In May, several Basque companies from different sectors received funding. Erle Robotics, a drone company, received €200,000 from 6 business angels. Histocell, located in Zamudio, has received €2.5 M to launch its new product and Realza has bought Litalsa, a leading independent supplier in the packaging lithography market.
Panrico, Angulas Aguinaga: Spain's big food companies in international hands.
Foreign investors are hungry for Spanish food companies. At the beginning of the year we learned of the purchase of Deoleo, a world leader in the marketing of olive oil, with brands such as Carbonell and Koipe, by CVC and the purchase of the chorizo manufacturer Palacios by the giant Carlyle. In June we witnessed the purchase of Panrico by the Mexican company Bimbo and the purchase of Angulas Aguinaga by a secondary fund led by HarbourVest.
Ofertia and Tectronic: Divestments in the IT sector
According to the Ascri 2015 report, 2015 has seen a record number of divestments in Spain, partly due to the leading role played by international groups. In May, two Spanish funds: Finaves and Dinamia disinvested in companies in the ICT sector, giving entry to international groups.
Biotechnology grows and finds alternative forms of financing
According to Asebio, the number of healthcare biotechnology projects developed in Spain grew by 30% in 2015, compared to the same period in 2014. These projects need funding and many of them are turning to alternative financing. Crowdfunding, public aid and venture capital funds are helping to make Spain a biotech country.
Grants for Smart Cities under the National Smart Cities Plan
The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism is aware of the benefits of implementing smart cities both for citizens and for the development of ICTs and has decided to launch the National Smart Cities Plan, implementing new measures that will involve the mobilisation of a volume of resources close to €153M.
New funds for ICTs, Bio and internalisation (May)
If the other day we talked about the new funds created in the energy sector, today it is the turn of other new funds such as ICT and bio. Cofides has also created a fund together with Oman SGRF to support Spanish companies with internationalisation plans in the Middle East and Oman.
Venture capital: Solution for industry. Carbures, Litalsa and composite plastics
In May, we have witnessed that venture capital is once again interested in the industry to help it grow and become strong abroad. Carbures has received funding from Black Toro, Realza has acquired a stake in Litalsa and Plásticos Compuestos has received funding from La Caixa and the ICF.
Tech startup funding rounds in June
In June 2015, more than 15 technology startups received funding. Among the most active sub-sectors this month are medical-related startups, which received 4 rounds, IOT and mobile apps.
Siroco capital Engie, and Fondico: New venture capital funds
As we saw in our post last week, venture capital is in a good moment in Spain. If in May we had already talked about the creation of new technology venture capital funds, now we have news that Fondi-ico, the fund of funds has opened its 5th call. We have also recently heard about the creation of new funds for the energy sector, such as Siroco Capital and Engie.
Biotech sector operations in June
So far in June, two Spanish biotech companies have completed financing rounds, Histocell and Biótica, which supports the conclusion reached by experts in the sector on cyt 60 minutes. "The 21st century will be the century of biotechnology with more than 500 companies created in the sector in the first decade".
Investment in Spain registers record figures in May 2015
The investment made in Spain in May is a sign of the reactivation of the economy and the confidence that investors are having in our country.
Food2u, Vcentral and Spec: Mergers & Acquisitions Tech Startups May
According to an International TechTalk report, the technology industry generated $84,000M in mergers and acquisitions during the first quarter of 2015. Companies want to grow at a time when there is so much competition in the market. Below we detail the M&A operations that have had Spanish companies as protagonists in May.