Parlem Ventures accelerator selects 12 tech start-ups in its first call for applications

• 50 projects applied to participate in the new entrepreneurship program promoted by Parlem Telecom and Inveready with the collaboration of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Generalitat de Catalunya and the i2cat Foundation.
• A jury will select the 3 winning projects of this call at a Pitch Day this mid-year and the recognized start-ups will be eligible to receive financial investment from Parlem Telecom and Inveready.

9 March, 2022

Parlem Ventures, the new start-up accelerator in the tech sector promoted by Parlem Telecom and Inveready, has successfully closed its first annual call, in which a total of 12 entrepreneurship projects have been selected from 50 proposals that applied to participate. The initiative, collaborated by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, MWCapital, Generalitat de Catalunya and the i2cat Foundation, aims to promote start-ups from Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands that are in the “seed stage”.

The various partners of the entrepreneurship program have selected in this first call the 12 projects that best fit the objectives of Parlem Ventures, which means seeking start-ups that are capable of offering innovative technological solutions in the B2B (“business-to-business”) market. The proposals chosen in this phase, belong to a wide range of fields such as 5G technology, electric mobility, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) or fintech, which are Neutroon, RawData, Bia, Valerdat, EXPAI, FlashPark, Ivack Solutions SL, Adetia, éKratos Digital Services S.L., Alta Guardia, Intemic and Feeder.

During the next few weeks, the entrepreneurs of the 12 selected projects will participate in several workshops given by Parlem Ventures partners and conclude with the celebration of a “Pitch Day” in the middle of the year, in which all proposals will be presented to a Selection Committee who will choose the 3 winning start-ups of the first call. The same procedure will be followed in the second annual call foreseen for the second half of 2022.

One of the criteria that will be valued in the selection of the 3 winning projects will be the start-up’s capability to construct a strategic link with Parlem Telecom, since one of the added values of participating in the program is to become a collaborator of this Catalan telecommunications operator. It is also contemplated that Parlem Telecom and Inveready will invest in the winning projects, meaning each project will be eligible to receive up to €50k from the telecommunications operator and €50k from the Venture Capital’s management company. 

The 12 projects selected in this first call were:

• Neutroon (from the telecommunications and 5G sector) is a 5G private network orchestrator.
• RawData (from the Agrotech sector) offers artificial intelligence and digitization solutions for crop prediction and analysis with AI.
• Bia (from the electric car sector) offers a solution aimed at fleets of electric vehicles to increase their useful life, reducing the power required and the cost of energy.
• Valerdat (ERPs, SaaS) helps Purchasing and Operations Departments to increase Supply Chain visibility and economic optimization through software developed with Artificial Intelligence.
• EXPAI (from the Artificial Intelligence sector) enables a solution that transforms AI black boxes into transparent ones, to make it more efficient (increased productivity) and fairer (elimination of biases).
• FlashPark (from the 5G Yacht sector) is a parking sensing service on public roads using 5G and renewable energies that allows the incorporation of a free space detection functionality to navigation apps such as Google Maps or Apple Maps.
• Ivack (from the Fintech sector) is a system that allows freelancers and companies to recover VAT on all their expense receipts for the last 4 years.
• Adetia (from the digital platforms sector) offers the repair of technological devices in 4 clicks. It is the first digital platform that connects its customers with the best workshops in their city to repair technological devices through a delivery service.
• éKratos Digital Services S.L. (from the Digital Voting sector) is a Digital Voting platform with its own Blockchain technology. 
• Alta Guardia (Security industry, Yate) offers a subscription-connected, self-installable alarm.
• Intemic (from the Industrial Software sector) has software that facilitates the design of industrial-scale bioprocesses thanks to artificial intelligence.
• Feeder (Martech and Artificial Intelligence) owns software that analyzes the audience’s reaction to content and measures their emotions which may be used by marketing and product teams in order to improve their return.

About Parlem Telecom

Parlem Telecom is a Catalan telecommunications operator born in 2014 that offers comprehensive telecommunications services for both individuals and companies, from Catalonia and in Catalan. It is committed to a close relationship with the customer with its own identity. The company, chaired by Ernest Pérez-Mas, is in an expansion phase and has appeared in the last two years among the 200 fastest growing companies in Europe in the annual top 1,000 of the Financial Times.

Since June 2021, Parlem Telecom has been listed on the BME Growth market. Located in the 22@ district of Barcelona, Parlem Telecom is a cutting-edge operator that develops innovation projects, such as 5G pilots in the metropolitan area or artificial intelligence projects in Catalan and is also very involved in the promotion of the ICT sector in the country. The company offers multiple innovative technological solutions tailored to the needs of each company through the business line Parlem Empreses and has initiated a plan to open physical stores in Catalonia. Parlem Telecom aspires to become a large telecommunications group, promoting the implementation of regional proximity operators in other Catalan-speaking territories and in Europe that adapt to the social and cultural identity of each area. In this sense, the operator Aproop, which offers comprehensive mobile, internet and fixed proximity services in the Valencian Community, has just been created.

About Inveready 

Inveready is one of the leading Venture Capital managers in Spain, investing through different specialist verticals (Information Technology, Life Sciences, Venture Debt, Alternative Markets and Private Equity) in companies with a strong technological and innovative component. Founded in 2008, Inveready has 160 active companies in its portfolio, +50 successful divestments and more than €600M of assets under management.

Some of its portfolio companies have been acquired by multinationals such as Intel, Symantec, IBM and Facebook, while others are listed on alternative markets such as NASDAQ, BME Growth, AIM London and Euronext Growth. Headquartered in San Sebastian, Inveready has offices in Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian and has been recognized on multiple occasions by ASCRI and Preqin for its fund returns and transactions.

About Mobile World Capital Barcelona 

It is an initiative that drives the digital development of society and helps improve the lives of people globally. With public and private support, MWCapital focuses its activity in four areas: the acceleration of innovation through digital entrepreneurship; the transformation of industry through digital technology; the growth of digital talent among new generations and professionals; and reflection on the impact of technology on our society.

Its programs are positively transforming the economy, education and society. MWCapital hosts MWC Barcelona and founded 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the business platform for the startup community present at all MWC events worldwide. 

About the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce 

The Barcelona Chamber of Commerce offers transversal services to companies, contributing to the economic and business development of the productive fabric as a whole. The corporation establishes as a roadmap the Catalonia 2030/40 project, which aims to build a new economic model that contributes to drawing a more internationalized, socially responsible, environmentally sustainable and high value-added Catalonia.  

About HUB cambraDigital 

The HUB cambraDigital is a diverse, multipurpose and technological space, which acts as an element of dynamization and integration of different lines of action that the Chamber of Barcelona has in place. The new space promotes SMEs and entrepreneurs to incorporate ICT, innovation and internationalization in their business plans, so that they can face the present and future challenges of digital transformation with more guarantees. The HUB is located at the central offices of the Chamber, at Avenida Diagonal, 452.

About the i2CAT Foundation  

The i2CAT Foundation is a CERCA center for research and innovation in advanced digital technologies. Since 2003, i2CAT drives the digital society of the future through the knowledge generated in the development of R+D+Y projects and activities in technologies such as 5G, Yacht, VR and immersive technologies, cybersecurity, blockchain, artificial intelligence, New Space and technologies for the digital society. The center collaborates with companies, public administrations, academic institutions and users to apply this knowledge to solve social and business challenges.

About Digital Policies

The Department of the Vice-Presidency and Digital Policies and Territory of the Generalitat de Catalunya implements and coordinates government policies related to ICT, with the aim of making Catalonia a digital and empowered nation with a connected and decarbonized territory, generating equal opportunities for all citizens wherever they live, and with innovation as the engine of the new digital economy.