Barcelona, first 'deeptech' hub in Southern Europe

With the arrival of new tools such as robotics, blockchain, supercomputing and, lately, artificial intelligence (AI), more and more startups are dedicated to finding new disruptive solutions in the field of technology, engineering and science. These are the so-called deeptech emerging companies, closely linked to universities and research centers, with complex business models that require a lot of time and funding to reach the market.

Little by little, a Catalan ecosystem is consolidating in this field, currently made up of 340 startups, 6% more compared to last year, representing 16% of all emerging companies. Together, deeptech companies invoice 166 million euros, with an annual growth of 3%, and employ more than 2,700 workers, 17% more, according to data collected by Acció. Health, with the prominence of biotechnology, concentrates almost half of the companies, with leading examples such as Peptomyc, Mimark, Integra Therapeutics or The Blue Box.

Deeptech startups are concentrated in Barcelona, where almost 200 companies are located, a figure that represents 58% of all those in Catalonia. At a great distance, they are followed by Cerdanyola del Vallès (4%), Terrassa (3%) and Castelldefels (2%), where research centers such as the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) are located. Almost 50 universities and research centers generate deep technology spin-offs, accompanied by a dozen incubators and accelerators.

The power of the Catalan capital and its surroundings consolidate it as the first deeptech hub in Southern Europe by volume of investment captured. In the period between 2019 and 2024, Barcelona has attracted a total of 544 million euros, a figure that makes it the sixth pole in Europe as a whole. It is thus placed behind cities such as Stockholm, Paris, Munich, Berlin and Helsinki, with much larger disbursements, but ahead of Madrid, Amsterdam, Dublin and Copenhagen, with more comparable amounts.

The year 2022 was the best for the Catalan deeptech sector, when 165 million euros were raised. So far this year, the amount of funding obtained stands at 112 million euros. With a network of about forty venture capital funds and investment platforms established in Barcelona, such as AdBio Partners, Asabys or Capital Cell, the main operations of this 2024 have been led by firms such as Submer, with a round of 50 million euros, Sateliot, of 30 million euros, and Nova Meat, of 17.4 million euros.