Catalan startup Fashion Pills has re-opened following a fundraising round of more than half a million euros with the help of Barcelona accelerator Intelectium and a group of business angels from the IESE network. Founded in 2011 by Nuria Nicolás and Maxi Urnezius, Fashion Pills is no stranger to the e-commerce game. From June 2011 to July 2013, Fashion Pills grew a … [Read more...]
Spanish Government Admits Error – Removes Limit On Crowdfunding Investments
Spain's growing, but delicate startup ecosystem can breathe a collective sigh of relief as the Spanish government has reversed it's decision to limit the amount of money a professional investor can invest on a crowd-funding platform in Spain. While the rest of the continent is experiencing explosive participation in crowdfunding activity, it seemed for a minute there that … [Read more...]
Calling All Barcelona Startups: Register NOW for the FEST-UP Startup Expo!
In less than two weeks, Barcelona will host its first-ever crowd-sourced startup festival: Fest-UP! With more than 45 confirmed events taking place the week of May 5th – 10th, Fest-UP is a platform for the change-makers of the Barcelona Startup Ecosystem to showcase their projects, share their knowledge, and get to know one another a little bit better. In order to truly … [Read more...]
Barcelona Accelerator Conector Announces 2nd Call For Startups
The Barcelona Accelerator Conector has announced a new call for startups to enter the second edition of their program. The startups accepted into the second class will receive mentorship, workspace and access to investors from June to November 2014. Applications are being accepted through May 4th and entrepreneurs who wish to present their projects must register … [Read more...]
Barcelona VC Ysios Capital Opens New €100M Fund To Back Disruptive Biotech Companies
With all of the international events and hoopla surrounding Barcelona tech startups and mobile ventures, sometimes we overlook the fact that we are also a global epicenter of biomedical research and innovation. It’s not like they’ve been hiding. Thousands of scientists, researches, academics and PhDs cycle through Barcelona every year working the next generation of medical … [Read more...]
Barcelona Startup Keonn Tech Wins The First Keiretsu Forum of 2014
Keiretsu Forum is the largest international association of private investors and business angels in the world. Established in San Francisco in 2000, their network has grown to over 2,000 members across the US, Europe and Asia and has invested more than $200M in more than 250 ventures worldwide. Here in Spain, Keiretsu Forum members have invested €5.1M in 17 startups … [Read more...]
Ask The VC: Interview With Principal Imran Akram From DN Capital
Give us a brief introduction, what do you do at DN Capital and how it is that you define yourself? I’m the father of two daughters and godfather to multiple European growth companies. For DN I look for very interesting startups with a lot of growth potential. Tell us more about DN and your new fund DN has been doing the same thing since we started 13 years ago and that is … [Read more...]
Are Hedge Funds The Next Pot Of Gold For Startup Investment?
Entrepreneurship. Isn’t it hard enough to find a good idea, to make it a reality and scale it without having to spend countless hours courting investors? We’ve all heard the heartbreaking stories of great ideas that failed to materialize due to lack of funds. For those of us without a “sugar daddy” to keep filling our entrepreneurial pockets, we are all too often obliged to … [Read more...]
The Tyranny Of The Small Spanish “VCs”
Start-ups will do anything for money. And by anything, I mean give up huge percentages of equity, board seats, hey, even some close relatives if they could! Investors know this and too many to count are taking advantage of it in Spain. What's the real issue here? Let's take a look at the bigger picture. Of course we all have a price; there is a number for everyone out … [Read more...]
Barcelona Startup Treeveo Closes A New Type Of Angel Round
It’s no secret that raising money for high-growth ventures in Spain is a monumental task, especially at the seed level. Whether from the lack of experienced angel investors or the competition from the explosion of new startups in a down economy, getting that crucial angel investment can sometimes seem like mission impossible. That’s why Barcelona startup Treeveo decided to … [Read more...]