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 2026Takeaways:– 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.ChaptersIf you haven't already.... Subscribe to the EU-Startups Podcast on YouTube! Or follow along on your other favorite podcast platforms... Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4QU85dN... / Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ee/podcast...Follow EU-Startups on LinkedIn: / eu-startups-menlo-media Visit our Website:https://www.eu-startups.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://www.eu-startups.com/newsletter/#startup #venturecapital #impact