25% of the start-ups analysed by CaixaBank DayOne and Afi are already working with artificial intelligence, ten points more than last year. AI companies raised €72.7 million, a 59% increase.
The 25% of the start-ups analysed in the report by CaixaBank DayOne and Afi now use artificial intelligence, compared to 15% the previous year. The study, as published by catalunyapress.es, is based on 1,006 applications from the latest edition of the EmprendeXXI Awards, a 5% increase from the previous call.
AI start-ups raised €72.7 million, almost equal to biotechnology companies (73.3 million) and well above other categories. Their funding grew by 59% compared to the previous edition, while most other technologies declined.
The total funding declared by all applications fell from €606 million in 2023 to €468 million in 2024 and €345 million in 2025, a 43% decrease from the peak two years ago. The report attributes this to a higher proportion of companies in very early stages, with fewer rounds and less debt.
60% of the analysed start-ups are less than two years old, and those between three and four years dropped from 19% to 14%. Average funding increases from just over €100,000 in companies under one year to over a million in those three to four years old. 76% identify funding as their main medium-term challenge, up from 68% previously.
The challenge is no longer to create companies, but to help them scale
The B2B model is present in 77% of the companies, and large enterprises are the main sales channel, with 73%. Individual customers are losing weight, dropping from 55% to 47%. Internationalisation is consolidating: 44% already sell outside their home markets, and among them, foreign sales account for an average of 35% of their revenue. The European Union is the main destination for 70% of those internationalised, and 16% already sell in the United States and Canada, three points more than a year ago.
Madrid, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and Andalusia concentrate most of the participating start-ups, although the report detects a gradual decentralisation. Navarra and Castilla y León are gaining prominence among companies with the highest potential. Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha stand out in Agrotech, Navarra in Biotech, and the Balearic Islands, Galicia, Extremadura, Cantabria, and Portugal in artificial intelligence.
CaixaBank has announced that the 20th edition of the EmprendeXXI Awards, co-awarded with the Ministry of Industry and Tourism through Enisa, will open on 1 October. Technological and innovative companies based in Spain and established since 1 January 2023 can apply. The call will distribute 17 territorial awards, nine Tomorrow's Challenges, and two transversal mentions, in addition to recognition for Alumni Trajectory.
Each community will choose its winner at the DayOne Innovation Summits, between February and April 2027, and the 17 winners will receive €6,000. In May, the national phase of Tomorrow's Challenges will take place, with €15,000 for each of the nine winners. The mentions, dedicated to Social Impact and Disruptive Innovation, will each have €9,000.
The challenges are reorganised into three categories: Business Transformation, Human and Wellbeing, and Living Planet. Fintech, Insurtech, and Cybersecurity will have their own challenges, and Bluetech Economy is added, dedicated to the sustainable use of seas, oceans, and water resources. Awarded companies will access the Leadership Day by ESADE, the Alumni community, and the international programme Moonshot Thinking for Entrepreneurs. The registration deadline is 22 January 2027.
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