The queue of people at the entrance went around the building. And not because of bad organisation – in fact, it was moving very fast – but because 4 Years From Now (4YFN) has unleashed the madness of the tech world: two halls packed to the rafters with attendees interested in the present and future of artificial intelligence, robotics, innovation in health, projects with impact and much, much more. Of course, Tech Barcelona did not miss the event, accompanying 14 startups in Hall 8.1 B23 and more than 80 partners and associates throughout the Congress, and providing a meeting point for the ecosystem. This is just the beginning.

Here is a summary of everything that happened during the first day of 4YFN.

The Power of Inside-Out Innovation – EAE Business School Stand


The essence of 4YFN is summed up in this first talk with Carles Mur (EAE), Jesús Checa (Bacardí) and Juan Baselga (Tech Barcelona): collaboration between talent generators, small and large companies to create innovation. We are in charge of making the connections.

TB Content Session: Mango StartUp Studio’s Success Stories


Pulling on the thread, Mango has opened the Agora Port de Barcelona, in our stand, to share two success stories of open innovation supported by its accelerator: Union Avatars and Ziknes. Thank you, Belén Rallo (Mango Startup Studio), Cai Felip (Union Avatars) and Nacho León (Ziknes) for inspiring us.

Developing Gen AI that cares
As generative artificial intelligence advances, ethical questions arise, not only about its use, but also about the information and code with which it is built. Thanks to LEVEL Airlines, we bring from New York Ariadna Font Llitjós, former director of engineering for Twitter’s Machine Learning platform and current CEO of Alinia, a startup that helps companies implement AI reliably, securely and ethically. “We all need to be transparent in building values into generative AI schemes, companies too,” said Ari.

10 Years of Local Heroes
If the event par excellence is celebrating its tenth anniversary, it is thanks to local heroes who have made the growth of the ecosystem possible. Rubén Bonet (Fractus), María Martín (Tiendeo) and Alejandro Martí (Mitiga Solutions) have recognised the importance of 4YFN as a global showcase to highlight the local sector, an essential resource to break through and gain access to the international market.

TB Content Session: Oracle NetSuite & Nude Project

International and local. Corporation and startup. These binomials, by nature and ambition, once again make an appearance at the hand of the American business management software company and one of the most successful fashion brands. Alberto Lozano (Oracle NetSuite) has repeated for the second consecutive year in our stand, this time, together with Javier Arcones (Nude Project).

Ecology, 5G and IoT at the Port of Barcelona

The Port of Barcelona is a world reference in the bluetech sector, and this was demonstrated throughout the day with presentations by Miquel de la Mano (Fundació BCN Port Innovation), Javier Garrido (Innovation Manager at Port de Barcelona) and Gianlucca Redolfi (Sateliot).

Tech Barcelona Pitching Session 1

Time to get to know the 14 startups that accompany us at our stand. With images as curious as this one.

TB Content Session: Unleashing Potential – Co-innovation at GFT


“Nobody can innovate alone”. The German technology consultancy closed the day at our stand by highlighting the role of its Innovation Lab in the design of new technological solutions applied to sectors such as finance, insurance and the automotive industry.

By Miguel Gómez, Tech Barcelona.