Digital, innovative, and creative projects that provide solutions to current needs is the common profile of the twenty or so emerging companies that have received funding from the Institut Català de Finances (ICF) in the last year. These 20 startups have accessed a total amount of 7.7 million euros through the entity's two investment instruments for the venture segment: ICF Venture Tech II and IFEM Innovación. This volume, added to 41.4 million euros invested by other investors, represents a global investment capacity of 49.1 million euros.
The capital contribution from the public financial entity has been made mostly from the IFEM Innovación line in the form of participatory loans of 200,000 euros and has contributed to the development of projects in the ICT sector, mainly, and in health, bio, and ecological sectors. Specifically, the companies with disruptive projects in traditional sectors that bet on differential business models, such as Trendier, Aquí tú reforma, Siglo Clinical, Ivoox, Fittest Freakest, Kubbo, Nuclio Digital School, Octone, Taclia, KintAI, Incapto Coffee, Nectios and VB Devices, have accessed these resources.
With this line of participatory loans, the ICF has accumulated investments in more than 130 companies with more than 20 million euros, in the last nine years.
These are companies with disruptive projects in traditional sectors that bet on differential business modelsLikewise, through the ICF Venture Tech II fund, aimed at startupsin a more advanced phase of its growth, the ICF closed seven financial operations throughout last year. Investments in this segment stand out inTop Doctors, Bigle Legal orInbrain
Together, the companies that have received direct funding from the ICF and indirect funding from private capital are projects with a high innovative component, seeking creative solutions to current needs and betting on digital systems and platforms to boost their business, according to sources from the financial entity.
The director of the Venture Capital area of the ICF, Emili Gómez, highlighted that "as a public financial entity, it is key to support emerging companies, a segment in expansion and of great value for the Catalan economy." "In Catalonia there are more than 1,700 startups and Barcelona is the fourth hub of emerging companies in the European Union, which is why from the ICF we want to continue promoting this economic fabric jointly with other entities of the investment ecosystem," he stated.