Barcelona's startup year turns on 4YFN and MWC on 1–4 March 2027, but the city is busy well before that: Smart City Expo, a free Deep Tech Summit and a cybersecurity congress share Fira Gran Via on 3–5 November 2026, and Tech Spirit Barcelona closes the year on 2–3 December. The 4YFN Awards take applications only until 26 October 2026.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in Barcelona and its metro area (Fira Gran Via in L'Hospitalet, Sant Cugat, Sitges) from October 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website or Fira de Barcelona's calendar. Where a date isn't published yet, we say so, and we mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only).
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
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Must Attend Startup Events in Barcelona 2026–2027: Calendar from October 2026 to November 2027
Autumn 2026: October to December
Open Tech Week: 26–31 October 2026
Barcelona City Council's Open Tech Week (26–31 October) brings MozFest, Decidim Fest and an open source policy summit to the Canòdrom and Fabra i Coats: the place for open source and civic tech founders to meet public buyers.
Tech Spirit BIVA: 29 October 2026
Tech Barcelona's first Tech Spirit outside the city, with panels on the Sant Cugat startup scene and open innovation.
Smart City Expo, Deep Tech Summit and Cybersecurity Congress: 3–5 November 2026
Run by Barcelona Activa, the city's development agency, and the cheapest way into the Fira that week: a free pass to deep tech investors and corporate one-to-one meetings.
Its Startup Pavilion puts security startups in front of corporate security chiefs. In the same halls, Tomorrow.Mobility covers urban mobility and logistics.
PyConES and Cleantech Forum Europe: 6–18 November 2026
Spain's Python community in one building: a good place to hire Python and AI engineers.
Cleantech Group's European forum is a small, investor-heavy retreat in Sitges, on the coast south of Barcelona. The same week is Global Entrepreneurship Week (16–22 November); we found no Barcelona programme for it yet.
Bcombinator AI Day and DevFest Barcelona: 26–28 November 2026
Bcombinator is a Barcelona startup hub that also invests, so expect practical AI adoption talks and investors in the room.
GDG Barcelona's free yearly festival. The listing's venue field still says TBA, so check before you go.
Tech Spirit Barcelona: 2–3 December 2026
Tech Barcelona's year-end gathering in the old stock exchange building. It hosts ACCIÓ's Catalan Pitch Competition, whose winner becomes Catalan Startup of the Year, and Startups to Funding, an investor matchmaking programme.
Winter and spring 2027: February to June
ISE and EdTech Congress: 2–5 February 2027
Both are the same week, so edtech and hardware founders can cover two buyer crowds in one trip. The EdTech Congress dates come from Fira de Barcelona's calendar.
4YFN and MWC Barcelona: 1–4 March 2027
Spain's biggest startup stage. The 4YFN Awards take applications until 26 October 2026; the top 20 get €1,500 and a free pod. MWC Barcelona runs the same days and is the biggest week of the year for meeting telecom and corporate buyers, and Talent Arena (1–3 March, Fira Montjuïc) brings developers to town.
KubeCon Europe: 15–18 March 2027
Thousands of platform engineers in one place: a strong room for devtools and infrastructure startups looking for users.
Shoptalk Europe and HIMSS27 Europe: June 2027
Shoptalk brings senior retail buyers; HIMSS brings Europe's hospital IT leaders. Book meetings before you arrive.
Sónar and Sónar+D: 17–19 June 2027
Sónar+D is where creative tech and AI founders show their work; its 2027 programme and venue are not out yet.
Summer and autumn 2027
A B2B crowd of banks, funds and Web3 companies, with startup pitch battles at past editions.
Fira de Barcelona's calendar also lists the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress on the same days. Tech Spirit Barcelona and BNEW are expected again in autumn 2027.
Dates not announced yet
- Tech Spirit Barcelona, Health Edition: last held on 18 February 2026 during Biocat's Health Innovation Week; expected in February 2027.
- Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week: the 6th edition was on 4–6 March 2026 at DFactory Barcelona; expected in March 2027. Biocat
- HackUPC: the 36-hour student hackathon ran on 24–26 April 2026 at UPC Campus Nord; expected in spring 2027. hackupc.com
- Health Revolution Congress (Barcelona Health Hub): last held on 27–28 May 2026 at Sant Pau; expected in May 2027.
- Esade Entrepreneurship Summit: last held on 28–30 May 2026 on the Esade campus; expected in late spring 2027.
- Tech Spirit Women: last held on 17 September 2026 at Pier 07; expected in September 2027. Luma
- BNEW (Barcelona New Economy Week, with a Startup Innovation Hub and awards): last held on 5–7 October 2026. bnewbarcelona.com
- Tech Spirit Barcelona 2027: expected in December 2027.
Past events
- WomenHack Barcelona, October 2026: an invitation-only hiring event for women in tech on 22 October 2026 at Lighthouse, Av. de Josep Tarradellas.
Recurring meetups and communities
- Tech Barcelona: the Pier01 and Pier07 community runs Tech Spirit and a busy public events calendar. Tech Barcelona events
- Founder Institute Barcelona: a pre-seed programme; apply by 10 November 2026 for the cohort that runs 16 November 2026 to 16 February 2027. fi.co/barcelona
- GDG Barcelona: free Google developer meetups, such as Cloud AI Live on 14 October 2026, and the DevFest. GDG Barcelona
- Bcombinator: a startup hub and investor with regular events, including AI Day. Bcombinator
- WomenHack: invitation-only hiring events for women in tech, with Barcelona dates through the year. WomenHack
Some names have gone quiet. Startup Grind Barcelona lists no upcoming events, we found no Techstars Startup Weekend Barcelona since 2018, the last Female Founders Day Barcelona was in 2023, and IoT Solutions World Congress has merged into the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress. AI Congress Barcelona (20–22 October 2026) has closed public registration.
Events for women founders in Barcelona
- WomenHack Barcelona: invitation-only hiring events for women developers, designers and product people, such as the one on 22 October 2026.
- Barcelona Activa INICIA: a programme for women-led projects that ran four editions in the first half of 2026. Barcelona Activa
- Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week: expected in March 2027. Biocat
- Tech Spirit Women: Tech Barcelona's women's edition, expected in September 2027. Luma
- FFX Female Founders Experience: an application-only day for about 120 people; the last edition was on 10 February 2026, with no 2027 date yet. luma.com/FFXBCN
If you organise an event for women founders in Barcelona, send it to us and we'll add it.
Funding and support to know before you go
- Startup Law: certified startups pay 15 percent corporate tax in their first year with profit and the three years after, and the tax-free limit on employee stock options rises from €12,000 to €50,000 a year. BOE, Ley 28/2022
- Digital nomad visa: the same law created a visa for people who live in Spain and work remotely for foreign companies or clients. BOE
- ENISA Emprendedoras Digitales: participative loans from €25,000 to €1.5 million, without guarantees, for tech companies driven by women. ENISA
- Barcelona Activa: the city's development agency has a €66.2 million budget for 2026, and the city's venture funds prioritise companies led by women. Barcelona City Council
- More events in Spain: Madrid, Valencia, Málaga and Bilbao are in our Spain guide.
How to get the most out of Barcelona startup events
- Apply to the 4YFN Awards now. Applications close on 26 October 2026; the top 20 get a free pod at 4YFN in March. See more startup competitions.
- Use the free passes. The Barcelona Deep Tech Summit gets you into Fira Gran Via during Smart City Expo week at no cost, and DevFest and GDG meetups are free.
- Plan around the Fira weeks. 3–5 November and 1–4 March fill hotels fast; book early or stay near a metro line to Fira Gran Via.
- Pick your sector. Smart City Expo for govtech, KubeCon for devtools, Shoptalk for retail, HIMSS for health, ISE for hardware.
- Go to Tech Spirit. In December the whole local ecosystem is in one building, and ACCIÓ's pitch competition picks the Catalan Startup of the Year.
List your event in this guide
Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Barcelona? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
Startup events in other places
- Best startup events in Spain
- Must Attend Startup Events in Singapore
- Must Attend Startup Events in London, UK
- Must Attend Startup Events in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Must Attend Startup Events in San Francisco, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in New York, USA
- Must Attend Startup Events in Berlin, Germany
- Must Attend Startup Events in Paris, France
- Must Attend Startup Events in Stockholm, Sweden
- Must Attend Startup Events in Dubai, UAE
- Must Attend Startup Events in Lisbon, Portugal
- Must Attend Startup Events in Munich, Germany
- Must Attend Startup Events in Toronto, Canada
- Best startup events in Europe (with country guides)
FAQ
What is the biggest startup event in Barcelona?
4YFN, the startup event of MWC Barcelona, on 1–4 March 2027 at Fira Gran Via. MWC runs the same days.
When is the 4YFN Awards deadline?
26 October 2026. The winner gets €20,000, and the top 20 get €1,500 and a free pod at 4YFN.
Are there free startup events in Barcelona?
Yes. The Barcelona Deep Tech Summit (3–5 November 2026) and DevFest Barcelona (28 November 2026) are free with registration.
Are there events for women founders in Barcelona?
Yes: WomenHack hiring events, Barcelona Activa's INICIA programme, Tech Spirit Women and the Barcelona Woman Acceleration Week (both expected in 2027).
Does Spain have a startup law?
Yes. Ley 28/2022 gives certified startups a 15 percent corporate tax rate for four years and created a digital nomad visa.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
