This year marks the 10th anniversary of 4YFN, all hosted in Barcelona, reinforcing its role as a platform facilitating connections between entrepreneurs, corporations, and investors. Over the years, the City Council has been a staunch supporter of the event through Barcelona Activa.

Barcelona continues to shine as a startup hub in Europe, ranking third as the most preferred city for launching a startup, according to the Startup Heatmap Europe. Data from ACCIÓ reveals a 4% increase in the number of startups in Catalonia over the last year, reaching a total of 2,100 as of February 2024.

This edition of 4YFN-MWC will see the municipal stand expanding to 202m² in Hall 8.1 (C11) of the Fira de Gran Via, almost double the size of last year's. For the first time, select startups will have the opportunity to showcase their innovations through live demonstrations, including projects like SITEP, VRi, Additive Spaces, and others.

Additionally, Barcelona Activa will play a significant role in the 4YFN's official agenda by hosting roundtables on digital talent recruitment, retention, and the challenges facing Deep Tech startups. The Beat Barcelona space will also feature discussions with managers of the Accelera and Deep Tech Fund on fundraising challenges for startups.

The stand will host Barcelona Activa’s own activities focusing on digital talent, networking with mentors from the Lidera initiative, and a series of sessions on various programmes led by the agency. A Food Corner will offer free tastings from entrepreneurial projects supported by Barcelona Activa's food, innovation, and tech programmes.

Furthermore, startups at the Barcelona Activa stand will present 3-minute pitches to a diverse audience and investors, covering sectors like Health Tech, cyber security, and gaming. Tours within the MWC for companies and mentors from the Barcelona Mentoring Programme have also been organised.

The other Barcelona Activa start-ups that apply or develop AI and other advanced technologies and that will have space at the stand are Samoby, Senior Domo, Seven Sector, Smart Delphi, Steelter, Sycai Medical, Waital, Zenti SolarTech, IDG4.0, Kala, Lawwwwing, Lead2Team, Levelab, Ludens Projects, Magnettü, Método Wave, Nuwe, One Solar, Parallel, Artefacto Filmico, Beder, Breaz, Brickken; Feeder, Funos and Global Planning Solutions.