AI-generated summary
Spanish startups are experiencing significant growth in both quality and investment, marking a shift from modest funding rounds to securing multimillion-euro investments that were once unimaginable. This progress is recognized not only domestically but also internationally, as reflected in the latest Dealroom report analyzing startup financing, traction, and expansion across Europe and Israel. In the third quarter of 2018 alone, Spanish startups raised an impressive €724.4 million, a figure noteworthy given the typical slowdown during summer months. This single-quarter investment nearly matches the total funding secured throughout 2017 (€938 million), highlighting rapid growth within the sector.
Projections for 2018 anticipate that Spanish startups will attract around €1.8 billion in total funding, setting a new national record. Success stories like Cabify, LetGo, Glovo, and Typeform exemplify this upward trend. Despite these achievements, Spain’s funding levels remain below larger European markets, with German startups raising over $4 billion and British startups $7.4 billion in the same period. Additionally, Spain boasts prominent business angels such as François Derbaix and Carlos Blanco, who rank among Europe’s most active investors. Overall, the Spanish startup ecosystem is strengthening, gaining momentum, and becoming a notable player on the European stage.
Evolution of investment in Spanish startups in 2018.
It is not lost on anyone that Spanish startups are getting better and better and that they are getting more investment. Gone are the years when getting a funding round of 300,000 euros appeared on the front pages of all the media: now we not only know that a round does not have to be synonymous with success, but also that, when it comes to raising them, millionaire rounds are achieved that we would never have imagined before.
The feeling is not only ours, but also that of those who look at us from the outside. And this is reflected in the figures of the latest report offered by Dealroom, which analyzes the evolution of startups in Europe and Israel in terms of financing, traction, expansion to other countries and global successes.
€724.4 million in investment in the third quarter
The report brings us more than positive news: Spanish startups have obtained 724.4 million dollars in the third quarter of 2018 alone, between July and September, which are not usually the best months as summer is in between, which usually makes operations difficult.
Loose numbers are fine, but how about comparing them to others? Well, the 724.4 million dollars become even more important if we take into account that, in all of 2017, Spanish startups obtained 938 million in funding. In other words, in just one quarter we have been very close to the figures for the whole of 2017, giving dimension to growth.
1,800 million euros of investment in all of 2018
These figures reflect the success that startups such as Cabify and LetGo are achieving when it comes to obtaining funding, but also the good progress of others such as Glovo or Typeform. In total, Dealroom estimates that Spanish startups will end 2018 with nearly 1,800 million dollars in funding, which represents growth and a historical record in our country.
Our figures, however, are still far from those of the European giants: in the third quarter, German startups raised more than $4 billion in funding, while British startups raised their figures to $7.4 billion in external investment.
In any case, not everything refers to large funds, but we are also doing well in terms of business angels. Dealroom highlights that both François Derbaix (with 25 investments) and Carlos Blanco (with 20 investments) are among the ten most prolific in all of Europe.
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