Smart Industry 1/2017

Barcelona has avoided the raucous
reputation of the holiday destinations
in the Costa del Sol and Costa Brava
and maintained a degree of dignity.
The centerpiece of the city is the
Basilica Sagrada Família, an elaborate
art nouveau building that is still part
church, part building site and more of
a confection than a place of reflection.
Such an architecturally disruptive
concept is a fitting cornerstone to the
Vila de Gràcia sector which is rapidly
becoming the ‘Silicio Valle’ of Spain.
Every year since 2011, Barcelona has
been the host city for the Mobile
World Congress which floods the city
with 100,000 business people, geeks
and nerds. Bestowing the city with
the proud title of GSMA Mobile World
Capital has raised the awareness of,
and interest in, technology among
the locals and the Catelonian startup
scene is beginning to boom. In addition,
Cisco has announced the city as
the test bed for its Internet of Things
development platform.
The current rockstars on Barcelona's
startup stage include cross-market
sensor integrator Excelera, the Siine
app keyboard designer for creating
smart digital interfaces, and foreignexchange
platform Kantox.
Milan may be the fashion center of
Europe but it's a haphazard city with
very high class areas snuggling uncomfortably
up against less-reputable
estates. It all makes for an exciting
scene which is constantly in flux.
A good example is the Isola district
which is rising from its depressed past
to become a very trendy area. Google
has recently opened an office there –
boosting the attraction of the areas
tech co-working spaces and hubs.
In summer, it can be suffocatingly hot
but that's a small price to pay for living
in a city where homespun brands like
Armani, Versace and Ferrero are being
challenged by tech usurpers. Milan is
the main focus for startups in Italy
and key companies include the digital
booking service Musement, fintech
startup MoneyFarm, and D-Orbit.
As GPS tracking satellites and various
minifactory space stations start
to proliferate, D-Orbit hopes to cash
in on the multibillion dollar market as
extraterrestrial trashmen cleaning up
the resulting space junk.
The Second World War destroyed 90%
of Warsaw so if the Old Town area
looks as good as new, the truth is – it
is. It has been lovingly restored to its
former glory over the past 70 years.
Hard times call for such hard-headed
enterprise and Warsaw has risen to
become a city of tough, educated and
ambitious people. Hardly surprising it
is developing a reputation as a rising
tech hub.
In Warsaw, even established startups
are less than four years old but there
is a great infrastructure of financiers
and technical talent to support future
growth. Despite the youthfulness of
the tech sector, it has already started
to make its mark through companies
like web site business management
specialist SalesManago, international
trade fintech specialist Azimo, and the
social learning platform Brainly.
In Prague, the district of Smichov
(‘smich’ means smile) located to the
south-west of the city is home to a
Winning credibility
Youness Lemrabet
(right) and the
Everysens team
royally celebrate
another success
Milan Warsaw
number of co-working spaces and
several accelerators – the most established
is the StartupYard which was
founded in 2011.
Prague itself is a beautiful city and
the Charles Bridge with its statues
is a popular tourist haunt. Night life
has boomed in the past 10 years and
there are plenty of great restaurants
and bars, but central Prague tends to
be teeming with tourists in summer.
In 15 years, the city has grown from a
local jewel into a cosmopolitan gem.
The low cost of living and high quality
infrastructure has encouraged entrepreneurs
to arrive from across Europe.
A spur to the Czech Republic recognition
for tech prowess was the rise of
security companies Avast in Prague
and AVG in Brno. These have now
been joined by the Apiary platform
for representational state transfer
(REST) APIs, 3D technology specialist
Corinth, and network traffic analysis
security firm Invea-Tech.
Startup hubs now sprawl across
Europe and national initiatives to
link them up are appearing. The UK’s
Northern Powerhouse, and Startup
Delta in the Netherlands will improve
links between major centers. These
superhubs will allow more people
to tap into an Internet of Startups –
which would be awesome, dude.
Prague
Best place to locate: Isola
Best place to hang out: Café Gorille, Via
Gaetano de Castillia
Best local attraction: Sforza Castle
houses art collections and museums,
including one for musical instruments
What’s the weather like: Humid
subtropical climate. Hot, sultry summers
and cold, foggy winters.
Temperature range: -1°C to 29°C
Best place to locate: South Praga-
Północ district
Best place to hang out: Soho Factory,
Mińska 25, Warsaw
Best local attraction: Copernicus
Science Centre
What’s the weather like: Humid
continental climate. Cold, snowy
winters and mild to hot summers.
Temperature range: -1.8°C to 19.2 °C
Best place to locate: Smichov, Prague 7
Best place to hang out: Kavárna co
hledá jméno (Café With No Name)
Best local attraction: Dancing House –
formerly the Fred and Ginger building
What’s the weather like: Oceanichumid
continental climate. Winters are
relatively cold with very little sunshine.
Summers usually sunny.
Temperature range: -2°C to 24°C
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