Andorra Desenvolupament i Inversió (ADI-Actua)’s manager, Judit Hidalgo, and Barcelona Tech City’s manager, Miquel Martí, signed on Tuesday, January 23rd, in the presence of the Secretary of State for Economic Diversification and Innovation, Josep Maria Missé, an agreement that will allow Andorran companies to benefit from technological and internationalization opportunities provided by Barcelona Tech City. This Hub, established in Barcelona, will be able to access the Principality’s entrepreneurial and innovative trends, as well as the results of collaborations with worldwide renowned innovation entities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Missé said “we hope this will be a successful programme for Andorran companies in the process of internationalization. We understand the difficulties faced by Andorran businesses outside Andorra, due to the amount of resources and investment needed, and it is difficult to access an ecosystem with as much knowledge as this one. This is therefore good news for Andorran companies”.
For his part, Hidalgo, said that “the aim of this agreement is for Andorran companies to benefit from the opportunities offered by Barcelona Tech City, both for their technological and digital development and internationalization”. In addition, companies will have a Networking space available in Barcelona where they can establish direct contact with an innovative ecosystem of international reference.
The agreement is mainly aimed at companies and Andorran Start-ups with technological, digitalization and innovation projects that will be able to connect with internationally renowned professionals. They will also have access to all the activities and training courses organised by Barcelona Tech City, and can apply for specific training courses through Actua.
Andorra is currently developing projects aimed at promoting innovation in the country in collaboration with renowned entities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Google, and wants to position the Principality as a “Living Lab” to offer its citizens and businesses greater access to technology and greater knowledge acquisition in order to expand growth possibilities.
For Miquel Martí, manager of Barcelona Tech City, “this partnership can provide numerous synergies in the development of projects and investment for Andorran citizens and companies, as well as for those members of the Hub itself. The collaborations Actua maintains with technological innovation entities such as MIT Media Lab and Google will allow members of Barcelona Tech City to learn first-hand about some of the projects implemented in Andorra, such as CityScope or the PEV – Persuasive Electric Vehicle -. The size and demographic characteristics of the Principality, in turn, offer a large testing area for numerous business initiatives. Therefore, we are pleased to contribute with our experience and knowledge in the construction of Barcelona Tech City, which already represents more than 600 organizations. We also hope to contribute positively to the consolidation of local entrepreneurship.
See the advantages of Actua and Barcelona Tech City’s partnership. What is Barcelona Tech City? Barcelona Tech City is an initiative that represents Barcelona’s technological and digital sectors. The consolidation of Barcelona in the technological field, fostering entrepreneurship, connecting with talents of schools and universities and creating an appropriate framework for the creation of digital projects are among their priorities. With this latest partnership, the organization continues to consolidate itself as one of the most important clusters in the city and also in Europe, representing more than 600 companies in the digital and technological sector, based in Barcelona.
Barcelona Tech City is a non-profit organization whose objective is to consolidate and strengthen the city’s technological and digital sector, which has mobilized more than 1,200 million euros in the last 12 months and employs 30,000 professionals, helping to position Barcelona as a reference on the international technological scene. To this end, BTC works alongside entrepreneurs, Start-ups, investors, large companies, incubators, accelerators and entrepreneurs, universities, business schools, media and other agents of the ecosystem located in Barcelona.
The association is supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona City Council and partners such as Mobile World Capital Barcelona, CaixaBank, SEAT, ESADE, EPSON, La Vanguardia, LetGo, Airbnb, Ymedia Vizeum, Gas Natural Fenosa and Telefónica Open Future, as well as major brands such as McCann-Ericsson and Rousaud Costas Duran, among others. It represents over 600 companies from the technological and digital sectors in the city.
In 2016 Barcelona Tech City inaugurated Pier01, located in Palau de Mar, to create one of the most important technological hubs in Europe. Pier01 hosts more than 100 companies, among which there are start-ups, companies and initiatives such as Mobile World Capital Barcelona’s mVentures, Antai Venture Builders, Nuclio Venture Builders, BeMobile, Nuclio, Napptilus, Berepublic, Byhours, Geenapp, Ikomobi, Iris, Holaluz, LetGo and Tiendeo, among many others.