about us

Barcelona, international referent

Tech Barcelona is an independent private non-profit association that works to reinforce Barcelona as a model of the international digital and technological ecosystem. We are the gateway and the platform for an active participation in the ecosystem. We create connections and make startups visible. We catalyze innovation within corporations. We promote entrepreneurship. We attract investment. We promote talent. We focus and empower the ecosystem.

MISSION

Technology, economy and impact

We drive the growth of the digital and technology ecosystem and promote the transformation both of traditional sectors and the economic model through technology. We position the ecosystem in an international context while taking into consideration the impact of technology in our society.

HOW WE DO IT

Community & knowledge & strategic projects

We generate and share knowledge. We organize activities and events to foster mutual learning within the ecosystem.
We promote sector-specific work groups to face the challenges of technological, social and economic transformation. We connect talent. We give visibility to innovative projects and we create an international network of ambassadors. We promote Open Innovation projects. We have a massive database of the innovative companies that are part of our ecosystem.

Awards & Recognitions

Network Award

22@NetworkBCN, 2016

Carlos Ferrer Salat Award

Foment del Treball, 2017

Ignasi Pujol Award

Ara, 2017

Digitaliza Award

Grupo Zeta, 2017

Miguel Vicente,

President of Tech Barcelona

Miquel Martí,

CEO de Tech Barcelona

our objectives

Empower talent

Support entrepreneurship

Attract investment

Boost competitiveness

OTHER PROJECTS

Unique initiatives

BcnTech4Women

#BcnTech4Women represents Tech Barcelona’s compromise with gender equality in the digital and technological sectors.

Tech Spirit

Tech Spirit was the event organized on February 2020 after 4YFN and Mobile World Congress’ cancelation.

board & team

Ecosystem leaders

Board members

Miguel Vicente

Antai VB

Ignasi Costas

DWF-RCD

Marcel Rafart

Galdana Ventures

Dídac Lee

Galdana Ventures

Lucas Carné

Privalia & 011h

Miguel Planas

Necsia

Carlos Blanco

Nuclio VB

Mar Alarcón

Social Car

Manuel Mates

Big Sur Ventures

Gerard Olivé

Antai VB / BeRepublic

Iñaki Ecenarro

All Iron Ventures

Jaume Gomà

Ulabox

Ángel García

Lanta Digital Ventures

Mireia Mir

ImpulseToGrow

Christopher Pommerening

Learnlife

Carlos Trenchs

Aldea Ventures

Mauricio Prieto

eDreams

Tomás Diago

Softonic

Xavier Capellades

Nomo

Christian Rodriguez

ByHours

Carlota Pi

Holaluz

Helena Torras

Pao Capital

Miguel Valls

Alta Life Sciences

Rubén Ferreiro

Grupo Viko

Ana Maiques

Neuroelectrics

Josep Lluís Sanfeliu

Asabys Partners

Ernest Quingles

Epson

Enric Jové

McCann

Carmen Rios

Doctomatic

Marc Murtra

Closa

Pere Vallès

Exoticca

Ignasi Vilajosana

Worldsensing

Team

Miquel Martí

CEO – Chief Executive Officer

Mar Galtés

Corporate Development Director

Juan Baselga

Partnership & Institutional Relations Director

Xavier Gaspar

CFO – Chief Financial Officer

Toni García

COO – Chief Operating Officer

Borja Ferrer

CMO – Chief Marketing Officer

Carolina Hartbrecht

Executive Assistant

Miguel Gómez

Communication Specialist

Marina Rosales

Digital Marketing Specialist

Gerard Forca

Membership Intern

Carlos Cercós

Activity Program Coordinator

our story

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Precedents

In November 2011, the mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, visited the headquarters of LetsBonus, a company that Miguel Vicente had created two years earlier, which already employed more than 300 people doing business in Europe and Latin America. From the conversation between Trias and Vicente came the idea of supporting Barcelona as a great European e-commerce hub. In Barcelona there were beginning to be entrepreneurs and digital assets but they needed to be organized. In the summer of 2012, under the auspices of Barcelona Activa, brainstorming sessions were held that brought together the then-incipient sector, with prominent companies such as LetsBonus, Atrápalo, Trovit, Anuntis, Softonic, Groupalia, Inspirit, ItNet, Intercom, Socialpoint, eDreams or Ulabox.

Birth of E-commerce & Tech Barcelona

The group of entrepreneurs led by Miguel Vicente and the lawyer Ignasi Costas (RCD) promoted the creation in 2013 of the Barcelona E-commerce & Tech association. Miquel Martí, previously Biocat's director of innovation and finance, was in charge of designing and leading the project, as CEO of the organization.

Barcelona Tech City

The association was renamed Barcelona Tech City to embrace a broader spectrum of technologies and companies. Right from the start, it became the organization that led the way to Barcelona becoming the leading digital ecosystem in southern Europe: an ecosystem created from the bottom up, to unite and align entrepreneurs, startups, corporations, investors, universities, and administrations.

MVP and the foundation of Pier01

Martí dedicated this first stage to bringing together members of the ecosystem — in the first year there were already xxx associates — and studying major global innovation hubs. He also searched for a physical and symbolic space that would allow it to become a meeting point and would itself explain what the ecosystem of Barcelona was.

Inauguration of Pier01

The space was found in November 2015 and was finally inaugurated in July 2016 at the Palau de Mar. Pier01 is a corporate headquarters that is at the same time a large campus where dozens of companies live, an activity center, a coworking space, and a meeting point for national and international players when they are in the city.

The plaudits arrive

Barcelona Tech City receives the Ignasi Pujol award for Foment de l'Emprenedoria from Diari Ara, the Digitaliza award from El Periódico and the Carles Ferrer Salat award from Foment del Treball in the R&D category. The ecosystem begins to consolidate: Barcelona appears for the first time in the top European cities for entrepreneurship (third in the Atomic ranking).

Inauguration of Pier03

The urban technology campus project began to take shape with the creation of Pier03, a transversal space with companies such as Tiendeo, Viko, Novartis and The Valley. The building houses the historic 7 Portes restaurant, owned by Paco Solé Parellada (promoter of the Innova program at the UPC, a pioneer in Spain in the creation of technological projects at the university) and it was also the first place in Barcelona where Picasso lived.

BcnTech4Women and internationalization

Barcelona Tech City grew while promoting its values. Miquel Martí visited several leading international hubs, such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel, in order to learn from them. At the same time, the #BcnTech4Women project was launched: Barcelona Tech City's commitment to gender equality in the technological and digital sectors in Barcelona.

Tech Spirit and Covid-19

The pandemic forced the cancellation of the Mobile World Congress and 4Y4N, but Barcelona Tech City with other partners managed to create a five-day event where we were able to give a voice to the ecosystem, with full safety measures in place. Tech Spirit was a "one shot" event organized in order not to miss the opportunity for meetings and networking during the most important weeks of the year for the digital and technological ecosystem.

Urban Tech Campus and Tech Barcelona

The Urban Tech Campus project became even more relevant: the Pier05-Fintech Hub, the HealthTech Pier and the Urbantech projects were developed. The evolution translated into a new brand: Tech Barcelona.