The agency’s activity has grown by 43%, channelled through its Business Support Office (OAE), located at the MediaTIC building (22@).

One of the services most in demand relates to the constitution of new companies. Between 2018 and 2021 the service handled some 600 requests a year (the only exception being 2020, when the figure dropped to 509). In terms of internationalisation, and given the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on the economy, there was a slight drop in the service to promote businesses to foreign markets, although the idea is for this to be reactivated once the market recovers its vitality.

Another area which has seen outstanding growth in this period is the service for financed businesses and projects, which rose from 181 in 2018 to 610 last year. In terms of the finance raised, this has been stable at around 50 million euros a year. Nearly 70% of this amount corresponds to private finance operations by business angels and through venture capital.

In this respect, the significant increase in microloans in 2020 and 2021stands out and has been addressed through the BCrècits scheme operated by the City Council, Avalis and the Catalan Institute of Finance. Micoloans have gone from representing under 1% of finance raised at the Business Support Office to stand at over 12%.

Main sector attended to: commerce

In a different vein, the Business Advice Service has provided guidance for more than 2,300 companies, some 1,400 more than the period from 2014-2017. In this case, the main sector making use of this service is commerce, accounting for nearly 30% of all support provided and mainly taking advantage of help to go digital and the Rethinking programme.

In terms of the profiles attended to by the Business Support Office in 2021, a year with clear signs of recovery, 48% corresponded to entrepreneurs who mainly required information and help with municipal procedures to set up companies. In second place, with 27%, came trading companies (SA and SL), which mainly sought talent searching services. In third place were the self-employed and SCP enterprises (20%), with information requests on municipal procedures and business management advice.

By sector, the most enquiries and requests came from commerce (22.6%), followed by business services (12.7%), construction and urban services (9.8%) and industry and manufacturing (9.5%).

Strategic location

The location of the Business Support Office is an essential factor, in an area with a considerable volume of economic activity in sectors regarded as strategic: the ones that build the future of the city and generate quality jobs. Specifically, these sectors represent 48.4% of all activities and include industry, ICT and the creative sectors.

In this respect, the OAE also operates the new 22@ Office, which was launched in December 2020 and handled 329 requests in its first year. Next door is the recently opened Barcelona International Welcome, an office aimed at international talent and designed to facilitate procedures and the management of businesses which have just arrived in the city or are about to.