Data study ·
Time to reinvent yourself: the message of the Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
Original title, in Spanish: “Toca reinventarse: el mensaje del Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026”
- Publication
- Emprendedores (Spain)
- Author
- Ana Delgado
- Published on
- 27 October 2026 · read in the page structured data
Summary
The Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026, produced by South Summit and IE University from 2,753 applications analysed, describes artificial intelligence as the main catalyst for startup creation in Spain. According to the report, presented by Salvador Aragón, AI is facilitating the rise of the "solopreneur": 26.5% of Spanish startups are now founded by a single person, compared with 42.9% in Sweden and 38.8% in the United Kingdom. In Spain, 64.2% of startups use AI across their operations, but only 40.9% make it their core technology, compared with 60% in Estonia and 52% of African projects. The report also points to a "reverse tropicalisation" phenomenon inspired by Latin American models, which become profitable earlier (28.6% with positive EBITDA in Latin America, compared with 9.3% in Europe and 18% in Spain), and calls for a review of the Spanish startup law.
Summary based on the full text of the article.
Read the article on Emprendedores →Figures cited
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26.5 %
share of startups founded by a single person (solopreneur) in Spain
Spanish startups, 2026 edition
« En España, una de cada cuatro startups (26,5%) está fundada por una sola persona, alcanzando su cifra más alta de la serie histórica »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026 (South Summit / IE University)
-
38.8 %
share of startups founded by a single person in the United Kingdom
British startups
« Reino Unido (38,8%) »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
64.2 %
share of Spanish startups using AI across their operations or as an amplifying technology
Spanish startups, 2026
« El 64,2% la utilizan de manera transversal o como tecnología amplificadora »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
40.9 %
share of Spanish startups for which AI is the core technology
Spanish startups, 2026
« solo el 40,9% la adopta como su tecnología central (core), lo que representa una brecha de 23 puntos respecto a la especialización técnica »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
60 %
share of early-stage AI-centred startups in Estonia
Estonia
« En países como Estonia, el 60% de las startups nacientes lo hacen con el foco puesto en la IA »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
52 %
share of African startup projects with AI as their main technology
African ecosystem
« un 52% de los proyectos estartaperos tienen a la IA como tecnología principal »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
28.6 %
share of Latin American startups with positive EBITDA
LATAM startups
« un 28,6% de empresas de LATAM lucen hoy EBITDA positivo »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
9.3 %
share of European startups with positive EBITDA
European startups
« frente a un estancado 9,3% en Europa »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
18 %
share of Spanish startups with positive EBITDA
Spanish startups
« y un 18% en España »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
74.7 %
share of B2B-oriented Spanish startups
Spanish startups
« un predominio de orientación al cliente (B2B) -especialmente desarrollo de software- presente en el 74,7% de las startups españolas »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
-
70.6 %
share of startups with subscription revenue
startups (not specified)
« e ingresos por suscripción, presente en un 70,6% de las startups »
Source: Mapa del Emprendimiento 2026
Classification
- Country
- Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Estonia
- Company size
- Micro-businesses, All sizes
- Industries
- All industries, or industry not specified · Healthcare, pharmaceuticals, social care · Banking, insurance, asset management, finance departments · Education and training
- Companies
- BStartup de Banco Sabadell (cited), Google for Startups (cited), Wayra - Telefónica Innovation (cited), Mutua Madrileña (cited), BBVA Spark (cited), IE University (study author), South Summit (study author)
- Keywords
- startups, solopreneur, AI adoption, mapa del emprendimiento, profitability, internationalisation
Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to Emprendedores and its author. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.