What GDE does

GDE (legal name Grupo de Desarrollo Empresarial I mas D mas i, S.L.) is a Barcelona-based B2B professional services firm founded in 2003 that delivers an integrated 360° R&D+i offering to Spanish industrial clients. The core service line combines technical R&D project development across chemistry, electronics, mechanical engineering, and computer science with public financing optimization (direct grants from CDTI, regional and European bodies, and indirect aids such as tax deductions, social security bonuses, and Patent Box). GDE holds proprietary microencapsulation and micro-sponge technology with demonstrated applications in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, pool sanitation, paper products, and leather. The firm has ISO 9001 certification and reports a 93% customer satisfaction index across 500 resources obtained for clients.

The group operates through three brands: the parent GDE I+D+i consulting practice (headquartered in Terrassa with a Bilbao delegation serving northern Spain), Datision (an AI solutions subsidiary co-founded in 2018 with researchers from IRII), and MESAI (a 2024-launched industrial process optimization software platform aimed at democratizing AI for industrial customers). GDE monetizes through project-based consulting fees and, more recently, through software subscriptions; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is tailored to client scope. Customer case studies span diverse industries — textiles (Punto Blanco/Indústries Valls), consumer goods, pool and sanitation, tissue paper, and leather — and the firm positions itself as either the complete or complementary R&D department for clients that lack in-house innovation capacity.

Name

GDE

Legal name

Grupo de Desarrollo Empresarial I mas D mas i, S.L.

Website

https://gde7.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GDE is a Spain-based B2B R&D consultancy founded in 2003 that delivers technical project development and public financing optimization to industrial clients, operating through its core GDE I+D+i practice, AI subsidiary Datision, and 2024-launched industrial optimization platform MESAI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Technical I+D+i Services: Project development and technical consulting services for R&D projects including idea generation, technical resource management, and specific project development across multiple technology areas.
2. R&D Financing Optimization: Services to optimize R&D spending through obtaining direct aid (soft loans and subsidies) and indirect aid (tax deductions, social security bonuses, Patent Box). Includes planning, documentation, follow-up, and administrative closure support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GDE provides integrated 360-degree R&D and innovation (I+D+i) services to companies, covering technical project development across chemistry, electronics, computer science, and mechanical engineering, alongside R&D financing optimization through direct grants (CDTI, regional, European) and indirect aids (tax deductions, Patent Box). The company also develops proprietary microencapsulation technology and operates AI (Datision) and industrial optimization software (MESAI) subsidiaries to deliver advanced technical solutions.

Product overview

GDE (Grupo de Desarrollo Empresarial I+D+i) offers a 360° innovation service portfolio comprising three main offerings: (1) GDE I+D+i - core R&D technical services and financial resource acquisition for R&D projects; (2) Datision - AI-powered technology solutions for complex problem-solving; and (3) MESAI - industrial process optimization software platform. The group provides integrated services from idea generation through project development to financing, serving clients across multiple technology areas including chemistry, electronics, and mechanical engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Datision: AI-focused subsidiary created in 2018 with IRII researchers, developing ad-hoc artificial intelligence projects and technological solutions for complex industrial problems.
• MESAI

Products and services

• Servicios Técnicos I+D+i
• Financiación / Recursos Financieros (R&D Financing Optimization)
• Buscador de Subvenciones
• Datision
• MESAI

Quantifiable outcome

• 500 resources obtained in euros for clients
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IRII (Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018GDE co-founded Datision in 2018 together with researchers from IRII. This strategic partnership aims to develop ad-hoc projects based on Artificial Intelligence, offering technological solutions to complex problems and improving processes for clients.
• Punto Blanco (Indústries Valls)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGDE participated as microencapsulation technology specialists in a highly competitive consortium led by Punto Blanco for developing functional textile products with cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Eurecat: Eurecat is Catalonia's main technology center, offering multidisciplinary R&D, innovation, and technology transfer services to industrial clients. It is the closest functional peer to GDE in the same Catalan ecosystem, competing for the same enterprise R&D budgets and consortium grant opportunities.
• Leitat: Leitat is a Catalan technology center providing applied R&D services across materials, biotech, and industrial processes to enterprise clients. It overlaps directly with GDE in Catalonia on project-based industrial R&D, microencapsulation-adjacent materials work, and consortium participation.

Broad incumbents

• Tecnalia: Tecnalia is Spain's largest private applied research and technology center, serving industrial clients across multiple sectors with multidisciplinary R&D capabilities. It competes with GDE on national R&D consulting mandates and consortium projects but at much greater scale and broader scientific footprint.
• Applus+ IDIADA: Applus+ IDIADA is a Spanish engineering services firm offering design, testing, and certification to the automotive and mobility industry. Comparable to GDE as a Spanish-based enterprise-facing engineering and R&D services player, though much larger and specialised in mobility.
• IDOM: IDOM is a Spanish multinational engineering, architecture, and consulting firm offering multidisciplinary services to industrial and infrastructure clients. Comparable to GDE in multi-disciplinary engineering service model, though operating at far greater scale with international footprint.

Regional players

• AIMEN Technology Centre: AIMEN is a Galician technology center focused on materials, manufacturing processes, and industrial R&D services. It is comparable to GDE as a multi-disciplinary R&D service provider to Spanish industrial clients, but operates in a different regional cluster.
• Tekniker: Tekniker is a Basque Country technology center offering applied R&D in manufacturing, electronics, and industrial processes. Comparable to GDE in service model and enterprise client focus, though regionally concentrated in the Basque industrial ecosystem.
• CTAG: CTAG is Galicia's automotive technology centre providing R&D, testing, and innovation services to vehicle and component manufacturers. Comparable to GDE in consortium-led industrial R&D services, though specialised in the automotive vertical rather than horizontal.
• CIDETEC: CIDETEC is a Basque applied research organisation specialising in materials, energy storage, and surface engineering for industrial clients. Comparable to GDE as a Spanish R&D service provider, though focused on chemistry/materials niches and operating in the Basque region.

Others

• CDTI: CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial) is the Spanish public agency funding industrial R&D via grants and soft loans. It is not a peer in the commercial sense but is a key counterpart in GDE's financing-optimisation service line and shapes the demand environment for GDE's consulting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gde7
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInes.linkedin.com/company/gde
• Instagraminstagram.com/gde_7_/?hl=es

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GDE