During the last decade, two parallel worlds coexisted during the week of the MWC: that of the congress of the large multinational companies and that of its little brother, the 4 Years From Now (4YFN). Some, in Fira Gran Via; the others, in Montjuïc. In the 2021 edition, even with negative tests and travel limitations, they were brought together under the same roof, and the result was even better than expected. The young companies brought much more to the gigantic Mobile than its organizers expected, and many relationships developed between them.
It was not a passing sensation due to the pandemic, but rather the demonstration of the maturity of the technological entrepreneurial ecosystem. Last year, already with an international public, they ratified it, and in this edition they have earned a huge space for themselves on their own merits: Hall 8. They will have more square meters and a better presence. There, more than 700 international startups, a thousand investors and more than 300 speakers will meet to discuss innovation in high-growth areas such as digital health, fintech or educational technology, among others.
“This year we have decided to focus more than ever on the people behind startups and shed light especially on those who are developing disruptive technologies to solve real problems in terms of sustainability, health, education or inclusive finance”, highlights the director of 4YFN, Pere Duran. The metaverse and artificial intelligence are two technologies present in many of the proposals.
The fifty companies that form part of Tech Barcelona is the best example of the dynamism experienced by the sector in the city. There are companies in digital health, legaltech, natural language processing… Companies linked to technology transfer born in The Collider (MWCapital) will also have their own space to demonstrate that science and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand. The list of exhibitors and speakers is also an example of the transversality of technologies and industries that are growing in the Catalan capital, giving rise to new trends such as the blue economy in the port of Barcelona.
