Beaz Bizkaia

What Beaz Bizkaia does

Beaz Bizkaia is a public limited company (S.A.U.) wholly owned by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, the provincial government of Bizkaia in the Basque Country, Spain. Founded in 1987 and headquartered at Sabino Arana 8 in Bilbao, the agency operates as a publicly mandated innovation and entrepreneurship support body, delivering free services to entrepreneurs, early-stage startups, and SMEs based in Bizkaia. Its activity is structured around a portfolio of incubation and acceleration spaces — including BIC Bizkaia, BIC Ezkerraldea, DeustoKabi, DesignKabi, Zitek UPV/EHU, and the BAT B Accelerator Tower — alongside dedicated programs such as the Beaz Acceleration Program, BIOK!, Bizkaia Innovation Bridge Slush, Bizkaia Investment Forum, Crowdfunding Bizkaia, and 42 Urduliz Bizkaia.

The agency's underlying 'technology' is its program and infrastructure stack rather than a software product. It runs accelerator cohorts, investor forums that connect founders with private capital, an internationalization bridge to the Slush ecosystem, alternative finance through Crowdfunding Bizkaia, and a peer-to-peer coding academy in partnership with the global 42 Network. Operational maturity is signaled by long-standing certifications: ISO 9001 since 2004, ISO 14001 since 2008, and AENOR web accessibility since 2007.

Beaz's business model is that of a publicly funded agency rather than a commercial enterprise. It receives annual budget allocations from the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and delivers services free of charge to end users, with no disclosed pricing, subscription, or fee-based revenue model. There is no indication of equity investment, equity-free grant funding distributed to startups, or commercial revenue streams in the source material. Customer segments are regional entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs, with the single paying counterparty being the provincial government.

Name

Beaz Bizkaia

Legal name

BEAZ, S.A.U.

Website

https://beaz.bizkaia.eus

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Beaz Bizkaia is a public agency wholly owned by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia that delivers free incubation, acceleration, investor matchmaking, and talent programs to entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs in the Basque province of Bizkaia, Spain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilbao

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding: Beaz Bizkaia is a public limited company (S.A.U.) wholly owned by the Provincial Government of Bizkaia (Diputación Foral de Bizkaia). It operates as a government-backed support agency providing services to entrepreneurs and businesses at no direct charge, funded through public budgets and provincial economic development programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Beaz Bizkaia is a publicly funded innovation and entrepreneurship support agency for the Province of Bizkaia (Basque Country, Spain). It delivers end-to-end services to entrepreneurs and SMEs spanning business creation, incubation, acceleration, training, open innovation challenges, fiscal incentive advisory, and internationalization programs. All services are provided free of charge to participants, funded through the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia's (Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia) public budgets and provincial economic development programs.

Product overview

Beaz Bizkaia operates as a unified service portfolio under the Provincial Government of Bizkaia, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of business support programs rather than a single software product. The portfolio spans four main areas: Creation (startup formation, acceleration programs including Beaz Acceleration Program, international acceleration, funding services like Rondas de Inversión and Préstamo de Innovación), Growth (training, diversification, open innovation through BIOK! and BIND 4.0, tax deduction support), Initiatives (Bizkaia Innovation Bridge Slush, Startup Attraction, Creative Industries, Bizkaia Orekan Sakonduz), and Infrastructure (incubation spaces including BIC Bizkaia, DesignKabi, DeustoKabi, Zitek UPV/EHU; acceleration facilities at BAT B Accelerator Tower; and meeting rooms). The organization also produces publications including the Barómetro de situación empresarial de Bizkaia and KBIZ BEAZ Magazine. Key programs include the Beaz Acceleration Program (6-month accelerator), Bizkaia Innovation Bridge Slush (international tech event connection), BIOK! (open innovation challenges), and 42 Urduliz Bizkaia (programming campus).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BIC Bizkaia: Business Innovation Centre for Bizkaia - incubation spaces for startups and entrepreneurs.
• DesignKabi
• Zitek UPV/EHU
• BIC Bizkaia Ezkerraldea
• DeustoKabi
• BAT B Accelerator Tower
• 42 Urduliz Bizkaia
• BIOK!
• Beaz Acceleration Program
• Bizkaia Creativa
• Bizkaia Orekan Sakonduz
• Bizkaitik Mundura
• KBIZ – BEAZ Magazine

Products and services

• Beaz Acceleration Program Six-month acceleration program for high-growth Bizkaia startups offering personalized training, expert consulting, adapted financing, and access to international networks through the Bizkaia Entrepreneurship International Center (BAT).
• Constitución Acelerada (Accelerated SL Constitution) Electronic constitution service for limited liability companies (SL) via the Single Electronic Document (DUE), centralizing registration procedures and coordinating notary appointments. Available year-round (01/01 - 31/12).
• Rondas de Inversión (Investment Rounds) Training service for entrepreneurial teams to develop skills in private financing sources and access investors. Open call window 22/06 - 04/09.
• 64 Bis Ex Ante Fiscal qualification reports service relating to R&D+i project execution to facilitate transfer of tax credits to a financier. Available year-round (01/01 - 31/12).
• Préstamo de Innovación (Innovation Loan) Technical qualification reports to support financing of European Innovation Fund projects aimed at driving innovation. Available year-round (01/01 - 31/12).
• Atracción de Startups (Startup Attraction) Support service for innovative startup projects from outside Bizkaia that want to establish themselves in the territory. Open call window 01/11 - 31/12.
• BIOK! Open innovation challenge laboratory connecting Bizkaia companies with startups and SMEs worldwide to develop innovation projects through prototyping and validation.
• Bizkaia Foro de Inversión (Investment Forum) Platform connecting startups with investors for networking and investment opportunities in Bizkaia, organized as an annual in-person forum.
• Bizkaia Innovation Bridge Slush Program enabling Bizkaia startups to participate in the Slush technology event held in Helsinki, connecting them with the international technology ecosystem.
• Salas Beaz (Meeting Rooms) Meeting rooms and event spaces (Sala Amarilla, Sala Negra, Sala Azul, Sala Verde, Auditorium, Hall Bizkaia Creativa) at Beaz headquarters for networking, knowledge exchange, and project dissemination.
• Incubation Spaces (BIC Bizkaia, BIC Ezkerraldea, DesignKabi, Zitek UPV/EHU, DeustoKabi) Incubation facilities across Bizkaia providing workspace and support services for startups and entrepreneurs in various sectors (general, left bank, design/creative industries, university spin-offs, Deusto-area).
• BAT B Accelerator Tower Acceleration space at the Bizkaia Entrepreneurship International Center providing resources and networking opportunities for high-growth startups.
• Crowdfunding Bizkaia Crowdfunding platform for Bizkaia projects, facilitating alternative financing options for startups and SMEs through equity and lending campaigns.
• 42 Urduliz Bizkaia Programming campus in Urduliz, sponsored by Beaz and the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, offering coding education and talent development for the technology sector, including open days for prospective students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Third edition of the Bizkaia business situation barometer analyzing resilience of 5–250 employee companies across the territory

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN Basque)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeaz is a partner of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) in the Basque Country, leveraging this European network to help Bizkaia companies access international technology cooperation, financing opportunities, and cross-border business partnerships. EEN activities include information days, matchmaking events, and advisory services for SMEs.
• BIC BizkaiacoreTechnology or IntegrationBIC Bizkaia is a business incubator operated in coordination with Beaz, providing physical space and support services for startups in Bizkaia. It is part of the European BIC network of business innovation centres.
• BIC Bizkaia EzkerraldeacoreTechnology or IntegrationBIC Bizkaia Ezkerraldea is an incubation space serving the Left Bank (Ezkerraldea) area of Bizkaia, operated under Beaz's ecosystem of incubation spaces to ensure territorial coverage of entrepreneurship support services.
• Zitek UPV/EHUcoreTechnology or IntegrationZitek is an incubation space operated in partnership with the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), supporting spin-offs and technology-based ventures emerging from academic research.
• DesignKabicoreTechnology or IntegrationDesignKabi is a specialized incubation space for design-driven and creative industries startups, operated within Beaz's ecosystem to support design and creative entrepreneurship in Bizkaia.
• DeustoKabicoreTechnology or IntegrationDeustoKabi is a coworking and incubation space operated in partnership with Deusto University (Universidad de Deusto), supporting entrepreneurial projects and innovation activities within the Beaz ecosystem.
• BIND 4.0coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIND 4.0 is a Basque industrial acceleration program for technology startups. Beaz participates in this initiative, which connects startups with industrial corporations in the Basque Country to accelerate the adoption of technology solutions.
• AENORminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAENOR provides certification services to Beaz across quality management (ISO 9001), environmental management (ISO 14001), and web accessibility (UNE EN301549:2022).
• IQNETminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIQNET provides international quality management certification coverage for Beaz through its global network of certification bodies, complementing AENOR's certifications.
• Diputación Foral de Bizkaia (Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeaz is a wholly-owned public limited company (S.A.U.) of the Provincial Government of Bizkaia. The Foral Government provides institutional backing and funding, and Beaz delivers the Provincial Government's entrepreneurship and innovation policies including the Bizkaia Orekan Sakonduz regional competitiveness program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• European Innovation Council (EIC): The EIC is the EU's flagship innovation funding program (including EIC Accelerator, referenced explicitly by Beaz). Beaz acts as an intermediary helping Bizkaia startups access EIC funding, making the EIC both an upstream enabler and a structural partner rather than a competitor.

Regional players

• Paris&Co: Paris&Co is the Parisian economic development and innovation agency operating incubation spaces, acceleration programs, and open innovation services. It is the closest European peer to Beaz structurally, serving a single metro/region with a comprehensive single-window entrepreneur support model.
• Barcelona Activa: Barcelona Activa is Barcelona's municipal economic development agency offering incubation, acceleration, training, and funding advisory to local entrepreneurs. It mirrors Beaz's single-window model in a different Spanish region, providing a directly comparable public innovation agency peer.
• Andalucía Emprende: Andalucía Emprende is the Andalusian regional government's public foundation supporting entrepreneurship through a network of CADE incubation centers. It is structurally similar to Beaz (public agency, free services, regional scope, physical incubation network).
• Madrid Emprende: Madrid Emprende is the Madrid regional government's entrepreneurship and innovation support agency. It offers incubation spaces, training, and advisory services analogous to Beaz's portfolio, serving as a comparable regional public-agency peer in a different Spanish market.

Broad incumbents

• Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): CIC is a global innovation campus operator running shared workspaces, accelerators, and venture programs. It is comparable to Beaz's incubation/acceleration space portfolio (BIC Bizkaia, BAT B Accelerator Tower) at a much larger global scale.

Direct peers

• SPRI Group: SPRI is the Basque Government's business development agency, operating at a broader Basque Country (vs. Bizkaia-only) level. Both Beaz and SPRI provide acceleration, funding advisory, and innovation support to Basque SMEs, making them the closest institutional peers within the same territory.
• BIND 4.0: BIND 4.0 is the Basque industrial acceleration program connecting tech startups with industrial corporations. Beaz explicitly participates in BIND 4.0, making it both a partner and a direct overlapping peer in corporate-startup acceleration.
• ENISA: ENISA is a Spanish state-owned SME financing entity providing participative loans to entrepreneurs. It is comparable to Beaz's funding coordination and 64 Bis Ex Ante fiscal intermediation services at the national level, sharing a public-agency mandate.
• Seedrs (now Republic Europe): Beaz operates Crowdfunding Bizkaia, a regional equity/lending crowdfunding initiative comparable to Seedrs/Republic Europe's pan-European crowdfunding platform. Both connect startups to retail and professional investors through structured online campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/login
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCX3oCOsEMrKFxHgeQSRBRYQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/BizkaiaEmpresaBFA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beaz-bizkaia

Compliance5 records

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 Beaz Bizkaia