Startup Valencia and Estonia’s e-Residency Programme, in collaboration with the City Councils of Valencia and Tallinn, launch this global initiative.
Startups worldwide will collaborate to develop practical strategies to enhance urban resilience and sustainability.
Barcelona, 4 March 2025 - MWC25 Barcelona. Startup Valencia and e-Residency, the Estonian government’s programme for global entrepreneurs, in collaboration with the City Councils of Valencia and Tallinn, have announced the Valencia DANA Project. This international initiative seeks startups with innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of natural disasters, such as the one that struck Valencia in October 2024.
The official presentation took place today at Valencia Innovation Capital’s booth at 4YFN25, the entrepreneurship event associated with MWC25 Barcelona.
The project aims to identify and support startups with disruptive solutions in emergency management, climate resilience, innovative infrastructure, and urban sustainability. Given the growing concern about the impact of climate change, the Valencia DANA Project positions itself as a key platform for creating and validating technologies that can be applied in urban environments around the world.
One of the fundamental pillars of the initiative is the organisation of a high-impact hackathon, which will be held in Tallinn (Estonia) from 20 to 21 May, coinciding with Latitude59, one of the most influential technology conferences in Northern Europe. Over three days, startups, entrepreneurs, technology experts, and local authorities will work on developing solutions that enable cities to anticipate and respond effectively to extreme weather events.
The winning startups of the hackathon will have the opportunity to implement their solutions in Valencia between June and October 2025, with the support of local institutions and the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem. This trial period will allow for the evaluation of the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposals in a real environment, with the possibility of scaling the applications globally. The project will distribute up to €50,000 in prizes among the winning startups, recognising the most innovative and effective proposals.
Additionally, the winning team will be able to present their project at the eighth edition of VDS, on 22 and 23 October. This international technology event, which since 2018 has brought together startups, corporations, and investors from all over the world, will provide the winners with an exceptional platform to showcase their innovative solution before a global audience of more than 12,000 people from 120 countries.
“The technology sector has demonstrated its ability to innovate, collaborate, and offer transformative solutions in times of adversity,” says Nacho Mas, CEO of Startup Valencia and VDS. “With this initiative, we reinforce our commitment to innovation and sustainability, promoting the development of technological solutions that help cities adapt and respond to the challenges of climate change,” he explains.
Paula Llobet, Valencia City Council's Councillor for Innovation, says, “This project is a unique opportunity to consolidate Valencia as a benchmark in innovation and sustainability. With our Valencia Innovation Capital strategy, we are betting on technology as a key tool to improve our cities' resilience to climate change challenges.”
Margot Roose, Vice Mayor of Tallinn, states: "This collaboration showcases the power of cities coming together to tackle the urgent challenges posed by extreme weather events. By leveraging innovation and international cooperation, we can develop solutions that safeguard our urban environments and set a global benchmark for resilience and disaster preparedness. Tallinn is proud to host this hackathon and contribute significantly to the future of urban emergency management.”
Liina Vahtras, Managing Director of e-Residency, declares: “This hackathon represents the potential of borderless international cooperation. From Estonia, we open the doors of our digital nation to entrepreneurs and startup founders worldwide so they can develop scalable solutions with a tangible impact on society, such as mitigating natural disasters caused by climate change. We are excited to see how these ideas will be conceived in Tallinn—one of the most dynamic startup ecosystems in Europe—take shape in Valencia, and find real-world application in any urban environment on a global scale.”
‘Valencia DANA Project’ Registrations are open from today until 30 April at programs.startupvalencia.org/valencia-dana-project
About Startup Valencia
Startup Valencia is the leading association for startups and scaleups in the Valencian Community and one of the largest entrepreneurial communities in Spain, with more than 35,000 members. It connects founders at similar growth stages, offering a shared space and a strong sense of belonging. Its mission is to drive technological entrepreneurship, support startup growth, and promote a knowledge-based economy with positive and sustainable impact.
Startup Valencia collaborates with GoHub Ventures (Global Omnium), BStartup (Banco Sabadell), Wayra (Telefónica Group), Elewit (Redeia, Red Eléctrica Group), Zeus, Plug and Play, HP, BBVA Spark, Marina de Empresas, Banco Santander, Innsomnia, CaixaBank DayOne, Naturgy, Sesame, RCD, Damm, Aktion, Google for Startups, Zubi Group, OVHcloud, Opentop (Valenciaport Innovation Hub), Internxt, Tbig Finance, Next Tier Ventures, Urban Sports Club, and Across Legal, among others, as Supporters.
About Estonian e-Residency
e-Residency is a pioneering programme worldwide by the Estonian government that, since 2014, has provided global start-up founders with a digital identity and signature, granting them access to Estonia’s fully digital government services. E-Residency is the first step for foreign citizens to establish, manage, and grow a globally scalable Estonian and EU company 100% online in just minutes, with top-tier security standards, paperless, no bureaucratic obstacles, and low establishment and administration costs. E-Residency does not grant citizenship or residence in Estonia and is not an automatic tax residency.
Globally, more than 120,000 e-residents from over 185 nationalities establish 20% of new companies in Estonia each year. Spain currently has the highest demand for e-residency: more than 6,800 Spanish citizens have obtained e-resident status and opened over 3,000 businesses in Estonia, representing 9% of the total number of companies globally created through e-Residency.
More information at https://www.e-resident.gov.ee/
Startup Valencia
Majo Angulo mjangulo@nebocomunicacion.com | +34 622 83 91 38
e-Residency
Manuela Bailo manuela@musubi.es | +34 654 633 695