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 The Spanish startup ecosystem is younger than others in Europe and offers entrepreneurs a relatively affordable cost of living, in addition to an abundance of sunny weather that attracts remote talent. 
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 Spain is blessed with two strong ecosystems, Barcelona and Madrid. While these cities are the backbone of the Spanish startup ecosystem, a lot of innovation and talent has come out of smaller cities like Valencia. Barcelona has given birth to some of Spain’s most notable companies, and unicorns such as Glovo, Wallbox, and Letgo have had successful exits. In 2022, Factorial and TravelPerk joined the unicorn list, showcasing the strength of the ecosystem. 
 Madrid is home to Telefónica, a major player in the global telecommunications industry and ranked the top corporation in Europe in the <a href="https://www.startupblink.com/blog/corporate-startup-activity-index/">2025 Corporate Startup Activity Index</a> for its leadership in startup collaboration. It is also home to Amadeus IT Group, a leading provider of travel technologies. These global success stories could be what the ecosystem needs to prevent brain drain and stimulate its most ambitious talent toward more innovation. 
 Ironically, long-term high unemployment rates in Spain have had positive effects on the startup ecosystem, as the difficulty in finding high-quality corporate jobs pushes more people toward entrepreneurship. However, now with rapid GDP growth and record-low unemployment, fewer are driven to entrepreneurship, despite a stronger economy and more capital in the ecosystem. Another unfortunate competitor for startup talent is the public sector, which offers stability and incentives that make it more attractive for the risk-averse young population in Spain. 
 Regulations to help attract talent have already been established, and foreign entrepreneurs can use an Entrepreneur Visa or Startup Visa to establish a company in Spain. However, red tape, high taxes, and a strong bureaucracy are additional challenges that should be peeled back to allow startups to truly advance. For that reason, some of Spain’s notable startups have been headquartered in other ecosystems, and incorporation in the country is not generally regarded as a strategic decision. If Spain manages to build a pro-business narrative and track record, it will truly become a champion of innovation. 
 Addressing the challenge of regulatory reform, the Spanish government has launched the Spain Entrepreneurial Nation Strategy, a ten-year plan to position Spain’s brand as a country focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. The plan includes a New Startup Law. Apart from tax reductions and incentives, the law proposes the launch of a new Digital Nomad Visa, which allows foreigners to stay and work in the country for up to 12 months. 
 On a regional level, ACCIÓ, the public agency for the competitiveness of the Catalan enterprise, should be celebrated for attracting record funding in recent years to Catalonia and positioning it as a notable hub in Europe. Moreover, as a local economic development agency, Barcelona Activa offers coaching, feasibility assessment, training, and incubation programs to help local startups. Beyond Catalonia, other Spanish regions are also fostering their local ecosystems through similar initiatives. Madrid Investment Attraction (MIA), PROEXCA – Canary Islands, VLC Tech City, Startup Valencia, and ProMalaga all contribute significantly to growing their respective local ecosystems, highlighting a nationwide effort to support startup growth and innovation. 
 In addition to public sector activity in Spanish startup ecosystems, the country’s top universities are also active players with their incubators, accelerators, and research-driven spin-offs. Institutions like IE Business School’s Venture Lab, ESADE’s EWorks, and IESE’s Business Angels Network are examples of how academia can foster entrepreneurship. 
 The presence of global events such as <a href="https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/">MWC Barcelona</a>, <a href="https://www.southsummit.io/?utm_campaign=startupblink&amp;utm_medium=startupblink&amp;utm_source=startupblink">South Summit</a>, <a href="https://www.smartcityexpo.com/tracks-scewc/">Valencia Digital Summit and Smart City Expo World Congress</a> has done wonders for promoting the ecosystem overseas and gathering entrepreneurs, investors, and tough leaders together every year. 

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![aerial photography of vehicles passing between high rise buildings](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1539037116277-4db20889f2d4?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxzZWFyY2h8Mnx8bWFkcmlkfGVufDB8fDB8fHww&w=1000&q=80)
 The Spanish startup ecosystem is younger than others in Europe and offers entrepreneurs a relatively affordable cost of living, in addition to an abundance of sunny weather that attracts remote talent. 

==read-more==

 Spain is blessed with two strong ecosystems, Barcelona and Madrid. While these cities are the backbone of the Spanish startup ecosystem, a lot of innovation and talent has come out of smaller cities like Valencia. Barcelona has given birth to some of Spain's most notable companies, and unicorns such as Glovo, Wallbox, and Letgo have had successful exits. In 2022, Factorial and TravelPerk joined the unicorn list, showcasing the strength of the ecosystem. 

 Madrid is home to Telefónica, a major player in the global telecommunications industry and ranked the top corporation in Europe in the [2025 Corporate Startup Activity Index](https://www.startupblink.com/blog/corporate-startup-activity-index/) for its leadership in startup collaboration. It is also home to Amadeus IT Group, a leading provider of travel technologies. These global success stories could be what the ecosystem needs to prevent brain drain and stimulate its most ambitious talent toward more innovation. 

 Ironically, long-term high unemployment rates in Spain have had positive effects on the startup ecosystem, as the difficulty in finding high-quality corporate jobs pushes more people toward entrepreneurship. However, now with rapid GDP growth and record-low unemployment, fewer are driven to entrepreneurship, despite a stronger economy and more capital in the ecosystem. Another unfortunate competitor for startup talent is the public sector, which offers stability and incentives that make it more attractive for the risk-averse young population in Spain. 

 Regulations to help attract talent have already been established, and foreign entrepreneurs can use an Entrepreneur Visa or Startup Visa to establish a company in Spain. However, red tape, high taxes, and a strong bureaucracy are additional challenges that should be peeled back to allow startups to truly advance. For that reason, some of Spain’s notable startups have been headquartered in other ecosystems, and incorporation in the country is not generally regarded as a strategic decision. If Spain manages to build a pro-business narrative and track record, it will truly become a champion of innovation. 

 Addressing the challenge of regulatory reform, the Spanish government has launched the Spain Entrepreneurial Nation Strategy, a ten-year plan to position Spain’s brand as a country focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. The plan includes a New Startup Law. Apart from tax reductions and incentives, the law proposes the launch of a new Digital Nomad Visa, which allows foreigners to stay and work in the country for up to 12 months. 

 On a regional level, ACCIÓ, the public agency for the competitiveness of the Catalan enterprise, should be celebrated for attracting record funding in recent years to Catalonia and positioning it as a notable hub in Europe. Moreover, as a local economic development agency, Barcelona Activa offers coaching, feasibility assessment, training, and incubation programs to help local startups. Beyond Catalonia, other Spanish regions are also fostering their local ecosystems through similar initiatives. Madrid Investment Attraction (MIA), PROEXCA – Canary Islands, VLC Tech City, Startup Valencia, and ProMalaga all contribute significantly to growing their respective local ecosystems, highlighting a nationwide effort to support startup growth and innovation. 

 In addition to public sector activity in Spanish startup ecosystems, the country’s top universities are also active players with their incubators, accelerators, and research-driven spin-offs. Institutions like IE Business School’s Venture Lab, ESADE’s EWorks, and IESE’s Business Angels Network are examples of how academia can foster entrepreneurship. 

 The presence of global events such as [MWC Barcelona](https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/), [South Summit](https://www.southsummit.io/?utm_campaign=startupblink&utm_medium=startupblink&utm_source=startupblink), [Valencia Digital Summit and Smart City Expo World Congress](https://www.smartcityexpo.com/tracks-scewc/) has done wonders for promoting the ecosystem overseas and gathering entrepreneurs, investors, and tough leaders together every year.

Wallapop

Red Points

BSPORT

Smadex

SEEDTAG

The country has some notable startup success stories including , Wallapop.

Spain has 39 cities in the
    top 1000 and has a vibrant startup scene that ranks 14th
    within the competitive global top 20.

Spain’s startup scene saw an increase in 2025 and jumped
      1 spot from the previous year, outranking Finland.

Spain’s startup ecosystem ranks 7th in Western Europe and 14th globally. Spain’s startups raised 3955085 US dollars on average. Find the most promising startups, unicorns, and notable exits in Spain.

Startup Ecosystem of Spain | Startupblink

Our startup ecosystem map for Spain includes a sample of  5278 tech companies. We have identified as unicorns 9 startups that have passed the USD 1 billion valuations. Contributing to the vitality of this startup ecosystem are the 3 pantheon member entities.

With a large variety of accelerator programs and initiatives, Spain's startup scene stands out from that of other countries in Western Europe. Spain offers a number of funding
opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups. Below is a list of some of Spain's most prominent support initiatives:

An inspiring ecosystem that is steadily due to its growing use of digital technologies, rapid urbanization and planned investments

WADAAG TECHNOLOGIES

Sostec

FGS Bill Tracker

Zaad

Wadaag Investment

A growing regional and global startup leader 

bitget.com

AscendEX

DeBank

Trip.com

Viki

A vibrant and strong startup hub attracting international recognition and investment

Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá

Founder Institute (FI) Bogota

RockStart Latam 

Calle 26 # 92-32

Carrera 7 #116-50

Carrera 19 # 100 - 45

Toastmasters Bogota

Picap

Autolab

Cubbo

Rappi

Addi

Bold

Carrera 12a #78-40

A leading regional startup hub owing its succes to the creative and innovative spirit of its people 