MVST goes Barcelona!
As you may have heard, we have opened a second branch of MVST in the middle of 2021 - this time not in Germany but in sunny Spain, in Barcelona to be precise!
For us, it was pretty clear at an early stage that MVST would not remain in Munich as a single location. But where should the journey go first? We reflected a lot and evaluated the pros and cons of different countries and cities. In the end we had to choose between Barcelona and Lisbon - and decided to go for Barcelona! We are super happy about this decision and can not wait to build and grow our second team down there.
This is why we chose Barcelona as our second home
Quality of life
The question you might have now: Why Spain? And why Barcelona? Let's start with the obvious facts! First of all: The quality of life is very high in Spain.The climate is great and a delight for all our sun seekers out there. Even in winter it doesn't get really cold in Spain. And who doesn't like to take walks at the beach all year round?
Benefit for the team
Establishing a base in Spain also has its advantages for our existing team in Munich: How about working remotely in Barcelona for a week? We want to offer our team only the best. We know from experience that (almost) nothing is better for a new boost of energy, motivation and creativity than a trip to the south. After work at the beach and letting the BCN team show you around the inspiring city? That’s all possible now.
Emerging tech and startup scene
Another reason for setting up a second team in Barcelona is the blooming tech scene, as the city is an emerging European centre for entrepreneurship and innovation. That's one reason why the city has hundreds of events held every day! The city in Catalonia is the perfect place to discuss topics such as new technologies, innovative designs and entrepreneurship in general. Apart from that, a lot of developers are located in Barcelona because of the growing tech industry - so MVST settling in Barcelona is more than a great match. In addition, the cost of living in Spain is much lower than in Germany. This also applies to rents for flats and office spaces. In principle, all MVST employees can work completely remotely. Nevertheless, it's nice to meet face to face in an office every now and then, spend quality time and get inspired together. We already found a super nice co-working space for our new team down there. And let me tell you: there are a lot of them! Did you know that there are around 300 Co-working spaces located in the city? That gives founders and talents an outstanding opportunity to meet, connect, share and come up with even more ideas. As a plus, co-working is less expensive than a whole office just for one brand.
This is how it went
It all sounds great so far, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy! Basically, such an expansion is always much more time-consuming than expected. The founding process already caused us a lot of headaches - one reason was the language barrier. Founding a brand without Spanish skills? Tricky! Depending on the choice of legal form, there are different to-dos and requirements. When establishing an S.L., for example, the process includes opening accounts, requesting the company's name, various certifications, etc. In our experience, it is recommended to get detailed advice early on. Apart from that, German or EU citizens have to carry out additional steps for a successful foundation than local citizens. These include applying for tax numbers (NIF) and preparing the money transfer for the new company. After the legal hassles we were finally allowed to recruit all the wonderful people who represent MVST in Spain. But they had to be found first! Our HR or recruiting team spent a lot of time sourcing and spreading our job posting through various networks and job portals such as Joppy (works like Tinder for jobs). It didn't take that long - and we already found the first members of our new team. To make sure that our BCN team is just as much a part of the MVST family as the Munich team, we invited the new hires to our office in Munich to settle in. Until we have a permanent co-working space, our team in Spain will work almost exclusively remotely.
What’s next on our journey?
So what exactly are we doing down there? First of all, we want to expand our business in Europe! We are very sure that Spain is a good starting point here. Especially in the growing tech scene, exceptional digital products are obviously always needed. But also in terms of partnerships, Barcelona offers us exactly what we need. We already have some partnerships with brands in Barcelona, which we can of course intensify locally. You can already look forward to exciting things here! We can't wait to tell you more about our plans and goals.
Currently, our Barcelona team already includes three great team members, and the number is growing. Take a look at our job offers if you would like to become part of our team.
