The 11 largest investment rounds of 2021 accumulate €1,520.50M, representing 86% of the year’s investment. Glovo, one of the Spanish unicorns, leads the largest round of the year with €450 million.
2021 investment in startups continues to break records month after month. April closed with 271,919.34 million euros invested in an overall total of 36 public operations, breaking the annual record in terms of operations. With this data, 2021 will break a record in startup investment volume received. Between the first quarter of the year, 1,767,271.16 million euros have been obtained in a total of 131 operations compared to the 234.39 million euros obtained between the first four months of 2020 in 75 operations.
Every month, technology companies appear and announce astronomical investment rounds. This April, Travelperk is the startup that achieves a millionaire round (132M€), launching the round on the 30th of April with a cumulative total of more than 270 million euros. Userzoom, which closed an 85 million euro deal led by Owl Rock this past April, is also partly to blame.
This year’s increase in investment is attributable to the million-dollar rounds announced in the first quarter of this year by Jobandtalent (€88M and €100M in two rounds in January and March), Idealista (175M€ and 250M€ in two rounds in January and February), Wallapop (157M€), Preply(29.5M€), Wallbox (33M€), Koa Health (30M€), Glovo (450M€) and the already mentioned Travelperk (123M€) and Userzoom (85M€).
INVESTMENT ROUNDS
TravelPerk. The Barcelona-based company has announced the completion of a Series D investment round of €132.37 million ($160M), headed by the British investment fund Greyhound Capital. The capital injection will help the company under Avi Meir to strengthen its presence in the United States and Europe and to position itself in the business travel market. This sector is expecting to experience a recovery process in the coming months, coinciding with the end of the health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
UserZoom. The Barcelona-based startup, founded by Alfonso de la Nuez, Javier Darriba, and Xavier Mestres, has closed an investment round of 85 million euros ($100M) to improve its technology services. The company offers companies a platform to test the usability of their websites and applications to improve their user experience. Owl Rock, a U.S. venture capital firm, has led the deal. The capital raised will allow the San Francisco-based startup to improve its user experience (UX) services and expand its platform to new customers. In addition, the funding round comes with the acquisition of EnjoyHQ, which specializes in user experience analytics.
Satlantis. The company, chaired by Jean-Jacques Dordain, former General Director of the European Space Agency (ESA), has benefited from the entry into its shareholding by Enagás after a capital increase of 14 Million Euros. SEPIDES, a group that belongs to SEPI, has also entered into the operation. Besides, the capital increase has also involved the company’s historical partners, ORZA, AXIS-ICO, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
Amovens. The Spanish collaborative mobility company and its Danish parent company, GoMore, have closed a €7.3 million funding round. Most of the funds came from the Swiss insurance giant Baloise Group, which contributed approximately €5 million. The rest came from the company’s shareholders. The capital injection ensures the growth of Amovens in the markets where it is already present (Spain, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland), as well as the opening of new countries.
Abacum. The financial planning platform for mid-sized companies has closed a €5.89 million ($7M) seed investment round. Creandum, an early-stage investor in companies such as Spotify, Klarna, and iZettle, led the deal. The round has also been attended by previous investors of the startup, such as Y-Combinator, PROFounders, K-Fund, or business angels Justin Kan (Co-founder and CEO of Atrium and Twitch), Maximilian Tayenth (Co-founder and CEO of N26), Thomas Lehrman (Co-founder and former CEO of GLG), Avi Meir (Co-founder and CEO of Travelperk) and subject matter experts such as Jenny Bloom (CFO of Zapiery and former CFO of Mailchimp) and Mike Asher (CFO of Neo4j), among others.
Atani. The Spanish startup, a company that provides a comprehensive platform for investors and traders in cryptocurrencies, has closed a seed-stage funding round for €5.3 million. Recognized Spanish venture capital funds, led by JME Ventures, have participated in this round. Conexo Ventures, Encomenda Smart Capital, and Lanai Partners have also participated, in addition to numerous individual investors, including serial entrepreneurs and experts in crypto, blockchain, finance, and taxation of crypto assets. This investment comes preceded by a previous round, made in May 2019 for almost €640,000 ($750,000), thus reaching funding of approximately €6 million in total.
Ritmo. Capital as a Service company that offers non-dilutive investment to digital entrepreneurs has closed its first funding round, led by Sabadell Venture Capital, Inveready, and JME Ventures, for a value of €3 million. With the entry of this capital, the company maintains a hybrid structure of Equity and Venture Debt in its financing that will allow the company to meet the objective set for this year to finance €15 million to digital businesses with recurring or predictable revenues. In addition to institutional investors, some strategic investors with extensive experience in international capital markets, such as Bruno del Ama, CEO of Finrebel, and Alfredo Soriano, Senior Advisor at JB Markets, also participated in the round.
Aortyx. A company emerging from the Institut Químic de Sarrià and the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona has raised €2.4 million in its second round of investment. This capital injection, obtained through the investment platform Capital Cell, has counted on investors of great relevance, such as Medex Partners, family offices of the Catalan ecosystem, such as Vergara Capital, and investors from the first round that have continued to trust in the startup.
mediQuo. The startup has closed a new funding round of 2.3 million euros. These funds will help to commercially expand the leading TeleMedicine platform that connects healthcare professionals and their patients. It will also consolidate its product vision, develop its commercial strategy, and maintain its positioning in Spain and Latam. Most of the previous investors have participated in this round. Encomenda Smart Capital, the investment platform Dozen Investments (formerly The Crowd Angel), and new private investors have also joined the funding round. The capital injection will help the startup consolidate projects it has been working on in recent months. The most important one is to develop an app for professionals with remarkable added value, including a web version.
Psquared. Strategic real estate asset acquisition company Psquared has closed a €2 million investment round to transform strategic real estate assets into flexible, talent-focused workspaces. Psqueared’s pretension does not stop there. They are looking for a partner to provide 40 million euros more. Founded in 2019 in Barcelona, the company continued to grow despite the coronavirus crisis. The company is co-founded by Nicolás Manrique, head of design and operations management, and Nicolás Araujo, head of investment and asset purchase.
Roka Furadada. The Barcelona-based dermatological health startup has successfully completed a Series A funding round of 1.5 million euros. The capital increase is led by the investment group O Financial Club, including the participation of Klinea Ingeniería Farmacéutica, which from now on will act as a technology partner, the business angel network “Women Angels for Steam” which supports women entrepreneurs in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Architecture and Mathematics) and current partners, led by Menadiona, industrial partner of the project.
STAYmyway. The technology provider of digital keys or mobile keys for hotels and tourist apartments has received an injection of resources for an amount of 1.2 million euros. The round was finalized in April. However, the financing process began in 2020. Over the year, the Murcian startup attracted various investors, such as the Travel Tech group, which led the round. Tokavi Activos has also participated with other national and North American business angels of recognized prestige and extensive experience in the travel and tourism industry. In addition, the company has also received the support of ENISA through a participative loan under the Growth Line.
Agrosingularity. The foodtech and environmental impact company has closed a €1.07 million seed stage investment. The transaction was led by Tech Transfer Agrifood, a fund managed by Clave Capital, Tokavi Activos, and Ship2B, through its impact vehicle Equity4Good. Toubkal Partners (SeedRocket) and several business angels, such as Diego Recondo (Partner at All Iron Ventures), Javier López and Emilio Nicolás (Founders Erasmusu), Marc Ferrán (Keiro Partners) and the management team of Q-impact, or the private equity firm Qualitas, among others, have also participated in the project.
Ienai SPACE. The startup has obtained a capital injection of 1 million euros in a transaction backed by Inveready. The startup was born to revolutionize the operation of nanosatellites in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) orbits by developing ATHENA (Adaptable THruster based on Electrospray for NAnosatellites). This electric propulsion system is light and efficient enough to be integrated into this type of satellite.
Shapelets. Inveready has invested €1 million in Shapelets, one of the first platforms for time series analysis in Big Data scenarios. The solution has a multi-sector approach, providing value in any data-driven business environment, such as energy, healthcare, industry 4.0, IoT, or finance. The product has been developed by applying novel AI algorithms from academia and research.
Gocleer. This startup, which developed a platform for the digital distribution of car insurance and micro-mobility, has received an investment of €930,000 as part of its first funding round. The operation has involved Antai Venture Builder and the participation of several local and international business angels and family offices, which have contributed a total of €750,000. Moreover, this figure is complemented by a participative loan from the public entity ENISA for 180,000 euros.
Dudyfit. The company has closed its second investment round, raising €700,000 thanks to the core participation of JME Ventures and the support of several business angels. The Spanish startup, founded by Mario Morante and Javier Ortega, offers all-in-one software for personal trainers.
Okticket. The Spanish fintech, specializing in travel expenses digitization, has closed a €700,000 funding round. The deal has been completed by Encomenda Smart Capital and Successful Ventures and is accompanied by SRP. This round aims to accelerate the company’s growth, leveraging the experience and momentum gained to date based on a capital-efficient strategy.
Nova Talent. The global talent network has successfully closed its first crowdfunding campaign, raising €524,469 in an investment round open exclusively to members of its network. Nova Talent is a global network that connects high-potential people with the best professional opportunities. Through a campaign conducted through the Crowdcube platform, it has exceeded its initial goal by 104%.
Bionline. The Valencian startup has raised 500,000 euros in its first investment round, led by U.S. venture capital fund Draper, Keith Ventures, and Seedway Ventures, along with industrial partner Verne Group, which joined the company’s shareholding with this operation. Bionline specializes in artificial intelligence applications to increase sales and customer loyalty. With this new capital injection, the startup will improve its commercial capacity and boost the development of the product area.
Caelum Labs. Caelum Labs has closed a €500,000 funding round to consolidate “Caelum” (their business process automation solution based on blockchain technology and Sovereign Digital Identity) in Europe. In addition, the startup seeks to open up to the Latin American market, where they have already closed collaboration agreements in Colombia and Peru.
Acqustic. The independent music community that connects artists with new fans and with companies in the industry has closed the first quarter of the year with a funding round that will bring 425,000 euros. The investment funds Draper B1, Lanai Partners, and Tokavi have led the round, where several business angels have also participated under the Institut Català de Finances umbrella.
full&fast. The Spanish company, specializing in the development of energy storage systems, has successfully completed a funding round with an initial target of 300,000 euros through Fellow Funders. Despite this initial target, the company has finally managed to raise 375,000 euros, a legal maximum representing 125% of the funding concerning the initial figure set. These funds come from 87 investors who have decided to bet on sustainability and energy efficiency.
Kampaoh. The Sevillian startup has announced the closing of its first funding round, led by the angel fund Encomenda Smart Capital, with which it has obtained 300,000 euros. Kampaoh is a platform that offers tents in places of remarkable natural wealth: beaches or mountains.
Triple O Games. The startup that develops the videogame Battle Derby has closed a financing round of 250,000 euros through Adventurees. On Monday, April 5th, at ten o’clock, the funding round of Triple O Games was published on the investment platform Adventurees.com. Only 40 minutes later, the amount reserved by investors reached 90% of the 200,000 euros sought by the startup, the minimum threshold to ensure the success of the round, which has already exceeded 100%. Fortunately, for those who did not want to miss the opportunity to acquire a stake in the company, the round could be legally extended up to 25% of the requested capital.
WakeUp & Smile. The MedTech startup has achieved the funding objectives of an investment round raised through the equity crowdfunding platform La Bolsa Social, raising €200,944 for this therapeutic platform that uses virtual reality to help patients during their medical treatments. Its solution also supports and entertains people with anxiety, stress, pain, or loneliness disorders.
Renty. Renty has closed a €200,000 round led by Encomenda Smart Capital, Levels Up Ventures, and Successful Ventures. With the main objective of raising awareness of consumerism, the platform offers a fast, easy, and convenient users rental experience. The startup, founded by entrepreneur Marc Pierre, born during a global crisis, aims to promote the circular economy. It does so with a rental and subscription model, pay-per-use.
Glasskin. The technology startup has obtained €183,400 from the BeAble Capital fund. As a fund specializing in Science Equity, BeAble Capital identifies and bets on disruptive technologies arising in scientific fields that can be scaled to the industrial level to reach the market. Glasskin has developed a new method to improve the mechanical and thermal performance of ordinary glass.
Super Troupers. This platform allows monetizing a channel by promoting products of the creators’ choice and has been mentored by relevant industry professionals such as Gabriel Saenz de Buruaga, André Zimmerman, Henrik Varga, Susan Akici, and Scott McCarthy. Several were interested in financing the project, resulting in an initial round of 170,000 euros.
Oasis Hunters. The marketplace for secret rural getaways of proximity has announced the closing of an investment round that will raise €135,000. The investment comes mostly (60%) from business angels, and the company has already applied for a participative loan from Enisa.
miResi. The network of residences, miResi, has announced the closing of a funding round that will provide it with 100,000 euros to expand its presence in Spain and open up to new countries. miResi is a platform founded and directed by Pablo Otero where users can find the residence for the elderly and dependents that best suits their needs.
Atravo. The tourism management platform has raised 100,000 euros through a seed round led by venture capital firm Think Bigger Capital. This platform helps tour operators, experience and activity operators, and hotels manage their users’ bookings and carry out marketing actions, allowing them to grow in the market and reach more customers.
Familiados. This professional care platform for families, companies, and organizations has received a participatory loan of 100,000 euros from Sodena, a public company under the Government of Navarra, to complete an investment round, amounting to €1.15M. The Navarre-based company will use these funds to improve its services and increase its customer base. Specifically, its business plan includes, among other milestones, expanding into other markets and expanding its workforce from the current 11 people to 25 in just one year, in 2022.
Naturcode. Since its incorporation in June 2020, Naturcode has been the first Spanish platform for agri-food products’ smart labeling. The company directly connects small producers and distributors with consumers and is working on developing its business plan. The company has just received an injection of 90,000 euros thanks to its first investment round. In addition, the Andalusian startup led by Fernando Vázquez is already working on the preparation of the second funding round of 2022 activities, to be launched in autumn 2021.
Source: El Referente
