Barcelona Startup News October 16, 2017 – Barcinno

Hello and happy Monday!

This is our 200th newsletter. For over 4 years, Barcinno has been covering Barcelona’s explosive tech scene and we’d like to take a moment to pause, reflect and thank everyone that has supported us and taken part in this journey!

Our commitment to highlighting this city’s exciting growth has led to thousands to new friends, clients, jobs, events and amazing opportunities both locally and around the world.

Most recently, Dan Brown, famous author of the Da Vinci Code, mentioned Barcinno in his latest book Origin. The news came as a surprise, but also as a validation of the work we do and an encouraging statement on the potential of Barcelona’s startup community. It was only fitting that we learned about it on the eve of issue #200. So with that, let’s begin!

Barcelona International Community Day

Don’t miss the 4th annual Barcelona International Community Day this Saturday, October 21 at Museo Marítim. This is an amazing forum to get to know all the tremendous resources and partners available for expats in BCN. Whether you’re growing your business, researching schools are looking for a job, this open venue provides a no pressure environment to learn about everything Barcelona has to offer! Best of all, it’s FREE!

Next week, the reverse-engineered startup conference NewCo returns to Barcelona on October 26-27 where 40+ companies will open their doors and invite you in to learn from their founders and see how they work! Barcinno readers save 20% with the code: NEWCO@BARCINNO

Lastly, if you’d like to learn more about Impact’s Connected Car program, they’re hosting an information session tomorrow (Tues) night. Selected startups can receive €60k in equity-free funding and mentoring support.

Ok, let’s take a look at the latest Barcelona startup news from this week:

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS:

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Startup & Investment News

• Barcelona-based online lending startup IDFinance plans to raise $100 million in the next year
• Barcelona fintech startup Saveboost raises €150k
• Catalan startup Acqustic closes €100k investment round
• Glovo expands to Portugal and takes talent from LetsBonus
• Wallapop postpones international expansion plans to focus on Spain
• Barcelona startup Touchland & Italian firm Zobele join forces to launch first smart hygiene dispenser
• Catalan startup Cuideo expands nationally thanks to latest funding round
• Ioscoot, which has a fleet of over 200 motorcycles in Barcelona, has launched a new app
• Barcelona startup profiles, interviews & success stories:
  • Hibox: a group and private chat for modern teams
  • Tuandco:  innovative online shop with 30.000+ users
  •  IOMED: new medtech for doctors and hospitals

Tech News

• GSMA confirms MWC will stay in Barcelona for 2018 edition, but it’s monitoring the political situation in Catalonia closely (aren’t we all…)
• Spain’s video gaming industry grew by 7,4% in the past year
• FedEx Express opens a new operation center in Barcelona
• Amazon kickstarts operation of new plant in Martorelles, close to Barcelona, with 122 employees
• WeWork and Spaces to open coworking spaces in Barcelona 
• Spanish companies still have loads of work to do to complete their digital transformation
• October’s Barcelona Games World was all about VR & eSports

Good Reads

• Dan Brown’s instant classic Origin (claro)
• Catalan business exodus signals deep corporate concerns (FT)
• Unilateral Catalan independence declaration could threaten Barcelona startup ecosystem (By El Confidencial)
• Interview with K Fund’s Pablo Ventura about cryptoeconomics & blockchain technology opportunities
• BBVA, a Spanish bank, reinvents itself as a digital business (By The Economist)

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GREAT EVENTS THIS WEEK

• Tue, 17 Oct: SmashingConf Barcelona
• Wed, 18 Oct @ 18:00: After Work Data
• Wed, 18 Oct @ 19:00: #BrindisECrowd Barcelona 2017
• Thu, 19 Oct @ 07:00: The Grid Talks Panel: Slow Fashion
• Thu, 19 Oct @ 18:00: Barcelona Tech Job Fair Autumn 2017
• Thu, 19 Oct @ 19:00: Barcelona Android Developer Group
• Sat, 21 Oct @ 10:00: Barcelona International Community Day

See the full Event Calendar here

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STARTUP JOBS IN BARCELONA

• Totally Communications is hiring a WordPress Developer
• Mondo is recruiting a PHP Developer
• MarsBased is looking for a Full-stack Developer