START Barcelona

Name

START Barcelona

Legal name

START Barcelona — Non-profit student association

Website

https://startbarcelona.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Entrepreneurship Community

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

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), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Student entrepreneurship community
• Startup hackathons events
• Pitching competitions students
• Founder networking programs
• Non-profit student association

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-profit organization: START Barcelona operates as a non-profit student association. Revenue generation is not the primary focus; the organization is funded through partnerships, sponsorships, and potentially membership contributions or grants to support its educational mission of fostering student entrepreneurship.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

START Barcelona is a non-profit, student-led entrepreneurship community that supports aspiring student founders through in-person programs including pitching competitions (Road to START Summit), hackathons (Road to START Hack), investor evenings, hands-on workshops (LaunchLab BCN), startup visits, and ideation events (Vision Jam). Membership and programs are delivered free of charge to students, with funding sourced from corporate partners such as Microsoft, N26, BCombinator, and Enzo Ventures.

Product overview

START Barcelona is a non-profit, student-led entrepreneurship community serving as a launchpad for student founders. Rather than a unified software platform, the organization operates as a portfolio of flagship programs and events that collectively support entrepreneurial development. The core offerings include the Road to START Summit (annual pitching competition), Road to START Hack (48-hour hackathon), Investor Nights (VC/angel community series), LaunchLab BCN workshops, Startup Visits, and Vision Jam events. All programs are delivered in-person in Barcelona and connect students to the wider START Global network spanning 21 chapters across 16 countries. The organization does not offer software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Road to START Summit Annual flagship pitching competition for Barcelona student founders; winners represent the chapter at START Summit in St. Gallen, competing in front of 6,000+ attendees from across Europe.
• Road to START Hack 48-hour hackathon with partners including Microsoft and N26; winning teams travel to St. Gallen to compete at START Hack alongside Europe's top hackers.
• Investor Nights Intimate community evenings featuring VCs and angel investors sharing candid stories of risk, failure, and big bets; past speakers have included representatives from BCombinator and Enzo Ventures.
• LaunchLab BCN Hands-on workshops and startup visit programs that provide members with practical entrepreneurial skills and real-world startup exposure in Barcelona.
• Startup Visits Organized visits to startups and tech companies, giving students direct exposure to the Barcelona startup ecosystem and practical entrepreneurship experience.
• Vision Jam Innovation and ideation event focused on exploring business ideas and technology challenges through collaborative workshops and discussions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,000+ attendees at START Summit in St. Gallen for competition winners
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• START GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022START Barcelona is the Barcelona chapter of START Global — Europe's largest student-run entrepreneurial initiative with 21 chapters across 16 countries. START Global provides the framework, brand, and network connections. Barcelona chapter participates in cross-chapter events and sends winners to compete at START Summit and START Hack in St. Gallen.
• MicrosoftflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMicrosoft is a named partner for Road to START Hack — the 48-hour annual hackathon. Winners of Road to START Hack travel to St. Gallen to compete at START Hack with Europe's best hackers.
• N26flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerN26 is a named partner for Road to START Hack — the 48-hour annual hackathon. N26 provides expertise, mentorship, or sponsorship for the hackathon event.
• BCombinatorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBCombinator representatives have spoken at Investor Nights — intimate evening events with VCs and angels sharing candid stories of risk, failure, and big bets.
• Enzo VenturesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnzo Ventures representatives have spoken at Investor Nights — intimate evening events with VCs and angels sharing candid stories of risk, failure, and big bets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• START Global: The parent umbrella organization overseeing START Barcelona and 20 other chapters. Comparable because START Barcelona operates as one chapter within this larger student entrepreneurship network, sharing brand, framework, and flagship events like START Summit.
• Antler: A global early-stage venture firm running residency-style founder programs across Europe including Barcelona. Comparable because it cultivates first-time founders through structured programming, mentorship, and direct capital — competing for the same Barcelona-based student entrepreneur audience.
• Enactus: A global student-led organization running entrepreneurship and social innovation programs across 30+ countries. Comparable because it targets the same student entrepreneur audience through university chapters, competitions, and corporate sponsorship.
• Junior Achievement (JA Worldwide): A long-established youth entrepreneurship education nonprofit operating in 100+ countries. Comparable because it delivers entrepreneurship curricula, mentorship, and pitch competitions to students, but at a younger demographic and a more curriculum-driven model.
• Wayra (Telefónica Ventures): Corporate-backed accelerator with a Barcelona presence. Comparable because it provides startup programming, mentorship, and corporate introductions targeting early-stage founders in the same city ecosystem where START Barcelona operates.

Regional players

• Barcelona Tech City (Pier01): Barcelona's main private tech/startup hub hosting community events, mentorship, and corporate partner programming. Comparable because it serves as a physical and networking hub for Barcelona's startup community, overlapping with START Barcelona's investor-facing programming.
• UPC Entrepreneurial Initiatives (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya): University-affiliated entrepreneurship center serving Barcelona students. Comparable because it delivers workshops, mentoring, and pitch competitions to students from the same talent pool START Barcelona targets, and competes for sponsor and student attention.

Direct peers

• START Munich: A sibling START Global chapter serving Munich students. Directly comparable because it runs the same playbook (Road to START Summit/Hack, Investor Nights) in another German city, competing for the same student talent pool and sponsor attention.

Emerging players

• Kairos Society: A global student entrepreneurship and venture creation network. Comparable because it convenes university-age founders, provides accelerator-style programming, and connects students to investors — overlapping with START Barcelona's mission.
• Seedlink: A European student entrepreneurship platform connecting university founders with investors and corporate partners. Comparable because it serves a similar demographic and operates community, networking, and pitch programming parallel to START Barcelona.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 START Barcelona