Club news
Short English summaries of the latest items from our Russian-language news archive.
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Barcelona overtakes Madrid: 4 billion euros of venture capital in 9 months of 2026
Spanish startups raised almost 4 billion euros in the first nine months of 2026, with 16 mega-rounds recorded, according to a summary published on 8 October. Barcelona now leads Madrid in capital raised. DeepTech and…
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14 days left to apply for the 4YFN Awards 2027 at MWC Barcelona
Applications for the 4YFN Awards 2027 close on 26 October 2026. The call is open to early-stage startups in five tracks, including Digital Health, Green Tech, Fintech and AI & High-Tech. Winners get free access to…
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BBVA Spain moves retail and B2B to AI hyper-personalisation
BBVA Spain has announced a full move of its Spanish business segment and wealth management to AI hyper-personalisation models. The decision follows an inflow of 1 million new users. The bank expects more precise…
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Madrid Connect 2026: a DeepTech hub on 28–29 October
Madrid Connect 2026 takes place in Madrid on 28–29 October and brings together biotech founders, advanced-materials developers and patent experts. Startups can meet investors looking for breakthrough solutions, from…
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Record startup boom after Spain's "Law for 1 euro" reform
Cutting the minimum share capital to 1 euro and launching online notarisation has sharply sped up the registration of IT companies in Spain. Official regulator data show an unprecedented rise in new firms. Setting up a…
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Spain Digital Week 2026: focus on sovereign AI and DeepTech
Spain Digital Week 2026 runs from 26 to 29 October in Barcelona. European institutions will discuss EU technological sovereignty, with attention to funding custom LLMs, cybersecurity and DeepTech in Spain. Organisers…
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Seville's Universal DX raises 62 million euros for early cancer detection
Universal DX, based in Seville, has raised 62 million euros. The company develops tests that detect cancer from a routine blood sample, combining biotechnology, occupational health and artificial intelligence. The…
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Unemployment in Spain in 2026: statistics and trends
Spain's unemployment rate was close to 10% in August, against 6.1% in the EU and 6.4% in the eurozone. According to INE, it fell to 9.87% in the second quarter, the lowest since 2008, with about 22.8 million people…
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Spain officially has 14 unicorns worth $34.7 billion
According to Dealroom, by October 2026 Spain has 14 unicorns with a combined valuation of $34.7 billion, placing it among the leaders of the European startup market. Another 20 companies with real ARR above $100 million…
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Uber gets approval to launch robotaxis in Madrid by the end of 2026
Madrid is set to launch Uber robotaxis by the end of 2026, becoming one of the first European cities for mass robotaxi service. Waymo has already opened an office in the city, so competition between the two…
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Aragon to attract 60 billion euros thanks to faster approval of data centres
The region says that speeding up construction approvals will bring in 60 billion euros of investment. The new data centres will strengthen Spain's digital infrastructure and create jobs, positioning Aragon as a future…
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Spanish banks strengthen ties with Silicon Valley tech giants for generative AI
Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank, Sabadell, Bankinter and Unicaja have announced wider cooperation with the largest technology providers from Silicon Valley. The aim is to bring generative AI into banking services and improve…
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Spanish scientists find a way to raise solar cell efficiency to 43%
Researchers at ICFO found that ordinary photovoltaic cells lose energy in a way that can be reduced. They expect to lift the theoretical efficiency limit from 33.16% to about 43%, which could speed up solar power and…
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Open Cosmos plans to launch 192 satellites as a European alternative to Starlink
Open Cosmos has announced a 192-satellite constellation to compete with Starlink in Europe. In September the company closed a 300 million euro funding round and published the project roadmap. The constellation should…
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AI Congress 2026 in Barcelona, 20–22 October
AI Congress 2026 takes place from 20 to 22 October at L'illa Auditorium in Barcelona. It is aimed at people building tech products or creating content in BCN, with a focus on pioneers of corporate neural networks…
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Valencia Digital Summit 2026: the main autumn event for startups and investors
On 23–24 October the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia hosts a large gathering of tech entrepreneurs. Over 12,000 attendees are expected, including 700+ speakers and representatives of more than 500 VC funds…
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US investment in Spain could double thanks to AI
The American Chamber of Commerce in Spain (AmChamSpain) says interest in the Spanish market is growing because of AI. US companies see Spain as an ideal hub for new data centres. For startups preparing Series A pitch…
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MicroNanoSpain creates a hub for jobs and training in Spain's semiconductor sector
A new centre from MicroNanoSpain will create jobs and start careers in the Spanish semiconductor sector. The platform opens research opportunities and supports the national chip ecosystem, helping attract new…
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More than half of office workers in Spain use their company's AI
Over 50% of office workers in Spain use AI provided by their employer every day. Almost as many are convinced they will have to change or rethink their careers in the coming years.
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First IRIA XR Experience on 20 October in Almendralejo
On 20 October the town of Almendralejo (Badajoz) hosts a meeting where immersive technologies are turned into real business projects. Entrepreneurs, companies and experts will discuss practical steps to bring XR into…
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Spanish startup Plesh closes a 3.75 million euro VC round
Gerard Piqué (Kosmos) and streamer Ibai Llanos invested in a platform that combines D2C and B2B distribution with algorithmic personalisation. Thanks to media connections, customer acquisition cost is close to zero…
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Spain speeds up AI spending in government, but only 27% of projects scale
According to a Capgemini report, Spain's public sector will spend 7.4% of its IT budget on AI by 2027, above the European average and ahead of Germany and France. However, only 27% of current AI initiatives move from…
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Startup OLÉ in Salamanca: an event for Pre-Seed and Seed startups, 13–15 October
Early-stage startups gather in Salamanca on 13–15 October. Startup OLÉ gives access to grants, university resources and business angels, and helps raise first cheques while VCs in the capital ask for ready ARR.
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Spain's services PMI (S&P) reaches 58.3
Spain's services sector shows record growth: the S&P Services PMI reached 58.3, and employment in the sector has grown for a fourth year in a row. Demand is especially high for experienced specialists in IT, B2B SaaS…
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Spain ranks 28th in the WIPO Global Innovation Index 2026
Spain is 28th in the global innovation ranking. Experts say the road to the top 20 runs through higher corporate R&D budgets and fewer bureaucratic barriers for DeepTech spin-offs, which would help local startups and…
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SAGA Barcelona Game Fest, 9–11 October at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc
The largest gaming show in Southern Europe brings developers and fans together on 9–11 October. It features play zones, esports tournaments, shows, a cosplay contest and a business area. Guests include Miki Higashino…
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Europe creates its own payment network led by Bizum
European operators Bizum, Bancomat, EPI Company (Wero), SIBS (MB WAY) and Vipps MobilePay have formed a joint venture, the European Network for Payments. It will manage and scale interoperability between payment…
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Residents of Cuarte in Aragon almost unanimously reject Amazon's data centre
In Aragon's first citizen consultation, 99.1% of votes were against building a data centre of almost 70 hectares in the Walqa park, with turnout of 81% (117 of 144 voters). Residents called it harmful to the environment…
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Former deputy mayor of Madrid warns of a missed 66.9 billion euro data centre opportunity
Begoña Villacís says that without new rules Spain risks losing almost 66.9 billion euros in the data centre sector. In her view, urgent regulatory measures are needed for the country to stay competitive and attract…
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WaykUp Forum 2026 brings startups and investors together in Murcia
On 2–3 December, startups from across Spain can meet investors without intermediaries at the WaykUp Forum 2026 in Murcia, with Víctor Villegas among the speakers. The organiser is the Murcia Regional Development…
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Spain postpones VeriFactu, the invoice control system, by two years
Spain has delayed the launch of the VeriFactu invoice control system by two years. Electronic invoicing regulation will lag behind the original plans, and businesses will have to work under the current rules for longer.
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Spain ranks 28th in the Global Innovation Index 2026 (WIPO)
Spain reached 28th place in the WIPO Global Innovation Index in 2026. To break into the top 20, experts urge corporations to raise R&D budgets and simplify bureaucracy for DeepTech spin-offs, giving local startups and…
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Spain's services PMI rises to 58.3
The S&P Services PMI for Spain jumped to 58.3, with record hiring growth for the fourth year in a row. Engineering teams in B2B SaaS and digital services are at full capacity and demand for experienced specialists in…
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Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 summit starts at Fira de Barcelona
The international Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 summit runs on 6–8 October at Fira de Barcelona. Main topics are agritech, digital supply chains and robotics in food. IoT, computer vision and industrial algorithms are on…
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Sateliot puts five 5G-NTN nanosatellites into orbit
Barcelona is at the centre of DeepTech again: startup Sateliot has launched five 5G-NTN nanosatellites. IoT sensors can now talk to space directly, without ground stations. It opens opportunities for C++, embedded and…
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Startup Plesh raises 3.75 million euros in a B2B/B2C round
Spanish startup Plesh closed a 3.75 million euro VC round with Gerard Piqué (Kosmos) and streamer Ibai Llanos as investors. It is building a D2C and B2B distribution platform with algorithmic personalisation, and ties…
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Tech Show Madrid 2026: the biggest B2B summit of the autumn
The autumn Tech Show Madrid takes place on 7–8 October at IFEMA with 7 specialised expos, including Cloud Expo Europe, AI & Big Data, Cybersecurity World and Data Centre World. Barcelona residents can take the AVE…
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Demand for data specialists in Europe grows after layoffs
After large layoffs in Europe, recruiters report rising demand for data specialists. The average salary in this niche has reached 55,000 euros a year. If you work with data or plan to move into the field, it is a good…
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Royal decree on data centres and 5 billion euros for an AI gigafactory
Within 24 hours Spain issued an emergency IA360 decree that changes the rules for data centres. Amid a dispute with SpainDC, a consortium formed of the government, Banco Santander, Telefónica, ACS and Multiverse…