StartUB

What StartUB does

StartUB is the entrepreneurship promotion initiative of the University of Barcelona, operated under the Secretaria General of the Universitat de Barcelona since 2021. It serves as a university-based entrepreneurship hub providing free programs, incubation services, and mentorship to students, PhD candidates, researchers, self-employed workers, and micro-enterprises across the broader university community. The organization operates a tiered program structure categorized by experience level: Start Exploring (beginner), Start Creating (intermediate), and Start Growing (advanced).

The core product portfolio includes StartUB!Lab (a free incubation and coworking space in Barcelona), the Innovation Toolkit (a proprietary online step-by-step methodology platform at innovationtoolkit.es), and multiple specialized programs such as De la Ciència al Mercat (100 hours of scientific entrepreneurship training), Explorer (12-week online program), UBring (student ideation program worth +1.5 ECTS credits), Consolida't (80 hours of training plus 13 hours of personalized mentoring for micro-enterprises), and Sprint Program (4 hours of specialized mentoring). StartUB has incubated 60+ companies since 2020 across sectors including healthtech, biotech, food, gaming, and consumer products.

StartUB operates on a non-commercial revenue model funded entirely by public subsidies from the Departament d'Empresa i Treball de la Generalitat de Catalunya, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus. All programs and services are provided free of charge to participants. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, leveraging direct access to UB's 64,000+ student community, multi-university partnerships (5 Catalan universities), and participation in major industry events like 4YFN. Strategic partnerships include the European Innovation Council (EIC Partner since September 2025), Barcelona Deep Tech Node, Xarxa d'Emprenedoria Universitària, and Càtedra UB-Danone.

Name

StartUB

Legal name

Secretaria General de la Universitat de Barcelona

Website

https://startub.ub.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

StartUB is the University of Barcelona's entrepreneurship promotion initiative, offering free incubation, training, and mentorship programs to students, researchers, and micro-enterprises across Catalan universities since 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Entrepreneurship Support

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• University entrepreneurship programs
• Startup incubation services
• Entrepreneurship training
• Innovation methodology tooling
• Scientific entrepreneurship transfer

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Subsidies: StartUB operates as an initiative of the Secretaria General of the University of Barcelona, funded by public sources including the Departament d'Empresa i Treball de la Generalitat de Catalunya, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus (Fons Social Europeu Plus). The organization provides free services to the university community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

StartUB provides free entrepreneurship promotion services to the University of Barcelona community, including incubation and coworking space (StartUB!Lab), a proprietary Innovation Toolkit for step-by-step innovation processes, and tiered training programs ranging from beginner (Start Exploring) to advanced (Start Growing). Specialized offerings include scientific entrepreneurship training (De la Ciència al Mercat), student ideation with ECTS credits (UBring), a 12-week online Explorer program aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Consolida't program for self-employed workers and micro-enterprises.

Product overview

StartUB is the entrepreneurship promotion and support initiative of the University of Barcelona, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of programs and services organized across three progressive levels: Start Exploring (beginner), Start Creating (intermediate), and Start Growing (advanced). The portfolio includes StartUB!Lab as a free incubation and coworking space, the Innovation Toolkit as an online innovation methodology tool, and specialized programs such as De la Ciència al Mercat for scientific entrepreneurship transfer, the Explorer Program for online SDG-focused entrepreneurship, UBring for student ideation with credits, and Consolida't for established micro-enterprises. Additional offerings include investment forums, international acceleration programs, 4YFN bootcamps, and sector-specific incubation programs like BoostUB! Videogames. The organization facilitates participation in major startup events including 4YFN and the Falling Walls Lab Barcelona.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StartUB!Lab: Free incubation and coworking space operated by StartUB.
• Innovation Toolkit
• De la Ciència al Mercat
• BoostUB! Videogames
• Explorer
• UBring
• StartUB! Sprint
• Programa Consolida't

Products and services

• StartUB!Lab Free incubation and coworking space providing entrepreneurs with a physical workspace and support infrastructure to develop their business ideas. Targeted at UB-affiliated startups and entrepreneurs.
• Innovation Toolkit Free online tool that guides any user through step-by-step innovation processes, enabling ideation, business model development, and project execution through a structured methodology. Designed for entrepreneurs, students, and researchers.
• De la Ciència al Mercat (From Science to the Market) Free interuniversity scientific entrepreneurship transfer program providing PhD students and researchers with 100 hours of intensive training plus individual tutoring to explore creating spin-off companies derived from research.
• Explorer Program 100% online 12-week program helping participants experience entrepreneurship as a professional option, transforming ideas into solutions contributing to SDG 2030 goals through social learning dynamics.
• UBring Ideation program designed for degree, master's, or PhD students to explore, develop, and materialize entrepreneurial ideas through workshops and personalized mentoring, using the Innovation Toolkit as the core methodology. Awards +1.5 ECTS credits.
• Consolida't Free training and personalized advisory program (normally valued at €1,600) for self-employed workers and micro-enterprises, offering 80 hours of training plus 13 hours of personalized mentoring to promote business consolidation and growth.
• StartUB! Sprint Program Accelerated project acceleration program providing 4 hours of specialized mentoring for rapid business development, aimed at entrepreneurs seeking quick expert guidance.
• BoostUB! Videogames Incubation program specifically focused on videogame and entertainment technology startups, supporting projects in this sector through StartUB's incubation infrastructure.
• StartUB! Incubation Program Comprehensive incubation program supporting startups and spin-offs linked to the University of Barcelona through various phases from idea to market consolidation. Targeted at UB-affiliated ventures.
• XEU International Acceleration Program International acceleration program helping startups scale their business internationally, providing cross-border expansion support.
• Open Brazil Hybrid immersion program in São Paulo for European startups looking to scale in the Brazilian market, providing international market entry support.
• Programa Akademia Innovation program bringing together students from different universities to collaborate on innovative projects, fostering cross-university entrepreneurship.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 hours of intensive training on knowledge transfer and business creation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Innovation Council (EIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2025StartUB became an EIC Partner and EIC ACCESS+ Service Provider to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. This partnership provides UB startups with access to European innovation funding and support networks, connecting local entrepreneurs to the broader EIC ecosystem.
• TORCH (Transforming Open Responsible Research and Innovation through CHARM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project focused on transforming open responsible research and innovation through the CHARM initiative, supporting ethical and sustainable innovation practices.
• Barcelona Deep Tech NodecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccelerates market access for scientific and technological startups and spin-offs. This partnership is key for helping UB deep tech ventures reach commercialization.
• Xarxa d'Emprenedoria UniversitàriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Entrepreneurship Network is an initiative to promote entrepreneurship and detect business talent within the university community, connecting all Catalan universities.
• TRUE (Transforming Universities Towards Entrepreneurship)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative transforming universities towards entrepreneurship, helping academic institutions develop stronger entrepreneurial cultures and capabilities.
• Departament d'Empresa i Treball de la Generalitat de CatalunyacoreOthersPrimary public funder of StartUB programs, providing subsidies that enable free services to university community. Co-financed by Fons Social Europeu Plus (European Social Fund Plus).
• Fons Social Europeu Plus (European Social Fund Plus)coreOthersEU co-financing source for StartUB entrepreneurship promotion programs, supporting inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurial culture development.
• De la Ciència al Mercat consortium (UB, UAB, UPC, UPF, UdG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-university consortium offering the De la Ciència al Mercat program, a joint initiative of five Catalan universities for scientific entrepreneurship promotion.
• Càtedra UB-DanoneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity chair focused on innovation challenges, supporting the annual 'Reptes Innovació' competition and promoting food/health innovation.
• 4YFN (Four Years From Now)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing stands for UB startups and spin-offs at the 4YFN startup fair, the world's most influential startup business platform.
• Secretaria General de la Universitat de BarcelonacoreOthersThe governing body of the University of Barcelona that houses StartUB as an entrepreneurship promotion initiative.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Regional players

• IE Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Madrid-based business school entrepreneurship center running startup programs and venture creation support, comparable in structure and methodology to StartUB but operating in a different Spanish geography with similar institutional backing.

Broad incumbents

• Barcelona Activa: Barcelona's municipal economic development agency offering incubation, training, and support to entrepreneurs across the city, including programs overlapping with StartUB's micro-enterprise segment (Consolida't) and broader founder training.
• EIT Health: European pan-regional innovation network that runs accelerator programs, investor matchmaking, and partner access for health-focused startups; structurally comparable to StartUB's role as a regional node for European innovation funding, especially given StartUB's EIC partnership.
• Y Combinator: Global benchmark startup accelerator offering cohort-based programs, mentorship, and seed funding — a broad incumbent that frames the upper bound of what an institutional startup support operation can deliver and a reference point for accelerator design.
• Wayra (Telefónica Open Innovation): Corporate-backed startup accelerator network operating across Spain and Latin America, providing investment and corporate venture access — analogous to StartUB's startup acceleration tier but driven by corporate rather than university sponsorship.

Direct peers

• UAB Research Park / UAB Emprèn: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona's entrepreneurship hub and technology-transfer unit, also a partner in the five-university De la Ciència al Mercat consortium, targeting the same PhD and student population in the broader Barcelona ecosystem.
• UPF Emprèn: Entrepreneurship support initiative of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, also a member of the Xarxa d'Emprenedoria Universitària and the De la Ciència al Mercat consortium, providing incubation, training, and mentorship to UPF students and researchers in the same Barcelona market.
• UPC Emprèn: University-level entrepreneurship hub of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, offering incubation, training, and mentoring to UPC students and researchers — directly comparable to StartUB's mandate and the most immediate peer given UPC's participation in the same De la Ciència al Mercat consortium.
• ESADE Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Barcelona-based business school entrepreneurship center with incubation, accelerator programs, and startup support, targeting graduate entrepreneurs and serving as a top-of-mind peer for talent and founders in the Catalan ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Beta-i: Lisbon-based entrepreneurship and innovation hub running startup accelerators, corporate innovation programs, and events (including Web Summit); comparable as a Southern European entrepreneurship support organization with similar public-private funding dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-barcelona

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 StartUB