4YFN Barcelona 2018 will gather over 19,000 attendees and 600 investors

4 Years from Now (4YFN), a business congress boosted by Mobile World Capital Barcelona that connects local and international startups, investors, public institutions and big companies, will gather over 19,000 attendees and 600 investors in its 5th edition this year. The event has been presented on Wednesday 24th of January and will be hosted under the scope of GSMA Mobile World Congress from 26th to 28th of February in Barcelona. 

In this 5th edition, Catalonia Trade and Investment, the Catalan Government's agency for foreign investment and business competitiveness will actively participate in the event in order to promote the Catalan startup ecosystem internationally. 

During the presentation of the 4YFN Barcelona 2018, Catalonia Trade & Investment’s CEO, Joan Romero, has stated that currently there are 1,200 identified startups in Catalonia. Romero has also explained that these startups “employ 12,000 people, 23% of which come from foreign countries”, while “14% of their founders are also foreign, which proves that this ecosystem attracts talent”. 

Regarding these emerging companies’ field of action, Catalonia Trade & Investment’s CEO has highlighted that “39% of startups focuses on technologies used in the field of Industry 4.0”, which shows the digital transformation the Catalan industry is experiencing. In this regard, he has also stated that “startups are a clear mechanism to transmit innovation to the whole economy”. 

Some of the 4YFN Barcelona 2018 participants include Jacinto Roca, CEO and founder of Rakuten TV; Kathrin Buvac, Chief Strategy Officer of Nokia; Adrew Bolwell, Chief Disrupter Officer of HP; Rob Glaser, Chairman & CEO of RealNetworks, and Howard Love, Founder & CEO of LoveToKnow, among others.

According to Startup Ecosystem Overview, an annual report published by Mobile World Capital Barcelona about the entrepreneurial sector, Barcelona has strengthened its position as the 5th technological hub in Europe both in terms of the number of startups and also, total investment -453M€ at the end of 2017-. The report also highlights artificial intelligence as the sector having the most significant growth potential in the city.