Catalonia home to over 2,100 startups in 2023

Catalonia was home to 2,102 startups in 2023, up 4% on the previous year and the highest number on record. 

The figures come from a report from Catalonia Trade & Investment (ACCIÓ), which also pointed out that the number of startups has almost doubled since analysis began in 2016. 

In 2022, Catalan startups generated €2.1bn of business, 14% more than the previous year, employing more than 20,000 people for the first time – 20,600, up 8% on the previous year. 

Catalonia's business and employment minister, Roger Torrent, praised the "solid and sustained" growth of Catalan startups in recent years. 

"Year after year we are creating a powerful, solid ecosystem," he said in a press conference on Wednesday. 

Beyond the record number, the fact that the startups are getting stronger helps to attract foreign investment and strengthen all aspects of business in Catalonia, the minister said. 

By sector, startups are focused on health (16.9%), business services and software (15.2%), ICT and mobile (5.7%), food (5.2%), and sustainability and energy (5%). 

The report also highlights that the ecosystem has 213 so-called spin-offs – initiatives by companies emerging from universities and research institutions.