There’s access to many venture builders, incubators, and accelerators in Barcelona. These programs are key for early-stage startups to reach their goals.
A venture builder is not a venture capital firm. Venture builders develop, launch and scale businesses that gradually operate as independent entities.
A venture builder has business ideas, looks for talent to build the right team and investments to create a new company.
Itnig is a venture builder, we built our own startups and now we also invest in other’s ideas and projects to help them grow. Any entrepreneur starting their own project and looking for financial support can apply to our fund.
On the other hand, both incubators and accelerators help entrepreneurs to quickly grow their business and attract a top venture capital to invest.
However, it’s very important to understand that accelerators and incubators are NOT the same thing. While accelerators focus on scaling a business, incubators are often more focused on innovation.
The goal of the accelerator is to help a startup do roughly two years of business building in just a few months. Early-stage startups usually get a small seed investment, and access to a large mentorship network, in exchange for a small amount of equity.
Accelerators normally have a set timeframe in which individual companies spend working with a group of mentors. The mentor-network is composed of startup executives, venture capitalists, experts, and other external investors.
At the end of an accelerator program, the startups pitch their product/service to investors and hopefully the project is mature enough to take off.
Startup incubators begin with companies or single entrepreneurs that may be earlier in the process and they do not operate on a set schedule. There are some independent incubators, as well as sponsored or run by VC firms, angel investors, government entities, and big corporations.
An incubator can focus on a specific market. Generally, startups relocate to work with other companies in the incubator. During the program, the startup will refine its idea and business plan.
Incubators are startup ecosystems, which usually mean they share space in a co-working environment and community.
Here is a list of Barcelona’s venture builders, accelerators and incubators:
Venture Builders
Antai Venture Builder: is focused on E-Commerce, OnDemand, Digital Native Vertical Brands, Marketplace and SAAS projects. They have helped the rise of startups such as Wallapop, Deliberry and BePretty.
BIBA VENTURE PARTNERS: they help companies develop their ideas, find solutions and strategies to enter the market.
Napptilus: Napptilus is venture builder formed by a group of business, it has more than 15 years of experience in the technological sectors.
Nuclio: a Venture Builder developing and building startups from business ideas to a real company. For more information about this venture builder and about the founder Carlos Blanco: you can take a look at our podcast.
Incubators
Atipics: is focused on the development of the projects of young entrepreneurs, helping them develop their ideas, grow an understanding of their market and understand the needs of their target market.
GameBCN: is an incubation program focused on the gaming industry, offering the necessary mentoring and training to entrepreneurs to help them develop their production pipeline and allow them to be successful in the gaming industry.
LaSalle Technova: LaSalle Technova is one of the most important incubators in Europe focused on innovate technologies.
Demium Startups: Startup Incubator with offices in Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga and Valencia. Demium helps people put together their ‘dream team’ and develop ideas from scratch in only 3 days.
Accelerators
Blockchain.Space: Accelerator specialized on the development of disruptive and technological solutions; solving real solutions with the technology of blockchain.
Ship2B: Startup accelerator promoting entrepreneurship and the positive social impact
StartupBootcamp: Startup Bootcamp is proposing an intensive 3-months acceleration program in Barcelona focused on the IoT and Data.
BStartup: a program created by Banca Sabadell promoting entrepreneurship, collaborative innovation and development of solutions.
Founder Institute: Founder Institute is the World’s premier pre-seed accelerator having helped launch over 3,500 companies. It was founded in 2009, by Adeo Ressi and Jonathan Greechan.
IMPACT: Considered the World’s most emerging accelerator; put together by the top accelerators, VCs and global brands. IMPACT has participated in projects such as 8fit, GlampingHub and Situm.
SPIRE BIO VENTURE: Spire Bio Venture is a startup accelerator focused on the development of projects in all areas of the life science startup lifecycle.
Conector: They are focused on the development of startups from the seed funding stage. The representant of Conector is successful entrepreneurs with a wide portfolio of contact in any industry.
We have interviewed Carlos Blanco, one of the mentors of Conector; for our podcast Startup Inside Stories: take a look here.
Other hubs:
BarcelonaTech City: is aiming to make Barcelona one of the most powerful technological hubs. It’s promoting tech projects, helping develop ideas and solutions within the tech industries.
CAEC: Catalunya’s Business Association of Entrepreneurship.
IQS Tech Factory: IQS Tech Factory provides advice and support to Tech Ventures and entrepreneurs specialised in the technology industries.
Reimagine Food: Connecting entrepreneurs, investors, startups and the existing technologies to reinvent the future of the food industries.
SeedRocket4FounderCapital: SeedRocket offers startup a common space where entrepreneurs can blend knowledge, ideas and grow together.
So, entrepreneur, there are tons of opportunities to find the right venture builders, incubators, and accelerators in Barcelona.