BarcelonaCatalonia reached the record of 2024 start-ups of the historical series: 2,285 in total, 9% more than the previous year, according to the report prepared annually by ACCIÓ in theAnalysis of the startup ecosystem in Barcelona and Catalonia with data since 2016. "We are the best hub of start-ups "from southern Europe," said the Minister for Business, Miquel Sàmper, during the presentation of the study. "The start-ups They are the main link between the university world and industry, they are a key piece in the technological transfer and a magnet to attract foreign investment," he said.
"We are one of the European entrepreneurial ecosystems with the greatest international relevance. The start-ups They encompass part of our way of being, and with them the opportunities for innovation and transformation for our productive fabric also increase," the minister claimed. Likewise, the Secretary of Business and CEO of ACCIÓ, Jaume Baró, has detailed that the total turnover of the start-ups has increased by 10%, to 2.336 billion euros, which represents 0.8% of Catalonia's GDP. In addition, the sector already employs more than 22,840 people, 10.5% more, and 42% already have more than 10 workers. Sàmper also explained that the Government's objective is that by 2030, start-ups reach 3,000, and that 25% of these are deep tech.
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Billing varies depending on the sector. The health sector (health tech) continues to lead the ranking, with 297.8 million euros, followed by the tourism and travel sector (travel tech), with 255 million, and the financial sector, with 221 million. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the big data are the technologies used by the start-ups par excellence. At the same time, by nature, the start-ups "They devote a large part of their income to innovation, research and development." In fact, the study finds that 90% of these companies invest in R&D and 54% dedicate more than 25% of their income.
Regarding investments, Baró highlighted that in 2024, 1,152 million euros were raised, 65.5% more than in 2023, in the 216 investment rounds, 65.5% more. However, he explained that in 2024, despite "not having been a great year" in terms of investment, the amount of investments in 2023 was exceeded without the need for macro-rounds; from 696 million to 847 in 2024. In addition, there were two macro-rounds: Sequra (205 million) and TravelPerk (100 million).
Catalonia exceeds the EU average in 87.5% of the Digital Decade indicators
Catalonia has a degree of digitalisation higher than the European average in 28 of the 32 indicators (87.5%) analysed to evaluate the digitalisation process and, according to a report prepared by the Círculo Tecnológico, Catalonia thus consolidates "a prominent place in the race to achieve the objectives" of technological transformation for 2030.
According to Cercle, Catalonia stands out especially for "digital infrastructures and the digitalisation of public services". According to data from 2023, the country presents values higher than the EU and Spanish averages in all indicators relating to digital infrastructures, and is very close to the objective of 100% coverage set for 2030. Also, in the area of digital public services for citizens and businesses09, above9.9. However, it registers a "wide margin for improvement" in terms of transparency, design and personal data of the services.
However, despite the fact that Catalan SMEs achieve a better score than the EU average, "there is still a long way to go" in the area of macroeconomics, the cloud and AI.