Choose the city that allows your project to find customers, build its team and operate within your budget. For a French-speaking founder, Barcelona is an option to explore alongside Madrid or Valencia. Start with a shared comparison framework, then test it against real contacts and quotations.
Compare cities according to your project’s needs
| Criterion | Question to resolve | Evidence to collect |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Where are your first buyers and commercial partners? | Meetings, access to decision-makers and required travel |
| Team | Which roles will you need to recruit or relocate? | Identified profiles, candidate expectations and work organisation |
| Languages | Which languages will you use with customers and service providers? | Languages actually offered and training needs |
| Partners | Which support will help your business? | Sector contacts, advisory support and programme access conditions |
| Premises | Which space suits your team? | Availability, equipment, commitment period and quotations |
| Budget | Which expenses determine your relocation? | Setup costs, recurring expenses and a contingency margin |
Prioritise each criterion. Being close to customers may matter more than a cheaper office; a team spread across several cities may reduce the value of one headquarters. Test these trade-offs with the people who will actually work with you.
Identify local contacts
To prepare your search in Barcelona, consult Barcelona Activa’s entrepreneurship services, which present support, programmes and business spaces. In Valencia, València Activa offers support for entrepreneurship and business creation. Check the conditions of the service or programme you are interested in. These entry points are not a ranking of city performance.
Prepare your move to Barcelona
French Tech Barcelona lets you discover community organisations and events before making contact. For your team, explore Talentboard; for a workspace, browse the public Officeboard listings and ask the team to confirm availability and conditions.
Before committing, align these searches with your business setup project and professional relocation plans. You can then apply to join the community with a specific need.
Official resources consulted on 14 October 2026.