Free strategic consulting for Barcelona startups
September 2026 – January 2027

If your startup is preparing to grow, enter a new market, validate a new product, or sharpen its go-to-market strategy, this opportunity could save your team months of work.

Sage Corps connects Barcelona startups with consulting teams from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois (#6 public business school in the U.S.) for a semester-long strategic consulting project—completely free of charge.

What can the consulting teams help with?

• Go-to-market strategy
• Market research & competitive analysis
• Customer and industry research
• Marketing & branding strategy
• Finance & data analytics
• Product launch planning

Each startup is matched with a team of six student consultants who follow a structured consulting roadmap throughout the program. The teams are supervised by faculty and experienced business leaders, allowing founders to benefit from fresh thinking while staying focused on running their business.

How it works

September – December 2026
Remote collaboration with regular check-ins and project milestones.

January 2027
The consulting teams travel to Barcelona to present their final recommendations in person.

Cost
The program is completely free for participating startups.

If your team is thinking about expanding, entering a new market, or validating your next strategic move, this is a great opportunity to gain additional strategic capacity without increasing headcount.

Learn more & apply:
https://sagecorps.com/partners/host-startups/consulting-registration/

Questions? Contact info@sagecorps.com or feel free to send me a message.

The NAIVE project —Neotropical AI-assisted VErtebrate identification through ZooMS—, led by ICTA-UAB and scientifically directed by Dr André Carlo Colonese, Director of Research at the Department of Prehistory and ICTA-UAB, has received an ERC Proof of Concept grant to advance the development of a new solution for the molecular identification of species.

At Imaginae, we are deeply grateful for the trust placed in our team as the project’s technology partner. We will contribute to the design and development of the digital prototype that will support this scientific initiative.

A Project to Transform Species Identification Through AI

NAIVE was created with the aim of transforming the use of ZooMS —Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry— into a faster, more structured and scalable tool for the taxonomic identification of animal remains.

The project combines molecular analysis, mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence to facilitate species identification from fragmented remains or animal-derived products, particularly in contexts where traditional morphological identification methods are insufficient.

This approach could have a significant impact in areas such as biodiversity conservation, archaeological research, the study of historical ecosystems and the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

Imaginae’s Role

Vertical Imaginae Solutions will focus its contribution on developing the project’s digital prototype, designed to facilitate the management, analysis and interpretation of spectral data through digital technologies and applied artificial intelligence.

The platform will support the development of a more automated, traceable and structured workflow by integrating data-upload capabilities, assisted analysis, confidence indicators and the generation of interpretable results for scientific teams and potential institutional users.

This development is conceived as a technological proof of concept aligned with the project’s scientific objectives and based on a modular approach that will enable future stages of evolution, validation and scalability.

Science, Technology and Environmental Impact

For our team, participating in NAIVE represents a particularly meaningful opportunity to apply our expertise in digital platform development, artificial intelligence and process automation to a project with scientific, environmental and social impact.

Collaboration between advanced research and applied technology is essential to turn scientific knowledge into useful, reproducible and transferable tools. In this regard, NAIVE is an example of how digital innovation can help address major global challenges such as biodiversity loss and the illegal wildlife trade.

At Imaginae, we would like to congratulate Dr André Carlo Colonese, ICTA-UAB and all the collaborating institutions on this recognition, and once again express our gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this project.

Official ICTA-UAB news release.

Teams are already generating code with AI faster than they have ever written it before. The question is no longer “can I generate it?”, but “can I ship it to production with confidence?”

From Barcelona and London, at Quality Clouds we have just launched Quality Clouds Hub: a platform that analyses your AI-generated code and tells you, in minutes, whether it is production-ready.

Automatic stack detection — paste your repository and Hub detects frameworks and technologies instantly, with no configuration.

Production-Ready Score — a clear score across security, performance, maintainability, scalability, and architecture, built on more than 8 years of enterprise code governance data.

Paste-ready fixes — generates an instructions file for Cursor, Claude Code, or Lovable so your AI agent can fix the issues directly.

It works with any stack and is free to get started — no card, no expiry. We would love the Tech Barcelona community to put it to the test and tell us what they think.

Albert Franquesa
Partner

The new company, founded by three technology entrepreneurs, offers AI agents capable of automating administrative, financial and operational processes to increase business productivity.

Barcelona, [30/06/2026].– Artificial intelligence is changing the way companies work, but much of its potential remains untapped in administrative areas. Bakoffice.ai was created to address this challenge: a new company specializing in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence agents to automate back-office processes.

Founded by three entrepreneurs with extensive experience in technology and digital transformation —Diego Sosa, Patrick Synge and Jaume Boada—, Bakoffice.ai helps organizations reduce the time spent on repetitive and administrative tasks, enabling teams to focus on higher value-added activities.

The company develops AI-based solutions capable of integrating with companies’ existing systems to automate processes such as document management, internal support, administrative operations, finance, human resources, procurement and support for different departments.

“Artificial intelligence should not be a tool reserved for large companies, nor should it be limited to conversational assistants. Our goal is to turn it into a work companion capable of executing complete processes in a secure, reliable way, adapted to each company,” explain the founders of Bakoffice.ai.

AI that works alongside people

Bakoffice.ai takes a practical approach to artificial intelligence, focused on generating measurable results from the first weeks of implementation.

Its intelligent agents can interpret documents, access multiple corporate applications, execute tasks, generate reports, answer internal queries and coordinate processes across different systems, while always maintaining human control and supervision when necessary.

This model enables companies to:

Reduce the time required to execute administrative processes.
Decrease errors resulting from manual tasks.
Increase team productivity.
Scale operations without proportionally increasing costs.
Free professionals from repetitive tasks so they can focus on higher-impact decisions.

A market undergoing major transformation

The acceleration of generative artificial intelligence is driving a new stage of business digitalization. More and more organizations are looking to go beyond traditional AI assistants and automate complete processes that, until now, required human intervention.

Bakoffice.ai was created precisely to respond to this need, combining technological expertise, integration with business tools and a results-oriented approach.

The company is beginning its activity by working with companies across different sectors and plans to progressively expand its portfolio of solutions over the coming months.

Walk With Me is a community-led initiative that connects women navigating career or life crossroads with experienced women through thoughtful and meaningful 1:1 conversations while walking outdoors.

The idea is simple: important conversations often happen more naturally when we are moving. A walk through the city, the park, or by the sea can create the space for reflection, perspective, and clarity that traditional settings and networking often don’t provide.

The pilot is intentionally small, curated, and application-based to create the right experience for everyone involved.

What to expect:

• Thoughtful matching based on experience, interests, and goals
• A group of Barcelona-based mentors from diverse professional and life backgrounds
• Low and flexible commitment: approximately 1 or 2 60-minute walks over one month
• Participation in English and Spanish

We are currently looking for:

Women mentors, advisors, leaders, founders, coaches, and career changers who are willing to share their experience.

Women seeking support, perspective, or clarity as they navigate a transition, challenge, decision, or new chapter.

We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to participate as a mentor or mentee.

Applications are open until June 28:

Mentors: Mentor Application Form
Mentees: Mentee Application Form

You can learn more about the concept and the pilot here.

Have questions? Feel free to contact Eleni Tassi at capelenicap@gmail.com.

Hello!

With flight and hotel prices constantly rising, planning a holiday has become a real challenge for your wallet. That’s why bestprice.com is the perfect ally for your next getaway. Through our platform, we want to help you reduce that expense in the easiest way possible.

For us, the key is no longer going crazy looking for impossible last-minute deals, but planning more intelligently. The idea is simple: if you buy your plane tickets, book your hotel, rent a car or arrange excursions through bestprice.com, we’ll give you back part of what you’ve spent directly into your account, thanks to our cashback system.

We make it easy for you to start getting money back on your next trips!

The bestprice.com team

LF Channel, an agency with more than 30 years of experience, announces the addition of SUSE to its client portfolio as of early 2026. The agency is taking on the management of SUSE’s media relations and communications strategy in Spain, with the aim of consolidating its positioning as Europe’s leading benchmark in digital sovereignty and enterprise open source.

“Since the beginning of the year, we have been working alongside SUSE with the major challenge of communicating how open source is the foundation of today’s technological freedom. At LF Channel, we have taken on the challenge of elevating its narrative in Spain, positioning SUSE not only as a provider, but as the key partner for achieving digital sovereignty in Europe,” says Federico Fernández Rodríguez, Director of the Technology and Innovation Area at LF Channel.

“Spain is at a turning point. Digital sovereignty has ceased to be a theoretical debate and has become a real strategic priority, both for companies and institutions. At SUSE, we have been working for years with governments and organizations in Southern Europe to reduce dependence on external providers and regain control over their technological assets,” says Diego Ríos, General Manager of SUSE for Southern EMEA. “Having LF Channel as an ally in Spain allows us to deliver this message with precision and credibility to decision-makers. Open source is not an alternative: it is the only architecture that makes true technological autonomy possible,” he adds.

A key moment for digital sovereignty

The collaboration comes at a time when technological autonomy has become an unavoidable priority for companies and institutions. According to a SUSE study, 98% of companies consider digital sovereignty a key objective, but only half have taken concrete steps to achieve it. It is precisely in this gap that the communications opportunity taken on by LF Channel lies. “We want to convey to the Spanish market, clearly and relevantly, why SUSE is the right partner to take this step,” explains Federico Fernández.

To this end, the agency’s work focuses on building a strong narrative aimed at both technology-specialist media and business and management publications, with the goal of reaching the profiles responsible for making infrastructure and digital transformation decisions within organizations.

“There are clients who come with a brief, and clients who come with a mission. SUSE clearly belongs to the second group, and that changes the way we work with them. But to understand their world, you need to have lived it, and LF Channel has been supporting technology and innovation companies for more than 30 years. This experience is what allows us not only to manage their visibility, but also to help them build a story that truly resonates in Spain,” says Imma Folch, CEO and founder of LF Channel.

Professionals from leading companies in the Life Sciences sector came together for a new edition of Ambit Meets: Tech Trends & Compliance in Life Science, the annual event organized by Ambit Iberia to share experiences, analyze trends, and discuss the challenges that will shape the future of the industry.

The event brought together key stakeholders from different departments at a particularly significant moment for the sector. Digital transformation, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the evolution of the European regulatory framework were at the center of many discussions, with a common goal: understanding how to innovate while maintaining the levels of quality, traceability, and compliance required by the industry.

Throughout the event, the strategic importance of the pharmaceutical sector was highlighted as one of the main drivers of industry and innovation in Spain and Europe, as well as the need to attract and develop talent capable of leading the next stage of technological transformation.

One of the highlights of the day was the panel discussion “Operational Challenges and Scaling in the Pharma Industry”, featuring Juan Ignacio Alonso from Andersen, Jorge Castro from Applus+ Laboratories, Amaia Eguiazabal from EasyVista, Gerardo Barbosa from Multiplica, Marc Ramoneda from Appliant, and Unai Sancho from Agilent Technologies. The panelists shared insights on business growth, process digitalization, operational efficiency, and change management in organizations that must balance innovation with regulatory demands.

A practical perspective was provided by Cinfa, which presented a real-world case focused on the automation of its production plant in Pamplona. The company shared its experience implementing new industrial technologies, the challenges encountered during the process, and the impact automation is having on the plant’s efficiency and production capacity.

Artificial intelligence also played a leading role throughout the event. The panel discussion “AI in Healthcare & Pharma: From Potential to Regulatory Control” brought together Alfred Opisso from Roche, Francesc Paradell from Meribel Pharma, Christian Gay from Aizon, and Oriol Valls from Merck. The discussion explored both the opportunities AI offers to accelerate processes and improve decision-making, as well as the challenges associated with model validation, data governance, human oversight, and compliance with the new regulatory requirements currently being developed in Europe.

In addition to the panel discussions, attendees took part in a collaborative workshop where they shared the priorities, barriers, and expectations that currently exist within their organizations regarding digital transformation. The goal was to build a collective and realistic view of the sector’s current state, identifying both the initiatives that generate the greatest consensus and the areas that continue to present significant challenges.

A common theme emerged throughout the day: technology will continue to play a fundamental role in the evolution of the pharmaceutical industry, but its success will depend on organizations’ ability to integrate it responsibly, securely, and in alignment with the quality principles that define the sector.

At Ambit Iberia, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the people and organizations who made this edition of Ambit Meets possible.

We would especially like to thank the event sponsors, Spertoo and ValGenesis, for their trust and support, which are essential to continuing to foster our space for networking, learning, and collaboration within the Life Sciences ecosystem.

We would also like to thank all the speakers and participants who shared their expertise and knowledge throughout the event. Their contributions enriched the discussions and helped provide a diverse perspective on the challenges and opportunities currently facing the sector.

A special acknowledgment goes to Cinfa for sharing its experience and presenting attendees with a real-world example of industrial transformation.

We would also like to thank those who hosted, moderated, and facilitated the various sessions, encouraging open and engaging conversations among all participants.

And, of course, thank you to all the attendees for their participation, questions, and contributions. Your engagement once again made Ambit Meets a leading forum for sharing knowledge and collectively shaping the future of digital transformation in Life Sciences.

Thank you for being part of such a special event. We look forward to seeing you at the next edition, with much more to discover.