Catalonia surpasses 400 deep tech companies for the first time

Catalonia closed 2025 with 402 deep tech startups, a 7.5% increase from a year earlier. Health continues to lead the sector, but artificial intelligence is gaining ground.

The Catalan technological fabric comprises 402 deep tech startups at the end of 2025, according to a report by Acció, the agency for business growth of the Department of Business and Labour of the Generalitat, as reported by es.ara.cat. This is the first time the country has surpassed 400 companies of this profile, following a 7.5% increase compared to the previous year.

The total number of Catalan start-ups reached 2,403 by the end of the year, with deep tech companies now representing nearly 17%. The growth of this segment outpaces that of all emerging companies, which grew by 5.2% in 2025.

The Secretary of Business and Competitiveness and CEO of Acció, Jaume Baró, aims for deep technologies to account for a quarter of start-ups.

“We aspire for deep technologies to be a quarter of start-ups”

Baró attributes this progress to the maturity of the ecosystem: better access to financing, more agile pathways to bring research to market, and a greater ability to attract talent.

These companies are already generating revenue. According to Acció's analysis, in 2024, the last year with complete data, they employed 3,087 people, an 8.5% increase, mainly with highly qualified profiles. Their business volume reached 188 million euros, a 12.6% increase compared to the previous year.

By sector, 34.1% of deep tech start-ups are dedicated to medical and health technologies, while those in artificial intelligence and supercomputing account for nearly 29%. Notable examples include Qilimanjaro, a leader in quantum computing, and aerospace companies Sateliot and Open Cosmos.

Regarding financing, more than 57% of these companies have received venture capital throughout their journey, and nearly 49% have closed rounds exceeding one million euros. Between 2023 and 2025, they raised 436 million euros, a 49% increase compared to the previous three years.

Qilimanjaro, led by Marta P. Estarellas, closed the first tranche of its Series A with nearly 20 million contributed by Indra and the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), and expects to raise between 100 and 150 million in 2027. Meanwhile, Open Cosmos closed a round of 300 million euros in September.

Baró also highlights the role of the Catalan Institute of Finances and Avançsa, public investment instruments in innovation. For the sector, the immediate challenge is to increase the number of high value-added start-ups.