Startup ecosystems can be fragmented, competitive, and hidden to newcomers, which is detrimental for local startups and community growth. The Startup Ecosystem Canvas seeks to provide local entrepreneurs with a clear list of resources for every stage of their startup journey, and outline a basic framework for communities to map their ecosystem.
With applications for the Barcelona Founder Institute now open, we are excited to release the Updated Barcelona Startup Ecosystem Canvas, which is currently in Draft v4 below! It was developed by the Barcelona Founder Institute and local leaders Urs Rothmayr, Oriol Bes, and Raphael Jardim.
More input is needed, so please leave your comments on this collaborative Google document, and it will be considered for the next update.
Are you looking to build a startup in Barcelona? Then apply to the Barcelona Founder Institute today!
A text version is included below, for searchability:
Startup Stages
There is no one right way to build a technology company, but for the sake of simplicity we have outlined a basic, common, sequential framework.
1. Idea Stage
This is where new entrepreneurs get inspired, learn best practices, develop skills, validate ideas, and begin to build their team and product.
A. Inspire
- Startup Media: Centralized local information, listings, and news. (i.e. startup blogs/ publications/ lists/ FB groups/ newsletters)
- Inspirational Events: Open, inclusive, beginner startup events (i.e. Startup Weekend, idea fairs, and inspirational meetups)
- 080 Barcelona Fashion Investor Day
- Big Data Startups
- Failcon Barcelona
- First Tuesday
- Full Stack Fest Barcelona
- Iniciador Barcelona
- ISport Forum
- Mornings4
- PrimaveraPro Startups
- Quedamus
- Social Entrepreneurship Barcelona Meetup
- Startup Party Barcelona
- Startup Week Barcelona
- Startup Weekend Barcelona
- TechMeetups Barcelona
- TEDx Barcelona
- WORKOFF: Digital Nomads & Coworkers in Barcelona
B. Educate
- Best Practices: Beginner knowledge-sharing events. (i.e. beginner events that serve to educate more than inspire, like Startup Founder 101, etc)
- Training & Feedback: Skill & Idea development. (Ex. bootcamps and comprehensive training programs, like Founder Institute, etc)
C. Validate
- Team Formation: Resources for teaming up. (i.e. events or other resources that facilitate early-stage recruitment and cofounder matching)
- Build First Product: Hackathons & resources to build. (i.e. hackathons and other builder-focused events and resources)
2. Launch Stage
In this stage, entrepreneurs establish and formalize the company, develop the product, get feedback from customers, and prepare for the next step.
A. Start
- Establish: Law firms & banks for startups
- Workspace: Co-working and flexible workspaces (note: “official” office space goes in 3.1.a. Infrastructure)
- Apocapoc BCN
- ATTA
- BCN575 Coworking
- BCNewt
- Betahaus
- Blitz Coworking Gracia
- Cloudworks
- Coworking Platon
- CREC
- Depot Lab
- Domènech 7
- Espai Born
- Factory 103
- Felisa Cowork
- Garden Coworking
- Impact Hub Barcelona
- LoftCowork
- Makers of Barcelona
- MeetBCN
- Nidok Coworking
- Pangea Coworking
- Pier01
- Pipoca Coworking
- RavalCo
- Start2bee
- Talent Garden Barcelona
- Transforma BCN
- WeWork
- Zamness
B. Develop
- Formalize: Accounting, development and HR for early-stage startups.
- Prepare for Seed: Incubators and advanced mentorship. (i.e. advanced knowledge sharing, later stage events and resources for startup teams)
C. Launch
- Seed Accelerators: Seed funding mentor programs (Techstars-style programs that provide funding)
- Pitch & Demo: Show local startups for investment (i.e. demo days for companies seeking seed investment)
3. Growth Stage
Here, a startup proves their utility, receives recognition, and scales up. This usually requires funding, angels, VCs, and ways to connect them to startups.
A. Recognition
- Investor Networking: Connect professional investors with founders. (i.e. events or groups that facilitate connections with professional investors)
- 4YFN Events
- Barcelona International Investors and Founders (IIF)
- Barcelona Networking
- Business Angels Network Catalunya (BANC)
- Challengers Barcelona
- Crowdcube
- Economistes BAN
- ESADE BAN Investment Forum Barcelona
- Global Women Entrepreneur-Network: Barcelona
- IESE Business Angels
- Keiretsu Forum
- Seed&Click Angel Network
- The Crowd Angel
- Major Media: Mainstream local business press. (i.e. major local or regional publications that frequently champion local businesses)
B. Funding
- Angels / Micro-VCs: Seed-stage investors
- Albert Armengol
- Albert Feliu
- Ankit Shah
- Axel Serena
- Bloomium
- Carlos Blanco
- Christopher Pommerening
- Daniel Gimenez
- David Monreal
- Ed Freyfogle
- Encomenda VC
- Eneko Huarte-Mendicoa
- Enric Sole
- Fernando Lodi de Oliveira
- Finaves S.C.R.
- Grant Taylor
- Grupo Godó
- Grupo HS3
- Hugo Fdez.-Mardomingo
- Idodi Venture Capital
- Ignacio Fonts
- Inveready Technology Investment Group
- Javier Juncadell
- Joel Verges
- Jordi Priu
- Lanta Digital Ventures
- Lars Gehrmann
- Lluis Faus
- Luis Martin Cabeides
- Marco Gari Heseltine
- Marek Fodor
- Mauricio Prieto
- Neoko Capital
- Oscar Fuente
- Pura Strong
- Ramillas
- Ricard Soderberg
- Sitka Capital
- Smartech Capital
- Szabolcs Gaborjani
- The Crowd Angel
- Varun Dalal
- Venture Capitalists: Series A and beyond
- 101 Startups
- Abac Capital
- Active Venture Partners
- Ariol Capital
- Caixa Capital Risc
- ECIJA
- Flint Capital
- Funding Circle España
- Galdana Ventures
- Idodi Venture Capital
- Intelectium
- Lanta Digital Ventures
- Lánzame Capital
- Miura Private Equity
- Nauta Capital
- Nero Ventures
- Scaale Barcelona / Cross Border Angels
- Seed & Click
- SI Capital
- Sitka Capital
- Ysios Capital
C. Growth
- Infrastructure: Office space, HR, local business insurance. (i.e. office space/ HR/ insurance providers for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)
- Araytor Correduria de Seguros
- CICOR Internacional Correduria de Seguros
- CINC Business Center
- D&M Asesores
- Grupo RH Barcelona
- Habitaclia
- Instant Offices
- JDM Correduria de Seguros
- LB Consultores
- Omnibus Correduria de Seguros
- Pisos
- Privat Asesoramiento
- RSM Correduria de Seguros
- Search Office Space
- Target Offices
- Tecnic Consultores
- Expansion: Growth accelerators/consultants. (i.e. programs and business consultants for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)
4. Success Stories
Successful homegrown companies that have raised significant institutional funding, employ a large workforce, or have achieved liquidity.
- 3Scale
- Atrapalo
- ByHours
- Camaloon
- CloudGuide
- Cooltra / eCooltra
- CornerJob
- Coverfy
- Cyberclick
- Datumize
- Derecho.com
- Doctoralia
- eDreams ODIGEO
- Exoticca
- ForceManager
- Fractus
- Glovo
- Holaluz
- iContainers
- ID Finance
- Infantium
- Infojobs
- Kantox
- Kigo
- Kompyte
- Lodgify
- Minoryx Therapeutics
- Nubelo
- Nubera
- Nuroa
- PayTouch
- Peptomyc
- Picreel
- Privalia
- RedPoints
- Restb.ai
- Robot Media
- Scytl
- Signaturit
- Socialpoint
- Softonic
- Tiendeo
- TravelPerk
- Treeveo
- Trovit
- Typeform
- Ulabox
- Upptalk
- Uvinum
- vLex
- Voz.io
- Wallapop
- Worldsensing
Supporters
To facilitate the steps, every ecosystem needs strong supporters.
1. Evangelists
Successful local founders who lead the ecosystem & frequently mentor newbies.
- Adriana Freitas
- Alberto Lopez-Balcells Gallardo
- Alexander Dmitrenko Marchenkoff
- Alexis Urusoff
- Àlex Rodríguez Bacardit
- Alicia Cañellas
- Bart Huisken
- Bogdan Petrescu
- Diana Moret
- Diego Fernandez
- Elena Rodriguez Blanco
- Erik Brieva
- Fran Chuan
- Francesc Saldaña
- Henrik Sprengel
- Holger Sprengel
- Hyun Park
- Iñaki Ecenarro
- Ivan Utge Hernandez
- Joaquim Pinto
- John Carbajal
- Jorge Fuentes
- Josep Amoros
- Josep Lluis de Gabriel I Eroles
- Josep Oriol Armengou Girbau
- Juan Alvarez de Lara
- Juan Castilla
- Marc Serra
- Maria Rubies
- Michiel Das
- Miguel Benavent de B.
- Miguel Galera
- Nacho Gallardo
- Oriol Bes
- Pere Valles
- Raphael Jardim
- Richard Ferraro
- Ruben Ferreiro
- Rudy Bianco
- Sergi Pallares Nadal
- Spain Admin
- Tirso Maldonado
- Toni Ferrate
- Toni Mascaró
- Urs Rothmayr
- Valerie Coulton
- Veronica Torras
- Xavier Alabart
2. Government
Public organizations that facilitate local economic development
3. Talent
Major local business or tech universities and employers that attract and retain local talent.
- Local Universities (universities with prominent technical or business programs)
- Barcelona Business School
- Barcelona Graduate School of Economics
- Barcelona Technology School
- EADA Business School
- EAE Business School
- EU Business School Barcelona
- ESADE Business & Law School
- ESIC Business School
- IESE Business School: Barcelona
- Teamlabs Barcelona
- TBS - Campus Barcelona
- Universitat Abat Oliba CEU
- Universitat de Barcelona
- Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
- ETSEIB - Escola Tècnica Superior Enginyeria Industrial de Barcelona
- Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- Universitat Ramon Llull
- Local Employers (Major technical employers, like Microsoft or Google or large local companies, with large local offices)
Learn more about the Startup Ecosystem Canvas here, and leave us your thoughts on the Barcelona Canvas on this collaborative Google document (This is just a DRAFT, and more input is needed!)