Spain

Valencia

MEMBERS:
VLC Tech City (Valencia City Hall/Ayuntamiento de Valencia)

"We want to turn the city of Valencia into an innovative and technological hub of international reference in the coming years."

Paula Llobet
Councilor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment Attraction

Highlights

Valencia's ecosystem combines talent, government support, and connectivity to nurture digital entrepreneurship, establishing it as a global startup hub. Its interconnectedness provides easy access to capital and support from initial stages to investment preparation, acceleration, scaling, and international expansion. The ecosystem boasts over 100 investors, including the Draper B1 venture network, impact venture builder Zubi Labs, and Angels Capital. The Valencian Institute of Finance complements this support, offering various financial instruments through public-private collaborations. Since 2018, Valencia has raised over $643 million (€600 million) in investment rounds for startups. Notably, HUNTY, a hunting search and management platform, closed a $1.28 million seed round in October 2023 and GrowPro Experience, an international educational experience platform, has raised $2.7 million over two rounds.


In 2023, Spain enacted a Startup Law aimed at creating a favorable regulatory environment for emerging businesses that includes corporate tax rate cuts, tax debt relief for the initial two years, and tax reductions. Tax credits, including a 25% credit for R&D expenses and a 12% credit for technological innovation activities are available.


The Valencia ecosystem is expanding rapidly, with an annual startup growth rate of 16% according to Informe 2023: Observatorio Startup de la Comunidad Valenciana. Successful startups created in Valencia include Climate Trade, a carbon offsetting solutions provider; ARTHEx Biotech, a disease treatment company; and PLD Space, a reusable rocket developer.



Ecosystem by the Numbers

ECOSYSTEM VALUE
(H2 2020 - 2022)
$4.1 bn
GLOBAL AVG. $34.6 bn
TOTAL EARLY–STAGE FUNDING
(H2 2020 - 2022)
$171 m
GLOBAL AVG. $970 m
ECOSYSTEM VALUE GROWTH
(H2 2020 - H2 2022 VS H2 2018 - H2 2020)
38.29%
38.29% 38.29 81 47% 47 100 0
GLOBAL AVG. 47%
NUMBER OF UNICORNS
(H2 2020 - 2022)
0
GLOBAL AVG. 4
MEDIAN SEED ROUND (H2 2020 - 2022)
$388 k
GLOBAL AVG. $821 k
MEDIAN SERIES A ROUND (H2 2020 - 2022)
$6.16 m
GLOBAL AVG. $6 m
SOFT. ENGINEER SALARY (2022)
$31 k
GLOBAL AVG. $46 k
EARLY-STAGE FUNDING GROWTH (2019 - 20 VS. 2021 - 22)
7
Scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest)
TOTAL VC FUNDING (2018 - 2022)
$816 m
GLOBAL AVG. $6.6 bn
TIME TO EXIT (2018 - 2022)
10.9 years
GLOBAL AVG. 9 years
EXIT AMOUNT (2018 - 2022)
$2.6 bn
GLOBAL AVG. $11.3 bn
EXIT COUNT (#)
(2018 - 2022)
25
GLOBAL AVG. 91
1
3
4
7
10
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

Sub-Sector Strengths

AI, Big Data & Analytics

Numerous AI, Big Data, and Analytics startups have emerged from the Valencia ecosystem, including Sciling, which offers machine learning solutions for businesses; Quibim, which applies AI to clinical research and the discovery of new imaging biomarkers; and Solver, a spin-off from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia that develops predictive models.

Life Sciences

Valencia has emerged as one of the leading cities in Spain for science and research. A strong network of research institutions (CIPF, IIS La Fe, INCLIVA, FISABIO, IBV), industry clusters (BIOHUB VLC, Bioval, Parc Científic of the University of València), private organizations, and investment funds combine with a talented startup scene to create a biotechnology hub.

Gaming

Home to game development studios including 31st Union, Codigames, and Chibig, Valencia is a Gaming hub. Educational institutions include ESAT, which was ranked the top videogame school in Spain and seventh worldwide by GAMEducation, and Universal Arts School, ranked the 15th best animation school in the world by ACR. Announced in mid-2023, the innovation program Valencia Game City is an initiative designed to establish the city as a major player in the video game and e-sports industries.

Reasons to Move Your Startup to Valencia

Public-Private Collaboration

Valencia’s interconnectivity is what sets it apart. Public entities including València Activa, Las Naves, IVACE, CEEI Valencia, Invest in VLC, and Ideas UPV collaborate with private organizations Startup Valencia, Cámara de Valencia, and BIGBAN Inversores Privados, as well as companies such as GoHub Ventures, Marina de Empresas, KM Zero, Innsomnia, Zubi Labs, Social Nest, Star Startups, Plug and Play Tech Center, Fundación Valencia Port, and Draper B1 to boost entrepreneurship.

Inclusive Startup Community

Valencia's startup ecosystem thrives on its sense of community. Experienced founders support and mentor newcomers, and a soft-landing program from Startup Valencia ensures a smooth transition for global entrepreneurs. Valencia hosts over 100 tech events annually, including Valencia Digital Summit and TNW. Additional notable events that foster community include VLC TechX-perience, BIGBAN Investors Congress, FORINVEST, Valencia 5G Days, CTO Summit, Weird Market, DreamHack, F’Talks and The Gap in Between.

Skilled Talent

Valencia’s competitive education system is a talent goldmine, providing startups with an educated young workforce. The University of Valencia ranks among the best 50 global universities in Business Administration and the Polytechnical University of Valencia is ranked as the best polytechnic in Spain in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023. Moreover, Valencia has been chosen to host the first Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) out of Munich, a benchmark in university training in open innovation and entrepreneurship.



Selected Startup Organizations

Startup Genome Members

Key Ecosystem Players

News from the Ecosystem

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