The Startup Ecosystem of Barcelona

Barcelona has 1337 startups in our sample database. This represents about 52% of Spain’s startups. Barcelona is the highest-ranked startup ecosystem in Spain.

CITY RANKING

While Barcelona decreased by 3 spot in its global rank in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index of 2023, its ranking in Spain remained stable at 1 nationally since 2022.

National Ranking

1st
0
In Spain

Regional Ranking

7th
-
1
In Western Europe

Global Ranking

40th
-
3
Worldwide

In Partnership with

Barcelona Ecosystem Partner logo

Ecosystem

Startup Ecosystem Overview

aerial view of city buildings during daytime
Barcelona’s startup ecosystem is flourishing thanks to its exceptional education system, talented workforce, robust infrastructure, and supportive public sector initiatives. Renowned business schools like IESE and ESADE are attracting foreign students, positioning Barcelona as a global hub for business education.


The city fosters tech transfer through organizations like Conector and the Collider, while Barcelona Health Hub promotes digital health innovation. Barcelona is a desirable destination for digital professionals, and major events like the Mobile World Congress solidify its status as a global technology center.


With seamless integration of various transportation modes, Barcelona’s infrastructure supports local and global connectivity. Private investment opportunities thrive, particularly in Circular Economy, Digital Economy, and Industry 4.0, attracting international players like GT Private Banking.


The public sector plays a crucial role with initiatives such as the Entrepreneurial Nation Strategy and the Startup Law, reducing red tape and offering favorable tax regimes. Barcelona benefits from the Startup Visa and Entrepreneur Visa, attracting international entrepreneurs.


Catalonia Trade & Investment actively promotes Barcelona and Catalonia as attractive business locations, facilitating foreign direct investment and offering comprehensive support.


Barcelona’s startup ecosystem, with its top-notch education, skilled workforce, robust infrastructure, private investment opportunities, and supportive public initiatives, has cemented its position as a thriving hub for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Startups

Barcelona Top Startup Industries

Foodtech icon
Foodtech
#13 worldwide

62 startups

Social & Leisure icon
Social & Leisure
#20 worldwide

199 startups

Energy & Environment icon
Energy & Environment
#23 worldwide

59 startups

Ecosystem HealthCheck

Barcelona Ecosystem Health Check

The health check tables allow you to look at the performance Barcelona has in each of the parameters that are part of StartupBlink's ranking algorithm. There are five tables, corresponding to the three subscores, the subscore analysis and industry ana...

  • Overperformance
  • Performance equal to global ranking
  • Underperformance
ParameterParameter Global rankParameter rank change since 2022ResultContribution to total scoreRank gain / loss due to parameter
Total Score40-317.658100%0
Quantity Score17-65.02228.44%4
Sample size of startups15-5131918.43%4
Sample size of accelerators18-8492.05%1
Sample size of coworking spaces27-172225.58%1
Community Score37-45-60.271.53%0

ECOSYSTEM

Browse the startup ecosystem database of Barcelona

Ecosystem

The Startup Ecosystem in Barcelona

Our startup ecosystem map for Barcelona includes a sample of 1337 tech companies. We have identified as unicorns 2 startups that have passed the USD 1 billion valuations. Contributing to the vitality of this startup ecosystem are the 1 pantheon member entity. Get the Pro account for unrestricted insights on this ecosystem.

Global Rank

Barcelona is ranked within the top 50 startup ecosystems globally.

Top Industries

Barcelona’s startups excel particularly in Foodtech where it ranks 13 and in Social & Leisure, and Energy & Environment. Find out more

Top Cities for Startups in Spain - Ranked by StartupBlink
StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Rows:
2023 National Rank & Change ▲
2023 National Rank & Change City
search leaderboards icon
Global Rank & ChangeTotal Score
Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries
Quantity Score
Quality ScoreBusiness Score
1st
0
40th
-
3
17.658
00.00
00.00
00.00
2nd
0
49th
+
1
13.514
00.00
00.00
00.00
3rd
0
184th
-
25
3.317
00.00
00.00
00.00
4th
0
284th
-
14
1.504
00.00
00.00
00.00
5th
0
332nd
-
8
1.141
00.00
00.00
00.00
6th
+
1
340th
+
20
1.065
00.00
00.00
00.00
7th
+
1
370th
+
2
0.933
00.00
00.00
00.00
8th
-
2
382nd
-
31
0.890
00.00
00.00
00.00
9th
0
418th
-
4
0.757
00.00
00.00
00.00
10th
0
436th
-
12
0.704
00.00
00.00
00.00
Page out of 4

Startups

Notable Startups in Barcelona
Paack startup icon
Paack
Exoticca startup icon
Exoticca
Impress startup icon
Impress

Startups

Successful Foodtech startups in Barcelona
Heura Foods startup icon
Heura Foods
Agroptima startup icon
Agroptima
Cubiq Foods startup icon
Cubiq Foods

ECOSYSTEM

Why should you join Barcelona's Startup Ecosystem?

Overview

Within Barcelona there is an increased attraction for entrepreneurs to set up their startups in industries such as Foodtech, Social & Leisure, Energy & Environment. These three industries represent about 24% of the startups represented on the Startup Ecosystem Map of Barcelona.

1st

National Rank

7th

Regional Rank

Overview

Barcelona is Spain's 1st best startup ecosystem and is ranked 7th in Western Europe. With a population of 2M - 10M people, Barcelona is ranked 40th in the world. The city has some notable startup success stories including Paack and its startup ecosystem infrastructure is strengthened by organizations such as Glovo and Regus Barcelona World Trade Center.

Featured Startup Ecosystems

Go to portal
Go to portal

BLOG

Recent Posts

Mon Sep 25 2023

Role of Universities in Startup Ecosystems

In this article, we’ll explore the role of universities in startup ecosystems. Join us for an enlightening discussion in the 39th episode of our Startup Ecosystem Podcast series, where Martin Jordana welcomes David Kwok. David, the Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at YSpace —a university run community innovation hub nestled in Downtown Markham —shares valuable […]

Tue Sep 19 2023

The Global Startup Ecosystem Rankings by StartupBlink

The Global Startup Ecosystem Index (GSEI) reveals the startup ecosystem rankings of 1,000 cities and 100 countries based on various factors. It uses an algorithm that considers many parameters and incorporates data from different sources and partners such as Crunchbase, SEMRush and Statista. The results of this index are also integrated with the StartupBlink Global […]

Fri Sep 08 2023

Where are the Cities of the Future for Startups?

At StartupBlink, we always say that where you base your startup highly affects your success. Hence, the Global Startup Ecosystem Index sheds light on location-based decisions for startups and other ecosystem stakeholders. In this episode of the Startup Ecosystem Podcast, Eli David and Martin Jordana go further to discuss the cities of the future for […]