Barcelona shaping up to be Europe’s digital entrepreneurialism hub

• Barcelona is home to 28.4% of the 2,663 digital start-ups and 56% of investment in Spain
• One fifth of all business in the digital arena in Barcelona comes from e-commerce sites

According to last year’s Startup Ecosystem Overview report, compiled by Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCB), Barcelona attracted 28.4% of the 2,663 digital start-ups that moved to Spain and makes up 56% of all investment in this arena over the past three years.

In 2016 alone, the Catalan capital received €282 million, while Madrid attracted €173 million. This makes Barcelona the fifth capital city in Europe, led only by London, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam, and ahead of the Spanish capital, which continues to be sixth. Barcelona, thus, aspires to become a benchmark hub for the sector in Europe within a few years.

The MWCB report highlights that one fifth of all digital business in Barcelona is from e-commerce sites. They are followed in importance by mobile apps (10%), business solutions (10%) and digital tourism companies (9%). In this regard, like London is a benchmark in fintech and Tel Aviv is in cybersecurity, Barcelona is already a benchmark in the e-commerce sector.

The 2016 European Digital City Index indicates, and the recently published Observatori Barcelona 2016 reiterates, that Barcelona is the ninth most attractive city in Europe for entrepreneurs in the digital arena, offering the conditions and support they need to promote their new technology projects in the digital arena. Highly valued in this regard is Barcelona Activa’s work to promote entrepreneurial and business initiatives, with the facilities and services it makes available to entrepreneurial projects and start-ups.

[02/22/2017]