4YFN boosts connections between entrepreneurs and the smart city industry

• The 4YFN Village, the 4YFN exhibition space within the Smart City Expo World Congress, will showcase 30 national and international projects that centre on the sustainable development of smart cities
• The 4YFN conference programme will include speakers such as Phillippe Bouteiller, CEO of Tegel Projekt; Liora Shechter, CIO of Tel Aviv Municipality; Niksa Vlahusic, Professional Associate at City of Dubrovnik Development Agency; and Fernando Rayón, Business Innovation Manager at AGBAR
• The 5 finalist startups will compete in the second edition of the 4YFN Awards at the SCEWC, hoping to be named the most innovative initiative in the fields of sustainability, energy, technology or smart city governance

November 10, 2016

4 Years From Now (4YFN), the Mobile World Capital Barcelona global business platform for the growing community of tech startups, will be present at the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) – one of the most important smart cities conference in the world – for the second year running, between 15 – 17 November.

4YFN will have its own space, the 4YFN Village, which has been created to give a voice to tech startups within the field of smart cities, and connect them with the industry and major institutions in the sector.

In this year’s edition, the 4YFN Village will host 30 exhibitors from Argentina, France, Slovakia, Belgium, Greece and Spain, among others. The startups participating will have their own exhibition space, business areas and a programme of activities to promote their projects and boost connections with potential investors and clients. Additionally, they will take part in daily pitching sessions.

Some of the startups and organisations taking part are:

• Mr-Bubo (Argentina): a platform that provides efficient event management, improving processes and the communication between organisations, citizens, users and communities.
• Wizway Solutions (France): an initiative that offers an alternative to the traditional travel ticket and allows secure and flexible travel payment options.
• PoliPragmon (Greece): a cloud-based platform for the enhancement, intensification and acceleration of communications between organisations and their target audiences.
• Space (Slovakia): a new online directory of workspaces, co-working areas, meeting points or rooms and congresses available to businesses and freelancers.
• U-smart Toys (Barcelona): an initiative that combines architecture, engineering and public property to make smart cities a recreational experience.

Recognition of digital talent and creativity

The second edition of the 4YFN Awards at the SCEWC will reward the best mobility solution related to sustainability, energy, technology or smart governance.

On Thursday 17 November at 15:20, the finalist startups will present their projects to a jury, who will reward the most innovative proposal that demonstrates the capacity to create and encourage the sustainable development of smart cities.

The 5 finalist startups are: Citizen Lab (Belgium), a virtual engagement platform that gives citizens a voice to suggest solutions to issues in their city; Comodule (Germany), a provider of IoT solutions for bicycles and scooters; Energy Elephant (Ireland), a platform that manages invoices, and promotes and provides advice on energy-saving solutions for businesses; Vessla (Finland), an intelligent screen that offers an alternative to traditional bulletin boards, posters and advertisements; and Westmart Park (Spain), a collaborative platform for sharing parking spaces in the city.

4YFN: a space for knowledge and reflection

4YFN has also organized a series of conferences aimed at sector professionals from all over the world, in which the transformational potential of entrepreneurs and startups within the field of smart cities will be analysed.

The programme includes the following sessions:

• Talk: “How can startups address the cities of tomorrow’s challenges?” Given by Clémence Fischer, Head of Smart City Programmes at NUMA París.
• Talk: “Corporate accelerators: a way to connect startups and corporations.” Elisabeth Martinez, CEO of Conector Startup Accelerator.
• Session organised by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Spain on “Doing business in the USA: the key to successful expansion”.
• Round table: How startups are innovating cities”. With the participation of: Fernando Rayón, Business Innovation Manager at AGBAR; Phillippe Bouteiller, CEO of Tegel Projekt; Liora Shechter, CIO of Tel Aviv Municipality; and Niksa Vlahusic, Professional Associate at City of Dubrovnik Development Agency.