Barcelona is consolidated as the third favorite European city among entrepreneurs. According to the Startup Heatmap report, London and Berlin occupy the first and second position while Amsterdam, Paris and Lisbon, the fourth, fifth and sixth. In Spain, Madrid also stands out, in position 11, Malaga in 19 and Valencia, in 33.
According to the report, the founders of emerging companies value Barcelona for its value for money in the cost of living and doing business, the presence of qualified talent, the connections with the industrial sector and the facilities offered by the entire ecosystem.
Albert Castellanos, CEO of Acció (Generalitat) is pleased that Barcelona has remained at the top of the ranking over the years. “Startups play a key role when it comes to attracting foreign investment, creating quality jobs and positioning itself as a country that is committed to innovation and technology,” he points out.
According to data from the Generalitat, Catalonia has more than 2,000 startups that generate 19,100 jobs. In 2022, they raised 1,653 million euros of investment, a record number in the historical series.
The Startup Heatmap ranking is drawn up based on a questionnaire in which founders from different countries have the option of choosing three European cities from a list of more than 200 cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants. Among the towns whose interest has grown most markedly, Paris, Malaga -which has entered the top 20 for the first time- and also Munich stand out.
