MWCapital invites national developers and technology companies to take part in Talent Arena 2026

• Mobile World Capital presents in Madrid the second edition of Talent Arena, featuring new professional areas and an expanded programme with over 200 sessions designed to boost the country’s digital talent 
• The Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence has announced the launch of the Open-Source AI Community in Spain, which will create synergies with Talent Arena 
• The event brought together executives from companies such as Airbus and SEIDOR to discuss Spain’s challenges in training, attracting and retaining digital talent 

12/November/2025

Mobile World Capital Barcelona gathered this morning in Madrid leading technology companies, developers and training centres for the presentation of Talent Arena 2026, co-located with MWC26 Barcelona and 4YFN, which will take place in Barcelona from 2 to 4 March 2026. With this meeting, the event invites the country’s tech community to join the largest developers’ gathering in Europe and positions itself as a key platform for connecting companies and talent in Spain. 

During the presentation, Francesc Fajula, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, highlighted that “Talent Arena reflects the growing prominence of digital talent in major international hubs such as Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga or Valencia, among others, and addresses the trends that will shape the future of these professionals.” In this regard, Fajula emphasised the commitment in this second edition to “boost the professional development of attendees through a broader and higher-value content offering aimed at advanced-level developers.” 

In this sense, one of new features of Talent Arena 2026  will be the launch of the XPRO area, which will include an exclusive programme for professionals, with sessions led by companies such as Google, Microsoft, AWS and Spotify, among others, as well as hackathons, workshops and networking spaces. 

In addition to this professional space, Talent Arena 2026 will feature a programme of over 200 sessions led by technology legends and international industry figures, including Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web; Kate Darling, researcher at the Boston Dynamics AI Institute; Tim Serewicz, Vice President of Education at the Linux Foundation; Bianca Cefalo, CEO and co-founder of Space DOTS; and Steve Aoki, DJ, producer and entrepreneur. 

In his speech, the CEO of GSMA Ltd., John Hoffman, reaffirmed that “after an extraordinary first edition, we are delighted to help bring Talent Arena back next year. Talent Arena was born from the desire to develop the next generation of digital talent: to identify, train, upskill and keep pace with the rapid change we are seeing in digital technologies such as AI. I look forward to seeing this mission come to life again in 2026. I encourage all MWC and 4YFN attendees to visit Talent Arena and experience the energy for themselves.” 

The event also featured the participation of Jesús Herrero, Director General of Red.es, who noted that “talent is a huge challenge for our country, and significant efforts are being made by all institutions to promote it.” Herrero added that “technology is not just a matter for engineers, if we fail to understand the role technology can play in every profession, we will be missing its true potential.” 

Within the framework of the conference, the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, María González Veracruz, announced the launch of the Open Source Artificial Intelligence Community in Spain. The initiative, which will foster synergies with Talent Arena, aims to serve as a meeting point for Spain’s open-source AI ecosystem through a platform that brings together developers, researchers, companies and public institutions. Its objectives are to promote practical AI solutions; channel Spain’s leadership in adapting and integrating AI systems; and create a strong AI talent community. It will build on the country’s existing scientific, technological and human capital developed around ALIA, connecting, coordinating and amplifying that knowledge to benefit more people and businesses. 

According to the Secretary of State, “this community aims to democratise access and promote collective innovation to create AI for everyone: more accessible, more open, and serving the public interest.” The first activity will be the prompt-a-thon “ALIA Challenge: Building an AI Community in Spain”, to be held on 17 December in Madrid. 

Challenges in promoting digital talent 

One of the highlights of the event was a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of digital talent in Spain, featuring industry experts. Roser Roca, CEO of Airbus Geotech, emphasised the growth of the country’s tech sector: “I spent 18 years abroad. I left out of curiosity, and when I returned, I found a very positive Spain, full of energy and commitment. Today we have a strong technological ecosystem, with people eager to innovate, create and transform.” 

For her part, Carme Prados, employer branding manager at SEIDOR, stressed the importance of continuing to work for the dissemination of talent: “We need to bring girls back so that they are part of this technological ecosystem that is transforming the future, although diversity is not only a matter of gender, we also have to look at the territories,  towards talent that is born outside the big cities”. Meanwhile, Carme Prados, Employer Branding Manager at SEIDOR, stressed the importance of continuing to promote the dissemination of talent: “We need to bring girls back into the technological ecosystem that is shaping the future. However, diversity is not only a matter of gender; we must also look towards different regions and recognise the talent emerging outside the major cities”. 

The event concluded with a keynote by José Luis Crespo, known as Quantum Fracture, entitled “The Second Quantum Revolution: What Jobs Will It Bring?” In his address, Crespo explored the new professions emerging in the field of quantum computing and invited the audience to delve into a domain where the rules are completely different. His talk highlighted how this technological revolution is already under way, the job opportunities it is creating, and the importance of specialised training to prepare the professionals of the future. 

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