The entrepreneurial ecosystem shows increasing signs of maturity, such as having surpassed 2,000 startups in 2022, registering a growth of 6.3% compared to the previous year. The number of emerging companies has grown uninterruptedly in recent years and has almost doubled since 2016, according to a report by Acció. In fact, 59% of Catalan emerging companies have been created in the last five years. "We have indisputably consolidated ourselves as the first startup and technology hub in Southern Europe and among the top five on the continent," defends the Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent.
The record number of startups has been accompanied by another, achieving the highest investment volume in the entire historical series, capturing 1,653 million euros in 2022, 4.3% more than the previous year. This figure has also grown considerably in the last five years, with an accumulated total of 5,043 million euros, 296% higher than what was obtained in the previous five-year period, with 1,271 million euros.
The maturity of the ecosystem is also observed in the size that companies have gained. Currently, 76% of companies have fewer than 10 employees, while in 2019, this percentage was 87%. There are also more startups with between 11 and 20 employees, which have increased from 8% to 14% in the last three years.
The more than 2,000 emerging companies in Catalonia collectively invoice 1,720 million euros and employ more than 19,100 workers. Of these, 23% are foreigners, 19% in the case of founders. In this regard, according to Acció, Barcelona has positioned itself in the European Union as the second startup hub with the highest percentage of international founders and as the second preferred by founders to create one, only behind Berlin. Likewise, 67% of Catalan startups have foreign clients, which represent 44% of their average turnover.
By sectors, Catalan startups are dedicated to health (16%), business services and software (12%); ICT and mobile (6%); food (5%) and finance (5%). Technology plays an important role: 33% of companies work with artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. Also noteworthy are those dedicated to cloud and edge computing (11.5%), the Internet of Things (8%) or automation (7.5%).