • This fifth edition, which once again brings together Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem, coincides with the arrival of the European Union’s first ‘AI Factory’ in the city and the biggest public and private funding opportunities for startups to date.

Barcelona, December 11, 2024. –The fifth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona, the event promoted by the Tech Barcelona association with the aim of bringing together and boosting the technological and digital ecosystem, has begun with an outstanding turnout of entrepreneurs, investors and corporations, reinforcing Barcelona’s position as a centre of attraction for talent, investment and the development of technology companies. The event organisers expect to reach tomorrow the almost 4.000 attendees registered at the previous edition.

The institutional inauguration was attended by Maria Galindo, Secretary for Polítiques Digitals of the Generalitat de Catalunya; Laia Bonet, primera tinent d’alcalde of Ajuntament de Barcelona; and Miguel Vicente, President of Tech Barcelona. After the official opening, the event kicked off with a programme that will run until tomorrow, with 60 content sessions distributed between the CaixaBank Stage and Tech Barcelona Stage, as well as a dozen workshops and parallel events. In the presentations, 150 experts will analyse the present and future of the technology ecosystem, Barcelona’s position on the European scene and national and international investment trends, as well as sharing success stories of startups, corporations and investors.

‘This fifth edition is the most technological to date’, stressed Miguel Vicente. Deeptech technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, took centre stage, coinciding with the announcement of the arrival of one of the first AI Factories in the European Union in Barcelona, promoted by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, which will bring an investment of 200 million euros. During one of the first morning sessions, the centre’s director Mateo Valero and professor Paco Solé Parellada stressed the need to ‘turn Barcelona into the city of artificial intelligence and chips’.

In this sense, both public and private investment will play an essential role in the development of technology-based projects. In 2025, there is a historic opportunity for public funding for startups, thanks to the creation of the largest investment vehicles ever recorded. These will be led by the European NextGeneration funds and programmes promoted by Enisa, Red es, CDTI, Axis, Cofides, Barcelona Activa and the Generalitat de Catalunya, through the Institut Català de Finances and the Fons d’Inversió en Tecnologia Avançada (FITA). Borja Cabezón, CEO of Enisa, took the opportunity to announce that its funds ‘will be available throughout 2025’.

In the private sector, investor Carlos Trenchs pointed out that ‘the deeptech market is the whole world’. This global interest in the innovations that have emerged in Barcelona was evident in the participation of fifteen prominent international investors, including Frank Bulens (imec expand), Ben Marrell (Breega), Marcus Feuerecker (YZR) and Johan Campe (Claret).

Another main character of the day was artificial intelligence. According to expert Aleix Valls, while 2024 was the year of ‘discovery and amazement’, 2025 will mark the beginning of ‘adoption’. During the event, Amazon Web Services has positioned itself as a leader in the application of generative AI in business, while other corporations such as Damm, Nestlé, Seat, Beko and Esade have also begun this process of integration through open innovation models. The global consulting firm Mind The Bridge, which last week named Tech Barcelona ‘Startup Ecosystem Star’ in Paris, has shown updated data on Barcelona companies in the race for open innovation, placing them at the head of European ecosystems.

The CaixaBank Stage also gave recognition to Barcelona’s ‘local heroes’. Among them, Elisenda Bou-Balust, who managed to get the attention of a giant like Apple for her startup Vilnyx; Marta Estarellas, CEO of Qilimanjaro and a consolidated key figure in quantum computing in Catalonia; and Andrea Gamero, who from her management position at Google has defended the importance of breaking the glass ceiling in the technology sector.

The programme was completed by Xavier Asensi, co-president of Inter Miami, who connected live to explain how he has taken David Beckham and Messi’s team to the highest business and sporting level; Quim Domènech and Sara Pastor, from DAZN, who shared the challenge of turning brands into connecting pieces with sports fans; and Pablo Pantaleoni, CDO of LifeStanceHealth, who, also from Miami, encouraged entrepreneurs in the world of health to ‘have clear objectives, trust in themselves and remain optimistic during the process’.

During this first day, and with the aim of boosting the ecosystem and facilitating the raising of funding by Catalan start-ups, ACCIÓ also organised the first phase of the Catalan Pitch Competition, in which 27 start-ups explained their business model in one minute. The final of the competition will be held tomorrow to decide the Catalan Startup of the Year.

The fifth edition of Tech Spirit Barcelona has the support of ACCIÓ (Generalitat de Catalunya), Ajuntament de Barcelona, CaixaBank, Port de Barcelona, Institut Català de Finances, Adevinta, Amazon Web Services, BME, Danone, Damm, EAE Business School, Eurecat, Freenow, Fundación Albertis, GCO Ventures, G-P, HP, Iris, La Vanguardia, Mango, McCann, Mind The Bridge, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Naturgy, Nestlé, Payment Innovation Hub, RCD, SCCE, Seat Code, Estrella Damm, Nespresso and Mindset Consulting.

12 December 2024 News Tech Spirit Barcelona
8 December 2024 Tech Spirit Barcelona

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Tech Spirit Barcelona 2024: 10 reasons to attend

8 December 2024 Tech Spirit Barcelona

Even if you are registered or not, here you have 10 reasons that make Tech Spirit Barcelona the best tech way to close 2024:

  • MORE THAN 150 SPEAKERS have confirmed their participation: Xavier Asensi (Inter Miami CF), Camila Tomas (Puig), Naroa Zurutuza (UNICEF), Eduardo Ordax (AWS), Quim Domènech (DAZN), Andrea Gamero (Google) and more. Find out them at TSB24 speakers.

 

  • 60 CONTENT SESSIONS on entrepreneurship, investment, health tech, AI, impact, data, deep tech, open innovation, media through keynotes, fireside chats, panels, and interviews. Have a look at the agenda.
  • 4.000 ATTENDEES Don’t miss the chance to attend Barcelona’s biggest tech event—an exclusive opportunity to connect with inspiring people and expand your network.

 

  • NETWORKING & AFTERWORKING What’s the best way to make the most of this amazing crowd? Meet new people, build connections, and soak in the positive energy of TSB24. “Tech-nemos ganas de fiesta”
  • STARTUP TO FUNDING This year, over 600 meetings between founders and investors are expected at the Saló Daurat during a new edition of ACCIÓ’s S2F.

  • BEST 2024 CATALAN STARTUP You’ll find out the best Catalan startup of 2024. A competition organized by ACCIÓ where 24 startups will compete live to take the award home.
  • THE BEST MCs “Don’t change what works”: Ruth Gumbau and Pipo Serrano will be the official hosts of Tech Spirit Barcelona again.
  • SIDE PROGRAM There is another program apart from the one designed for CaixaBank and Tech Barcelona stages. Find out TSB24’s workshops at techspirit.barcelona/side-content 
  • AND MUCH MORE happening at the ACCIÓ Square, including partner promotions, and a mix of anticipated and unexpected events (even we’re not sure what to expect!).

More information at techspirit.barcelona

Registration at Tech Spirit Barcelona 2024

8 December 2024 Tech Spirit Barcelona
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