Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, is opening the call for applications for the Barcelona Investment Fund, the new municipal fund provided with 30 million euros. The aim is to participate in specialised venture capital entities that will invest in start-ups in strategic sectors for the city's economy, such as the care economy, the economy for sustainability, biotechnologies, creative industries and Deep Tech, among others.

At the same time, it will allow investing in impact funds that prioritise social and environmental impact or that develop sustainable activities, as well as growth funds to boost newly created companies.

Municipal participation in venture capital entities seeks to strengthen the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem, retain companies with high growth potential in Barcelona, diversify the investment portfolio in these sectors and attract foreign investment, in addition to creating quality employment.

To participate, venture capital entities must be regulated by the Comissión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV - The National Securities Market Commission) and other equivalent entities established in other Member States of the European Union. In terms of impact, the funds must fall within Articles 6, 8 or 9 of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) or have a statute of the European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (ESEF).

The Barcelona Investment Fund is the third fund promoted by the City Council. The first, the Barcelona Accelera fund, is aimed at reactivating private investment in the city after Covid in 2020 and is endowed with 10 million euros. The second, the Barcelona Deep Tech fund, born in 2023, focuses on the field of deep tech and also has a budget of 10 million euros. Between the two, they already have a portfolio of 107 invested start-ups, which contribute nearly 4,000 jobs to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In 2020, with the launch of the Barcelona Accelera fund, Barcelona City Council designed a new public strategy to boost the entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem. The selected financial vehicle is the “fund of funds”, which allows risk sharing with private initiatives and is unique in the entire Spanish State. The strategy prioritises strategic sectors, local companies and projects led by women, consolidating Barcelona as a benchmark in innovation.

The period for submitting applications is now open and will close on 31st December, 2026 or until the budget is exhausted. Consult all the information about the call through the website.