The telecommunications operator Parlem Telecom and the venture capital firm Inveready have partnered to promote a new acceleration program aimed at startups linked to the new technologies sector and based in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community. Parlem Ventures will select seed-stage startups and prioritize projects that offer solutions for B2B models. The initiative also involves the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the i2CAT Foundation, Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital), and the Department of the Vice-Presidency and Digital Policies and Territory.
The new accelerator will allow up to 15 projects to participate in each of its calls, which will have access to training and consulting sessions led by the partners promoting Parlem Ventures. These individual and group sessions will foster networking among participants and address key aspects of business development, such as access to public aid, financing rounds, business plan development, and internationalization. MWCapital will be responsible for training entrepreneurs in the uses of 5G technology, while the Barcelona Chamber will provide an overview of the SME sector and i2CAT will help entrepreneurs to develop the first product versions and strengthen their technological foundations. The sessions will be held in various spaces of the Chamber and, especially, in the new HUB cambraDigital in Barcelona.
Likewise, the program will annually select six companies, which may have access to a pilot test with Parlem and become strategic allies or integrate into one of the company's departments. Parlem and Inveready will allocate a maximum of 600,000 euros in convertible loans. Specifically, each project will be eligible to receive up to 50,000 euros from the operator and 50,000 euros from the management company. The selection of the six emerging projects will be carried out in two annual calls through a pitch day. The first call was launched this Tuesday.