Barcelona, the fifth favorite city for European startups

Why is Barcelona one of the favorite places for European startups? Not only does the Catalan capital have the necessary infrastructure, such as a port and airport with international connections. The city also hosts a series of annual events like the Mobile World Congress, Smart City Expo or ISE (Integrated Systems Europe), making it the perfect candidate for emerging companies. If we also add its high quality of life and its climate, it is not difficult to understand why. As a result, Barcelona leads southern Europe as a “hub” for startups.

This is stated in the report of EU-Startups Europe’s Biggest startup hubs, which places Barcelona in fifth place in its ranking. The study takes into account the number of startups registered in each European city in the last 3 years, as well as the financing activity in the hubs in the previous year. Ahead of Barcelona are London, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam. Behind Barcelona are Munich, Madrid and Stockholm. Even so, the report explains that positions 5-8 are very close, with little difference between them.

Challenges in relation to COVID-19

Because of the pandemic, emerging companies are facing a number of challenges, yet many of them will manage to overcome the bump. In July, EU-startups also published an analysis of startups founded between 2016 and 2020 that were still growing despite the crisis. As well as attracting emerging companies, it is also one of the most attractive cities in the world for the technology sector. The 22@ business and university zone in Poblenou stands out as being very influential for scientific multinationals.

If you are interested in starting your own project in Barcelona, find out about our Bachelor in Management, our Master in Management or our MSc programs.