The Spanish startup ecosystem is once again picking up speed. After three years of setbacks, the first half of 2025 closed with over 2 billion euros raised—marking a 23% increase compared to the first half of 2024—in a context of declining interest rates and increased liquidity. In this environment, the LinkedIn Top Startups 2025 list highlights the 20 fastest-growing startups that are attracting talent most strongly in Spain. The common pattern: AI applied to business, more mature subscription models, and technical and sales profiles that know how to operate at scale.
What the list truly measures (and why it matters)
The ranking combines four internal signals from the platform:
- Team growth.
- Interest in job offers.
- Interaction of members with each company and its team.
- Ability to attract candidates from major corporations.
It does not aim to rank by revenue or ratings, but by talent momentum and labor traction. Therefore, it serves as a useful thermometer for those seeking job opportunities, investors tracking operational execution, and corporations observing where talent is migrating.
Quick snapshot: where they are and what they seek
The map confirms concentration in Barcelona and Madrid, with hubs in Valencia, A Coruña, Granada, Tenerife, and Palma. AI intersects across sales, video, assistants, finance, and analytics; commercial and growth teams are gaining importance; and engineering—particularly TypeScript/JavaScript, full-stack, and frontend—remains the backbone. For entries with an asterisk, employee data is from LinkedIn; for others, the company reports it directly.
Who’s who: the 20 companies setting the pace in 2025
1) Genesy (Barcelona, 41; 2023). Automates B2B sales processes with AI. After its funding round, it looks toward France, UK, Germany, and Italy. Typical profiles: sales and software engineering.
2) Incapto (Barcelona, 125; 2020). Subscription coffee beans and own coffee machines, focused on reducing single-use packaging. Climbed for the third consecutive year. Roles: sales, operations, and marketing.
3) Cold Culture (Madrid, 70; 2021). Urban fashion with stores in Madrid, Barcelona, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Paris, and Milan, plus capsule collections. Hiring in sales and design.
4) Ukio (Barcelona, 216; 2020). Proptech in flexible rentals of furnished apartments for remote workers and digital nomads across European cities. Strong areas: sales, operations, and accounting.
5) Olistic (Barcelona, 80; 2020). * Wellness with personalized supplements (hair and general health). Present in Portugal, Germany, and Italy. Strengthening marketing, sales, and support.
6) Haddock (Barcelona, 35; 2021). * Real-time financial analysis for restaurants and cost control, deployed in Spain and Latin America. Hiring for accounts, business development, and engineering.
7) VIVLA (Madrid, 34; 2022). Fractional property purchase: legal ownership and use without acquiring 100%. Recently secured funding to expand into Mediterranean markets. Focus on sales and real estate.
8) Luzia (Madrid, 37; 2023). Virtual assistant on WhatsApp and Telegram for transcription, translation, and task organization. Reaching 60 million users in 40 countries. Looking for mobile engineering, marketing, and business development.
9) Yaba (Barcelona, 64; 2021). Nutrition and healthy habits: acquires, develops, and markets consumer brands with a technological base in more than 12 countries. Profiles in marketing, operations, and finance.
10) Embat (Madrid, 112; 2021). Real-time treasury for mid-sized and large companies, integrated with ERP, with partnerships with top-tier European institutions. Hiring for engineering, finance, and sales.
11) Orbidi (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 476; 2022). Digital marketing, web development, and support for Kit Digital and subsidy programs for self-employed and SMEs. Focus on support, sales, and marketing.
12) Apipana (Granada, 97; 2024). High-performance backend and frontend platforms for real-time data with a scalable architecture. Team centered on engineering.
13) Northius (A Coruña, 1,500; 2022). Online education group with vocational training brands in Spain and Latin America, growing through acquisitions. Employment in education, sales, and IT.
14) Diverger (Madrid, 110; 2023). IT consulting in generative AI applied to software development and automation. Recruiting for engineering, business development, and project management.
15) Inversiva (Valencia, 32; 2020). Fractional investment in real estate with reduced entry costs and management consulting. Expansion into medium-sized cities.
16) Hotelverse (Palma, 45; 2020). * Immersive hotel booking with 3D room selection to boost direct sales. Needs engineering, 3D art, and sales.
17) Livo Health (Barcelona, 45; 2023). * Talent acquisition and retention in 35 specialties (hospitalization, surgery, emergencies, pediatrics, maternity…). Profiles in healthcare, operations, and sales.
18) FLiPO (Barcelona, 40; 2021). * Modular and interchangeable glasses with sustainable design. Expanding to South Africa, Costa Rica, and Saudi Arabia. Strengthening accounts, business development, and support.
19) Vidext (Valencia, 67; 2021). Scale personalized video using AI for marketing and ecommerce across Europe. Key areas: sales, design, and digital marketing.
20) Onum (Madrid, 99; 2022). Governance and data analysis with modules for compliance, ESG reporting, and AI model auditing. Focus on engineering, backend, and sales.
Emerging Trends in 2025
Applied AI, not “demo-ware”. AI is shifting from a showcase feature to a productivity lever: automating sales (Genesy), generating personalized video (Vidext), functioning as assistants (Luzia), and optimizing financial processes (Embat) or data governance (Onum).
Subscription models with unit economics under control. From coffee beans (Incapto) to modular glasses (FLiPO), the model succeeds when there’s clear repurchase, retention, and margin control.
Proptech oriented towards usage. VIVLA and Inversiva explore fractional property; Ukio consolidates flexible rentals for a hybrid work environment that’s now standard.
Distributed talent. Beyond Madrid-Barcelona, Granada, Tenerife, Valencia, and Palma appear with international projects and growing teams.
Profiles on the rise. Engineering (full-stack, frontend, product), sales/business (SDR, account, growth), operations, and support. Skills in demand include TypeScript/JavaScript, Scrum, product discovery, analytics, and problem solving.
For tech talent: how to interpret the list when seeking your next step
- Health signals: startups hiring in engineering and sales over multiple quarters, not just after funding rounds.
- Purpose and fit: applied AI with immediate operational impact (time and cost savings).
- Career growth: organizations with clear technical leadership and growth pathways (staff, principal, people lead).
- Location: flexible hybrid/remote options and hubs in Barcelona/Madrid with satellites in Valencia, A Coruña, Granada, Tenerife, and Palma.
For companies and scaleups: what to learn from the winning pattern
- Product/market fit: measurable use cases addressing urgent customer pain.
- Go-to-market: repeatable playbooks in sales with AI as accelerator, not the end goal.
- Operations: dashboards tracking retention, LTV/CAC, and time to value (onboarding).
- Employer branding: active presence in communities, clear role definitions, and agile recruitment processes.
Methodology and limitations
The correct interpretation of the list is talent + labor traction. It does not replace analysis of unit economics, customer retention, or profitability, but it sheds light on market dynamics and which skills (technical and commercial) are currently being rewarded.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best “Spanish startups for 2025” to work at if I’m a software engineer?
Those combining applied AI with a clear product and solid go-to-market: Genesy, Embat, Diverger, Onum, Apipana, Vidext, or Luzia. Check if they offer technical growth paths (staff/principal), use modern codebases (TypeScript/JS), and foster a product culture.
Where is there currently more tech startup employment in Barcelona and Madrid?
The concentration is in engineering (full-stack, frontend, mobile), B2B sales (SDR/account), growth marketing, and operations/support. Barcelona and Madrid lead, with active hubs in Valencia, A Coruña, Granada, Tenerife, and Palma.
What is LinkedIn Top Startups methodology and how does it help as a candidate?
It combines team growth, interest in offers, member interaction, and talent attraction from large firms. It can help prioritize applications, identify scaling teams, and understand demand profiles.
How can a company make it into LinkedIn Top Startups in future editions?
By demonstrating sustained hiring, posting attractive offers, boosting presence and interaction on the platform, and attracting talent from corporations with a clear value proposition of impact, career progression, and culture.
via: Portal Financiero