Barcelona launches the city’s first space to accelerate companies in the mobile sector

• mStartupBarcelona, located in the Barcelona Growth Centre, is backed by the City of Barcelona through Barcelona Activa and the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation.
• The objective is to attract top acceleration programs and bolster the local ecosystem, so as to position Barcelona as a startup city recognized at both the European and international levels.
• The three first acceleration programs attracted have been Startupbootcamp, IMPACT, and Gamebcn. In total, over the first year, they will foster the launch of around 40 startups.

November 26, 2014

mStartupBarcelona is the city’s first space to welcome different acceleration programs, both local and international, aimed at mobile sector entrepreneurs and startups. This is an initiative promoted by the City of Barcelona through Barcelona Activa and the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCB) Foundation.

The objectives are to promote the creation and growth of mobile companies in the city; to attract top acceleration programs, and to fortify the local ecosystem so as to position Barcelona as an attractive location for startups and a leader in innovation and technology.

In this pursuit, a specific lineup of activities will be created, and third-party events aimed at the entrepreneurial community will be identified, making it possible to position mStartupBarcelona as a leading point of contact in the field of mobile technologies and corporate interaction.

This new space, located on the second floor of the Barcelona Growth Centre, boasts 1,500 m² distributed in 18 modules of between 15 and 70 m², common spaces for the entrepreneurs on site, and a training room.

mStartupBarcelona, a hub for mobile accelerators

The first three acceleration programs attracted, which will be set up at mStartupBarcelona, are Gamebcn, IMPACT, and Startupbootcamp. One is a locally oriented entity, the other focuses on projects throughout Europe, and the third is internationally present, respectively.

At this time the space hosts the 8 startups selected for the first edition of Gamebcn, a program designed to accelerate the launching of projects in the video games sector.

In December plans call for the selection of the companies that will participate in the other two acceleration programs, entering mStartupBarcelona in early 2015. Startupbootcamp is looking for ten projects related to the Internet of Things and Smart Data, while IMPACT will host around 20 startups in the mobile Internet sphere adopting European FI-Ware and FI-Content technologies.

In this way, during the first year, this new space will accelerate the launching and growth of approximately 40 startups engaged in the mobile technology sector.

Barcelona’s commitment to becoming a leading startup city

mStartupBarcelona came about as a hub of accelerators for mobile startups, joining the four spaces that Barcelona Activa makes available for the city’s entrepreneurs and companies: the Glòries Incubator, the Barcelona Nord Technology Park, the Almogàvers Business Factory, and ESA BIC Barcelona.

It represents, then, another step forward in the evolution of the city’s incubation model, and demonstrates Barcelona’s commitment to establishing itself on the vanguard as one of Europe’s leading startup cities.

In addition, taking advantage of its status as mobile world capital, this initiative allows the city to present itself internationally as a top site for startups in the mobile technologies sector, while it is also a means by which to generate a critical mass of projects and companies that are born, take root, and remain in the city.

Mobile World Capital presents a global vision that effectively integrates mobile technologies into the fabric of the industries transforming our lives. Committed to expanding the mobile experience throughout Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain with strong support of the public and private sector.

Mobile World Capital is leading mobile transformation through commitments in Competence Centres, local Industry Development, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation programmes.

MWCapital offers an open platform and exhibition showroom where citizens can understand and experience how mobile is enhancing our lives: The Mobile World Centre, located in the heart of Barcelona on Plaza Catalunya.

Barcelona Activa, built in the area of ​​economics, business, and employment, is the implementing organization of economic promotion policies of the City of Barcelona. It has a wide experience promoting programs to support the creation and growth of companies through public- private partnership. In recent years the municipal commitment supports incubating new models involving various actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.