The energy transition depends not only on the development of new technologies, but also on the ability to transform that innovation into viable business projects and scalable industrial solutions. This was one of the main themes of discussion at Energía Connecta, a meeting held yesterday at the BStartup Barcelona Hub, which brought together start-upsInitiatives to boost innovation, capital, and companies in the energy sector were brought together to analyze how innovation processes can be accelerated in a sector that is particularly complex from a technological and regulatory perspective. The event, promoted by the Energy Efficiency Cluster of Catalonia, with the collaboration of BStartup by Banc Sabadell and the support of ACCIÓ, focused on the mechanisms that connect technological talent, capital, and industry to facilitate the scaling of new energy solutions.

Catalonia breaks records in terms of start-ups: 2,403 are recorded, 5.2% more than the previous year, of which 420 are scale-upsThis is according to the report prepared by Acció and presented this Monday at the Palau Robert by the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, and the Secretary of Business and CEO of Acció, Jaume Baró. According to the study, the start-ups Catalan companies – defined by Minister Sàmper as technology-based businesses with a maximum lifespan of 10 years and scalable business models – collectively generate nearly €3 billion in revenue – 0.9% of GDP – a 26% increase over the previous year, and employ more than 30,500 people. "They are creating more jobs than ever before," Sàmper pointed out.

In 2010, 15 years ago, the word start-up It wasn't yet part of our everyday vocabulary. Or at least, not in Catalonia. In fact, in the ARA (Catalan newspaper), it didn't begin to appear frequently until 2013, evidence that the tech startup boom was brewing, but hadn't yet exploded. The first official reports we have in Catalonia, from ACCIÓ – the Catalan government's business competitiveness agency – date from 2016 and already positioned the Principality as a leading region in Europe in the creation of start-ups and with growing potential to attract international investment and talent. At that time, there were more than 1,000. By 2025, ACCIÓ already counted some 2,300, a record figure that had increased by 9% in one year, an ecosystem that employs 22,840 people and generates a turnover of 2.33 billion euros.

AltamarCAM Partners, a global investment firm specializing in private markets, and Asabys Partners, a Catalan private equity firm specializing in healthcare, have reached an agreement to integrate Altamar's healthcare and life sciences team, previously part of its subsidiary Aliath Bioventures, into Asabys, and Ligafescie into the Alta fund.

The investment fund Ysios Capital has closed a purchase agreement with the Swiss multinational CSL for a maximum price of 2.2 billion dollars (about 1.862 billion euros) for its start-up VarmX, the fund reported in a statement on Tuesday.

The Spanish startup ecosystem is experiencing a boom. Although in recent years there have been warnings of a lack of investment—especially in the early stages—a report prepared by the Dutch data management company Dealroom, in collaboration with BBVA Spark, Endeavor, Enisa, GoHub, Kfund, Spaincap, and Wayra, points to a record valuation. startups Spanish: Since 2020, the ecosystem has doubled its value, which now exceeds €110 billion, and could close 2025 at €112 billion, a figure higher than last year's forecasts.

Catalonia is once again the autonomous community with the largest number of technological and innovative companies in Spain, according to theRegional report of tech and innovative companies 2025 published by Ecosistema Startup, one of the databases of start-ups and greater investment. Currently, with data updated to May 2025, Catalonia has 2,351 active technology companies, ahead of the Community of Madrid (2,189), and registers significant growth compared to the same period in 2024, when 2,064 companies were recorded.

The start-up The plant-based protein company Heura has closed a €20 million loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB) that should allow the Catalan company to maintain growth and achieve operational profitability by the end of this year, as jointly announced on Monday by Marc Coloma, CEO and co-founder of Heura, and Aless'androequity, growth and project finance from the EIB.

Catalonia 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.

The Start-ups Catalan health authorities have recovered the positive trend after the fall of the previous year. They have raised 347 million euros, the second best figure in history and an increase of 55% compared to 2023. This is the main conclusion that emerges from theReport of the BioRegion of Catalonia 2024, the benchmark study in the life and health sciences sector in the Principality, presented this Monday in Barcelona.

The year 2021 has been a year of records and big announcements for start-ups, literally until the last minute: shortly before midnight on December 31 Glovo revealed by surprise that the German-listed company Delivery Hero became its main shareholder in a deal that values the Catalan company at over €2bn. The final climax comes after a year in which there have been more mega securites offerings than ever before and the first listings of Spanish technology companies on the US stock market.