Avet Ventures has just launched its first fund to invest in innovative companies. In addition, La Caixa and the CDTI want to help boost the biotechnology sector in our country and have already made the first investment of its Caixa Innvierte Start fund, which will invest in early stage companies in the field of health.
On 8 March, Clerp, an engineering company that wants to grow in the Latin American market, was listed on the MAB as a growth company.
Corporate investment in new startups is a win-win solution for large corporations to incorporate new innovations and for startups to get the funding and expertise they need to grow their business. In an ever-changing world, companies have to constantly innovate to maintain their position in the market. At the same time, new companies are being created that develop cutting-edge products and services that require external capital to be successful. A few days ago we learned that Telefonica Open Future invested in 600 startups in 2015.
The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism has published the calls for applications for aid for Reindustrialisation and Strengthening of Industrial Competitiveness in 2016, for which there is a financial endowment of more than €757 million. Application deadline: from 18 April to 1 June 2016.
According to a global report by PwC, renewables now account for 28% of all mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector, reaching a value of $55.300M. This figure is almost double the volume recorded in 2014. The renewables market is expected to remain active in 2016, and just this week we have learned of the purchase of four renewable energy assets by Cerberus.
It seems that biotechnology is finding investors in our country. A few weeks ago we told you that Inveready had invested in Cuantum and Ab-biotics, this week we learned that Oncostellae, which received a €1M round is looking for funding, and Caixa Capital Risk has led a €2.2M round in Inbiomotion.
Investors are benefiting from acquisitions in the classifieds technology market. Last year we saw Cabiedes and Partners successfully sell Trovit to Japan's Next CO. We also witnessed how the sale of Milanuncios was one of the most successful divestments in the history of Spain for an entrepreneur. Now we have learned that Mitula Group has bought the Catalan company Nuroa.
After several years in which the Roca Group had to carry out a policy of restructuring and adjustment, in 2014 it returned with force by buying 6 companies to grow internationally and now we have learned that it has bought the Turkish company NSK, a Turkish faucet company whose main client is Ikea.
The Iberoeka calls aim to promote the technological internationalisation of Spanish companies in Latin America through the development of collaborative R&D projects of a business nature. A few weeks ago, we announced the Iberoeka...
There is a significant amount of capital seeking to be invested in innovation projects, but investors are looking for successful operations and are guided by criteria such as scalability, strong technological component and internationalisation capacity. Odilo and Immfly, which received €1.3M and €2.4M this February, are two examples.
Meridia Capital and Closa Gordon, two companies familiar with investment, have decided to move into private equity and are setting up funds to invest in Spanish SMEs.
From the last SME instrument phase 1 call, with cut-off date November 2015, 185 companies have been selected out of the 2057 proposals submitted. The projects come from 22 different countries, Spain with a participation of 22%, which means 39 projects, is the country where more projects have been selected. These companies will receive €50,000 in funding.