Valencia is consolidating its position as the third most entrepreneurial region in Spain and is even closing the gap with Madrid and Barcelona, according to a report published by El Referente on startup investment operations in the first quarter of 2022, a period in which Valencia has even surpassed the Spanish capital’s hub in terms of millions of euros raised.
This is a milestone that had not been reached before until now and is a confirmation that the Valencian startup ecosystem is moving in the right direction, getting closer to the two hubs on merit and distancing itself from other regions such as Malaga or Bilbao. To contextualise this achievement of Valencian entrepreneurship and highlight its value, it is worth remembering that in 2021 Madrid was the main investment destination in Spain, with almost €2.5 billion raised by startups.
So, to commemorate this milestone that has motivated us to keep working on all fronts to continue improving our ecosystem, at Startup Valencia we have ranked Valencian startups by investment volume based on data from the Bankinter Innovation Foundation’s Startup Observatory. The list and the numbers demonstrate the maturity of the Valencian startup scene and should serve as an example and an impetus to other companies so that, sooner or later, we have to update it with information from new rounds.
Ranking of Valencian startups by investment volume
1. Fever. The second unicorn of Valencian origin is the protagonist of one of the largest investment rounds of this year, seeing that it announced a round of €200 million led by Goldman Sachs at the beginning of 2022. Founded by Castellón-born Pep Gómez in 2014 and currently led by Ignacio Bachiller, Alexandre Pérez and Francisco Hein, Fever is the platform through which thousands of people discover leisure and entertainment plans in their city.
2. Flywire. The first unicorn of the Valencian startup ecosystem is also the first Spanish company to be listed on the Nasdaq 100. Founded in 2011 by Iker Marcaide, one of the main ambassadors of Valencia as an entrepreneurial region and member of the Board of Startup Valencia, Flywire offers solutions to simplify payments and operations to organisations and clients in sectors such as education, healthcare and travel. In more than 10 years of activity, the company has exceeded €199 million of investment.
3. Jeff. Founded in 2015 as a home laundry service, its mission continues to be “to democratise entrepreneurship by making it easier for someone to start a physical business with as little capital and specific knowledge as possible”, as CEO Eloi Gómez told us in a recent interview. They are focusing especially on urban and everyday services, as evidenced by the latest vertical in which they have ventured: coffee. Jeff completes the podium of Valencian startups in order of investment thanks to its more than €29 million raised to date.
4. Zeleros. The project that leads the development of the Hyperloop in Europe and that will take you from Barcelona to Paris in 90 minutes was born in the very heart of the Universitat Politécnica de València and already has an accumulated investment of €14 million. The vehicle of the future will reach speeds of 1,000 km/h with zero direct emissions and high efficiency thanks to its focus on vehicle optimisation that allows a reduction in infrastructure costs and safer pressure levels for passengers.
5. Quibim. The medtech startup specialised in the development and implementation of medical imaging technologies led by Ángel Alberich-Bayarri, also a board member of Startup Valencia, has accumulated €13 million after its last round of €5 million closed at the end of last year.
6. Sesame HR. The human resources software that forms part of the Valencian group Zeus is “seducing multinationals and investors”, according to a recent report from Valencia Plaza, a real compliment for a startup that already has clients such as IKEA, Puma and Balearia. Just a couple of months ago, the company led by Albert Soriano announced a €10 million investment round led by the American fund PSG.
7. Voicemod. The gaming sector of the Valencian startup ecosystem also has a strong presence in this ranking. Voicemod develops audio solutions that enable effects and sound modification in real time, integrating with tools such as Discord, Zoom and Skype, among others. To date, the company has raised more than seven million euros of investment.
8. ClimateTrade. The €7 million of investment announced at the beginning of the year has pushed the company up to eighth place in the ranking. The concept of sustainability has gone beyond domestic boundaries and is now a priority for companies and brands, aware that consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their consumption. This is proving to be the perfect context for ClimateTrade’s growth thanks to its API and Marketplace solutions to reduce and offset carbon footprints.
9. Streamloots. The monetisation platform for content creators and their fans boasts among its investors the CEOs of Shopify, Yelp and Viagogo and also exceeds six million raised of investment. In 2019 it was one of the highlights of the South Summit in Madrid, winning the global startup competition organised by the event.
10. Criptan. The fintech industry and, specifically, the world of cryptocurrencies is also represented in this ranking. Criptan, a crypto asset investment platform, announced at the end of 2021 an investment round that increased to almost €4 million its capital raised to date.
11. Sales Layer. The SaaS for catalogue management in electronic sales has three and a half million euros in investment to date. Led by Álvaro Verdoy and Ibán Borrás, it is one of the deep tech companies accelerated by GoHub.
12. WITRAC. Also considered a deep tech startup and operating in the field of Industry 4.0, this IoT solution monitors and locates any element of the value chain with the aim of improving its efficiency, safety and competitiveness. With over €3 million raised to date, it completes the ranking of Valencian startups by volume of investment.
* Data up to date as of 18 May 2022.
