The ecosystem of more than 2,100 startups that has emerged in Catalonia and especially in Barcelona places the Catalan capital as the fifth hub of startups in the European Union. Thus, according to the consulting firm StartupBlink, the city climbs one position compared to the previous ranking, and is located in Europe only behind Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, and Amsterdam.
The report, which evaluates the situation of more than a thousand cities, elaborates the ranking taking into account parameters such as the quantity of startups in each ecosystem, as well as their quality and the business climate. The classification also considers aspects such as the existence of accelerators, coworking spaces, and success stories, including the unicorns that reach a valuation of one billion.
The report not only places Barcelona in the top 5 of European entrepreneurial ecosystems, but also places it in the first position worldwide in the video game sector and also in the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, "Barcelona has consolidated its position as a powerhouse in the EU startup scene," according to StartupBlink CEO, Eli David Rokah.
"In less than a decade, we have consolidated ourselves as a mature digital and technological ecosystem, with one of the most developed startup hubs in Europe," celebrated the Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent, regarding the evolution of the entrepreneurial landscape in the city and beyond.
In this sense, for Catalonia, it is key "to support this ecosystem of fast and flexible companies, which adapt quickly to the market and to the trends of each moment," according to the Secretary of Business and Labor and CEO of Acció, Albert Castellanos. And it is that the Catalan entrepreneurial ecosystem generates 20,600 jobs and a business volume of 2.1 billion euros, with the forecast that it will continue in crescendo.