Catalonia now has 340 deep tech start-ups, 6% more than last year

Catalonia has 340 deep tech start-ups, 6% more than last year, according to a study carried out by the Catalan Government through the public agency for business competitiveness ACCIÓ. Deep tech companies have roots in science, technology or engineering and require STEM expertise to address global challenges.

In this regard, Catalan deep tech start-ups currently have 2,735 employees (up 17% from 2023) and turnover of €166 million (up 3%). Compared to the data from the first edition of the study published two years ago, the number of deep tech start-ups has grown roughly 17%, but their turnover is up 34% and number of employees, 58%.

According to the study, deep tech firms make up 16% of the Catalan start-up ecosystem. They mainly work in biotechnology (37%), artificial intelligence (28%), sustainable and frontier materials (11%), clean energy and batteries (6%) and robotics (6%). Other fields that stand out include photonics, blockchain, supercomputing, semiconductors and quantum physics.

Finally, the ACCIÓ study shows that Barcelona is the top hub in southern Europe in funding secured for deep tech start-ups, with €544 million between 2019 and 2024. In Europe as a whole, the Catalan capital is ranked ahead of Copenhagen, Madrid and Amsterdam, among others.