Record of 455 million euros of investment for health startups based in Catalonia

The 2022 BioRegion of Catalonia Report, presented this morning by Biocat, at an event with over 600 professionals from the biotechnology sector, shows that Catalonia has again broken records in the history of the BioRegion, securing €445 million in investment for health startups.

ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment has collaborated on this 2022 study's edition, together with the associations CataloniaBio & HealthTech, Farmaindustria and Fenin, and the companies Amgen, Esteve, Almirall and Alira Health.

According to the study, venture capital funding served as the primary engine of this expansion, accounting for more than €343 million, or 77% of all capital raised.

95% of Venture's fund was invested in operations with overseas investors, bringing the overall number of international investment funds to 117, a statistic that has more than doubled in the last three years.

The key to the success of these operations has been the participation of the leading specialized venture capital funds established in Catalonia, like Ysios Capital, Alta Life Sciences, Asabys Partners, Invivo Capital, Inveready, Caixa Capital Risc, CG Health Ventures, and Nina Capital.

Investment trends

In terms of investment trends, medical technology has once again outdone itself, generating €193 million, more investment than any other subsector for the second year in a row, thanks to the €122 million that Impress raised in the first mega-round in the BioRegion's history.

Another highlight of the study is the increase in investment secured by biotechnology companies, which totaled €185 million, setting a new record and tripling the previous total (€66 million in 2021). This growth was attributed to the two biggest biotech rounds in the BioRegion and Spain: €51 million invested in Minoryx Therapeutics and €50 million in SpliceBio.

Biotechnology, a growing sector

Catalonia has emerged as a top clinical trial location in Europe and worldwide. The BioRegion ranks sixth in Europe with over 1,200 active clinical trials, trailing only France, the United Kingdom, Spain (with Catalan centers participating in 75% of all operational practices in the country), Germany, and Italy. In addition, Catalonia ranks ninth in the global rating, while the United States and Canada are in the first two positions.

The life sciences and healthcare sector, which account for 8.7% of the Catalan GDP, is also examined in the 2022 Report. This sector alone employs 247,000 people (7% of Catalonia's working population), exports more than 53% of all life sciences and healthcare products from Spain, and is consolidating its position as one of the most dynamic hubs of health innovation in Europe, with international innovation centers and multinational corporations.

Source: Biocat