It's not Ibiza, and it's definitely not Mallorca. The peaceful island of Menorca was host to some of the biggest names of the global tech ecosystem for the last 20 days to bring a unique style of mentoring to 20 of the most promising startups from around the world. The founders of Menorca Millennials, Ricard Garriga and Marcos Martin, wanted to give entrepreneurs a chance to … [Read more...]
Everything You Need To Know About Challengers 2015
In less than 10 days, history is going to be made in Barcelona. For the first time ever, Challengers - an international closed-door startup & tech lifestyle experience - will kick off and make Barcelona its home for pushing the limits of what's possible. For lack of a better definition, Challengers is a conference, but it aspires to be something more. Something different. A … [Read more...]
Could Wallapop Be Barcelona’s First Billion Dollar Startup?
Do you Walla? If you live in Spain it's highly likely that you already have the secondhand marketplace app Wallapop installed on your phone. Between their cheeky TV ads to their irresistible UI that just lets you keep scrolling, Wallapop has seemingly come out of nowhere to blow past Spain's long list of competitors in the already crowded classified ads arena. In fact, the … [Read more...]
Lessons From Launching Startup Dodgeball Across Europe
I remember vividly that the excitement was always at its highest whenever Völkerball was on the sports curriculum in primary school. “I loved the game in school so much that I felt disappointed whenever the game was over”. Then years later in San Francisco around September 2006 the excitement built up quickly again when I had a chance to play dodgeball, the American version of … [Read more...]
Before The Digital Economy Comes The Digital Company
By 2016, almost half of the world’s population is expected to be connected to the Internet. That’s over 3 billion people. This is the phenomenon that is fuelling the ‘Digital Economy’. This new digital economy is recognised by governments and by the European Commission as a powerhouse for innovation, competitiveness and growth, holding tremendous potential for entrepreneurs … [Read more...]
Barcelona’s Quest to Become The Smartest City of Them All
Barcelona has been named the Smartest City in the world for 2015, according to a February publication by the research house, Juniper Research. The list ranks cities across a combination of “smart” capabilities, emphasizing those with smart grids, smart traffic, smart lighting, and also other aspects as social cohesion and technological capabilities. Smart City Barcelona came … [Read more...]
The State of Leadership in Spain: A Case Study
Leadership can make or break a company. The way teams operate and how much they accomplish is most often a direct reflection of the team's leaders. Have you ever wanted to rate your boss honestly? If not, I bet you've wondered if bosses are self-aware to the way they work, the way they makes people feel, or whether or not they are effective at their jobs. Here’s the reality: … [Read more...]
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Eat ‘Em: UberEATS Launches In Barcelona
What do you do if a government ordinance decides to shut you down? Take your existing infrastructure and pivot to a new business model. That's exactly what Uber has done in Barcelona. Two months after the Uber Taxi App was banned in Spain, Uber has launched UberEATS in the Catalan capital of Barcelona. Taking a page from the playbook of UberFRESH in Los Angeles, the … [Read more...]
A Million Dollars Isn’t Cool. You Know What’s Cool? A Billion Dollars – Kantox Soars To New Heights
Barcelona's darling fintech startup Kantox has hit an incredible new milestone this week as they surpassed the $1 billion mark of funds traded on their foreign exchange platform. A billion. That's a 1 with 9 zeroes after it: 1.000.000.000. Not too shabby for a startup that was founded in a 54-hour Startup Weekend challenge back in 2010. The headline capturing figure is … [Read more...]
Spain Gives Uber The Boot, Is France Next?
The weekend can't come soon enough for the ride-sharing app Uber. Disaster is unfolding across continents for the fast-growing San Francisco-based startup recently valued at €40.000.000.000. On Monday, Uber was banned in New Delhi after a driver allegedly raped a female passenger. On the same day, the Dutch courts ruled that Uber's operations in Holland are in violation of … [Read more...]