Mobile World Capital and Iryo partner to connect Madrid and Barcelona’s digital talent 

• The collaboration will come to life with Talent Express, a high-speed train that will transport 70 developers from Madrid to Talent Arena on March 3rd, Europe’s premier event for digital talent, held in Barcelona during MWC25 

• The initiative aims to strengthen ties between Spain’s two major tech communities and bring Talent Arena and MWC25 experience closer to Madrid-based developers 

22/January/2025

Mobile World Capital Barcelona and Iryo unveiled their collaboration today at FITUR to boost digital talent in Spain. The partnership will come to life with the launch of Talent Express, an initiative connecting Madrid and Barcelona, the country’s two leading tech hubs. On March 3rd, an Iryo high-speed train will carry 70 developers from Madrid to the Talent Arena, Europe’s leading event dedicated to digital talent, coinciding with MWC25 in Barcelona. 

During the journey, participants will attend a keynote by science communicator José Luis Crespo, creator of Quantum Fracture podcast, and engage in networking activities designed to foster connections among industry professionals. Upon arrival in Barcelona, attendees will participate in workshops, hackathons, and conferences at Talent Arena, featuring top-tier speakers like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, AI expert and chess world champion Garry Kasparov, and Google’s first Chief Decision Scientist, Cassie Kozyrkov. 

Connecting tech hubs 

Talent Express builds a new bridge between Spain’s two main digital communities, fostering interaction and the development of talent that drives the country’s technological transformation. 

Francesc Fajula, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, described the initiative as “an opportunity to create synergies between professionals in both cities, bring Talent Arena and MWC25 experiences to diverse communities, and promote digital talent to strengthen Spain’s role as a global tech leader”.  

Simone Gorini, CEO of Iryo, emphasized, “At Iryo, we share with Mobile World Capital Barcelona a DNA rooted in innovation, technology, and, above all, the importance of fostering the best digital talent”.  

Talent Arena: the digital talent epicentre 

Taking place from March 3 to 5 at Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc venue, Talent Arena will offer participants a platform for learning, networking, and professional growth through a diverse program addressing topics such as artificial intelligence development, cybersecurity, the role of innovation in sustainability, and future trends like quantum computing and NewSpace. Current challenges will also be explored, such as managing digital talent in a competitive environment. 

The event features a stellar lineup of speakers, including the aforementioned Steve Wozniak, Garry Kasparov, and Cassie Kozyrkov, along with Xavier Amatriain, VP of Product at Google; Lauren Lyon, former engineer at SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Starlink; Cristian Canton, head of AI at Meta; and science communicators like Nate Gentile and Dot CSV. 

The digital talent challenge in Spain 

MWCapital and Iryo’s initiative, along with the celebration of Talent Arena, contributes to the challenge of fostering the development of digital talent needed to meet the demands of a rapidly growing ICT sector. This is confirmed by MWCapital’s Digital Talent Overview report, which reveals that in cities like Barcelona, the demand for digital jobs has doubled in the last five years, reaching 122,000 professionals currently working in the Catalan capital. 

This rising demand poses challenges in attracting and retaining scarce digital profiles, especially in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and quantum computing, which are essential to enhancing the country’s economic and technological competitiveness.