This week on the EU-Startups Podcast, Marcin Lewandowski sits down with Rocío Alcocer Magirena, Managing Director of Norrsken Barcelona — Europe’s largest hub for tech & impact startups — during Impact/Week (Oct 1–2).

We dig into Norrsken’s “infrastructure for hope”, the Impact/100 2025 list (where AI tops tomorrow’s impact unicorns), and why Spain’s startup economy is surging (📈 €3.8B). Rocío breaks down the momentum in healthcare, biotech, biodiversity, and home-care — and what Barcelona needs next: more talent and more patient capital.

Spanish finalists spotlighted in the episode:
Deepull (2019) — 1-hour, culture-free molecular test for ~95% of sepsis pathogens + resistance genes.

Sycai Medical (2020) — AI that flags abdominal lesions & predicts pancreatic cancer risk.

Biorce (2024) — Streamlining clinical trials with an AI platform, Jarvis.

Ocean Ecostructures (2018) — “Life Boosting Units” regenerate marine biodiversity; 300+ species & 1.5t CO₂ captured.

Qida (2017) — Scalable home-care to transform healthcare delivery.

What you’ll learn:
– How Norrsken builds infrastructure for hope (community + capital + space)
– Why AI leads in the next wave of impact unicorns
– The Impact/100 methodology & what makes a company “impact-ready”
– Europe’s healthcare & biodiversity challenges + where startups can win
– Community design: how Barcelona is shaping a global impact hub for 2026

Takeaways:
– AI is shaping the next wave of impact unicorns – solving real problems, not hyping demos.
– Spain’s startup ecosystem is breaking out – €3.8B and rising, with global attention.
– Impact thrives when capital meets purpose – patient, aligned money solves hard problems.
– People move markets – founder stamina beat paperwork.
– Community is the multiplier–the best hubs are engineered, not accidental.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Impact Week and Norrsken
03:07 The Growth of Spain's Startup Ecosystem
05:49 Impact/100: AI and the Future of Impact Unicorns
09:08 Spotlight on Spanish Startups
11:51 Challenges in Healthcare Startups
14:58 Biodiversity and Economic Impact
18:07 Home-Care Innovations
21:11 Community Design in Startup Ecosystems
24:00 Looking Ahead: Barcelona's Impact Scene in 2026
26:46 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts

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