Inveready has started the year with a strong commitment to biotechnology. A few weeks ago we announced that it had invested in Oncostellae, and recently we have learned that it has invested in two more companies, in Ab-BIOTICS through its debt fund and in Cuantum through its Inveready Biotech II fund.
The fashion sector has become one of the main drivers of transaction and M&A activity in the last two years. The existence of an attractive fabric of medium-sized internationalised companies with growth potential and the existence of firms that have had to undertake restructuring or needed funds to launch an internationalisation project, have paved the way for the entry of new partners in some of our best-known national players. In 2016, we have seen MCH invest in Jeanlogía.
From our business unit Logic-fin, we have detected that the use of the internet of things in the manufacturing sector is a market that is growing considerably and presents many opportunities that are now coming to light and that is why we have carried out a study of the sector.
After Jobantalent's large €23M funding round in 2015, a wave of rounds has begun in companies that make it possible to better unite the parties involved in the labour market. In the words of Felipe Navío, co-founder of jobandtalent, "the employment market needs more dynamism and this transformation cannot only come from regulatory changes that boost employment. It must also come from an improvement in the information and communication of the job offers that exist at any given time". So far this year we have heard of 3 technology companies that have received funding in this area.
The AEESD is a programme within the Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016, to finance industrial research or experimental development projects in the field of ICTs. Last year's novelty was the increase of the % grant, which can reach 50% for SMEs depending on the qualification. Below are some of the projects from last year's call that received the highest scores.
BBVA had already invested in the Fintech sector in recent years as part of its transformation strategy to become the world's leading international digital bank. It has started 2016 strongly and has expanded its BBVA Ventures fund from $100M to $250M and has reached a management agreement with the US firm Propel Venture Partners.
Good news for startups in our country. Bullnet capital has just closed its third fund with €42M, plus in recent weeks we have witnessed the emergence of new funds for technology startups that are essential to make Spain technologically competitive.
In 2015 we already saw how investment in E-health gained strength in our country, especially thanks to new platforms for finding and contacting doctors, this year we are going a step further and in 2016 it seems that the use of tics for the treatment of diseases will also be one of the preferences of investors.
The purchase of Groupalia and Offerum by Ofertix and La Nevera Roja by Just Eat that we have seen this week are a clear example that in the world of startups you have to know the right time to buy in order to win. Both the online discount market and the food delivery market boomed a few years ago, many startups were created, some of them who wanted to win, decided to grow through acquisitions, paying quite high prices, now these markets can no longer grow more and other startups buy these companies at a much lower price.
Celtic Plus is an industry-led Eureka cluster promoting European R&D projects in the areas of telecommunications, media, Future Internet and ICT applications and services. This year's winter call will be open from 26 February to 25 May. The conditions for this call are expected to be improved, companies will be able to get up to 50% of grant funding, without the need for a loan part.
By 2016, investment in Spanish fintech companies is expected to triple and the number of companies operating in the sector is expected to double. 2015, with 78 companies operating in our country and funding of around €200M, has been the take-off of this sector in Spain, which according to Venture Watch was the protagonist of 9.6% of venture capital operations in Spain.
An innovative entrepreneur is an entrepreneur who is able to differentiate his product from others even in highly competitive markets. Innovation provides an important strategic and competitive advantage and that is why it is so highly valued by investors. In this post we take as an example two Digital Marketing companies, Beabloo and Olapic, which in 2015 received large rounds that have attracted investors because of their great commitment to innovation.