The Spanish startup ecosystem continues to make waves, breaking funding records in 2025. With over €2.7 billion raised across 365 deals, entrepreneurs in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia are setting high benchmarks, not just in fintech but across deep tech, health tech, and SaaS. As someone who has spent decades navigating and building in different industries, I see Spain’s founders taking more calculated approaches, backed by smarter international strategies and resilient investor connections.
Let’s explore the data behind this exceptional growth and highlight 15 Spanish startups acclaimed by venture capitalists for their potential.
Where Spanish Startups Are Shining in 2025
This year’s funding exceeded last year’s by about €1 billion. The increase isn’t just a reflection of capital availability but of founders cultivating market-ready concepts for scale. Barcelona is still the headliner, but Madrid and Valencia showed strong contributions, with a broadening sector mix that tells us about emerging trends.
SaaS remains a cornerstone of Spain’s ecosystem, given its universality and scalability. Health tech attracted a surprising number of investors this year, especially as Europe prioritizes funding innovation in healthcare. Another sector gaining momentum is deep tech, with AI-supported projects in Spain often receiving attention far beyond local investors.
Spanish Startups VCs Are Backing
Among the Spanish ventures to note are companies combining deep technological use with practical revenue-generating strategies. This isn’t a full list, as details regarding some startups are premium-locked, but here are five names already capturing global attention:
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Adara Ventures: A top pick for startups focused on B2B solutions, Adara’s investments in deep tech underline their faith in data-driven business infrastructure. Learn more about their portfolio here.
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Seaya Ventures: Famous for backing tech unicorns, Seaya consistently bets on fintech and innovative technologies. They've played critical roles in enabling Spanish founders to scale internationally. See their investment scope via Seaya Ventures.
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Kibo Ventures: Early-stage startups gravitate towards Kibo for their scalable funding expertise in software and marketplaces. Explore their active deals here.
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KFund: Supporting digital-platform-focused startups, KFund combines early-stage support with expert guidance on expansion strategy. Deep verticals include AI-integrated solutions. Check what KFund is building here.
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Hotelverse: A name from Mind the Bridge’s survey; Hotelverse blends software data analytics with superior visualization tools for hospitality services. Think VR solutions targeted at traditional sectors.
Keep an eye out for how these firms adapt their growth roadmaps toward markets outside Europe. Key targets usually include LATAM due to cultural alignment and demand flexibility.
How Founders Can Tap into Spain’s Ecosystem
Breaking into competitive circles in Spain doesn’t come down to flashy pitches or surface-level promises, although marketing matters. Real traction stems from three basics:
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Understand Spain’s international VCs: Tools like Google for Startups provide mapping for accelerators and market trends, with consistent shifts aiming toward AI-driven analytics.
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Leverage partnerships from new clusters: Cities like Valencia offer smaller-scale yet experimental hubs. Local bond-building might outperform solely targeting Barcelona’s saturated accelerator scene.
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Balance funding sources with traction-cleared milestones: Crossing revenue thresholds like €1 million ARR boosts Series A conversations. Avoid asking solely the large funds unless backing requires intensive scaling preparation.
Common Founder Errors & Fixes
Spanish founders excel at substance; layered problem-solving approaches are valued. But receive these investor-provided critiques repeatedly:
- Premature discussions on international expansion: Many startups jump into outward scaling before proving consistent regional value.
- Underdeveloped team dynamics: Founders often build strong products yet undervalue operations teams.
- Dependence on EU funds: Government grants help, but over-reliance might reduce profit-driven investment progressions.
Conclusion: Strategic, Not Reactive Growth
2025 introduces Spanish startups with key lessons: build stronger onboarding strategies for sector-focused backing, prioritize thoughtfulness over scale, and emphasize operational rigor that VCs demand. Whether innovating in AI, health tech, or marketplaces, Spain continues growing against competitive standards.
FAQ
1. How much funding have Spanish startups raised in 2025?
Spanish startups raised a record €2.7 billion across 365 deals in 2025, surpassing the €1.8 billion raised in 2024. Read more about Spain’s funding boom
2. Which cities are leading Spain's startup ecosystem in 2025?
Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia lead the ecosystem with significant contributions in deals and innovation. Find insights on Spain’s key hubs
3. Which sectors are attracting the most investment in Spain?
SaaS, fintech, healthtech, and deeptech are the most active sectors in Spain for startup investments. Explore Spain’s leading sectors
4. What makes SaaS a cornerstone in Spain’s startup growth?
SaaS is valued for its scalability and universality, making it a critical part of Spain’s ecosystem. Learn why SaaS is thriving in Spain
5. Who are notable Spanish venture capital firms backing startups in 2025?
Key VC players include Adara Ventures, Seaya Ventures, Kibo Ventures, and KFund. Discover top Spanish VCs
6. Which deeptech startup is gaining attention in Spain’s ecosystem?
Hotelverse is particularly noted for blending software data analytics with innovative visualization tools like VR solutions for hospitality. Learn more about Hotelverse
7. How can founders tap into Spain’s startup ecosystem effectively?
Founders are advised to understand Spain’s international VCs, build partnerships in emerging hubs, and focus on traction-cleared milestones. Find strategies for tapping into Spain’s ecosystem
8. What common errors do Spanish founders face when scaling startups?
Premature international scaling, underdeveloped team dynamics, and over-reliance on EU funds are some reported challenges.
9. How are Spain's startups preparing for international growth?
Spanish founders are taking more calculated approaches with smarter strategies and resilient investor connections, often targeting LATAM markets.
10. What resources can help startups grow in Spain?
Google for Startups, regional accelerator programs, and local VC networks are key growth resources. Explore startup support programs
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.