Facebook, Flipboard, MyTaxi and PayPal complete the line-up at 4YFN

• The programme also features Terry von Bibra (Alibaba), Michael Spiegelman (Netflix), Fernando Fanton (Just Eat) and Sir Martin Sorrell (WPP Group), among others
• The fourth edition of 4YFN Barcelona expects to receive more than 20,000 visitors, 600 startups and 700 investors

February 28, 2017

4 Years From Now (4YFN), the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) global business platform for the growing community of technology startups, has completed the line-up for the fourth edition of its event organised in partnership with GSMA Mobile World Congress, with companies whose technological and innovational strength will be deployed during the course of the programme of activities.

4YFN has selected the selection of speakers based on their experience within the innovative business ecosystem. Apart from the speakers announced in the initial programme, 4YFN has completed the line-up with Nicola Mendelsohn, Vice-president EMEA of Facebook; Josh Quittner, Editorial Director at Flipboard; Jonas Gumny, CSO of MyTaxi and Harper Reed, Next Gen Commerce at PayPal. The line-up also includes other prominent figures such as Bernardo Hernández, General Partner of e.ventures and President of Solon Inversiones (formerly General Manager of Flickr and Senior Director of Product Management at Google); Anne Mette Hoyer, Head of Business Relations at SAP and Sabeen Ali, Founder and CEO of AngelHack, a global platform that is a pioneer in the organisation of hackathons to drive innovation.

4YFN is closing its first 4-year cycle with an entirely innovative and global programme. More than 100 talks by more than 270 speakers of different nationalities and from various different sectors are planned for between 27 February and 1 March 2017.

Global reach and a strong international presence

In addition to the latest incorporations, the programme also includes appearances by Terry von Bibra, Global Manager EMEA at Alibaba; Michael Spiegelman, Director of Product Innovation for Growth & Acquisition at Netflix; Fernando Fanton, CTO of Just Eat, and Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP Group. Furthermore, investors such as Tim Draper, founder of the seed investment company Draper Associates, and the Israeli Dov Moran, one of the creators of the USB flash drive and the current Managing Partner at Grove Ventures, stand out among the keynote speakers.

Special recognition of the biggest home-grown tech successes

The 4YFN programme also includes a round table session on scalability, international positioning and the sale of tech companies in southern Europe. Lucas Carné, cofounder of Privalia, Gonzalo Ortiz, co-founder of Mitula, Iñaki Ecenarro, co-founder of Trovit, Íñigo Juantegui, co-founder of La Nevera Roja and currently the CEO of OnTruck, and Javier Rubio, Chairman of Social Point, will take part in this debate with Oriol Juncosa, Managing Partner and co-founder of Encomenda Smart Capital, a company that advises and invests in startups.

The event will provide ideas on tackling the needs of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in southern Europe and promoting more successful sales and acquisitions.

4YFN 2017, a varied programme of activities for the more than 20,000 visitors

MWCapital and GSMA offers a broad range of options to the more than 20,000 visitors expected at this fourth edition of 4YFN. This figure marks a 60% increase on last year and consolidates 4YFN’s role as a meeting point and business hub for international entrepreneurs, startups, investors and large corporations within the framework of the congress.

In parallel to the scheduled talks, MWCapital also encourages networking among the visitors by means of activities such as the Startup Pitching Sessions, Industry Networking Sessions and Networking Drinks. 4YFN also boasts an app – 4YFNetwork – (available for Android and iOS) designed specifically to boost contacts between entrepreneurs, investors and large corporations.

The event will host the NUMA Barcelona Demo Days and Startupbootcamp IoT& Data, both programmes supported by mVenturesBcn, the MWCapital programme that promotes the creation and growth of startups in the digital and mobile industries. Startups will also lead the Hack_d_Gap Global Challenge organised by Women4Tech.

4YFN will have an exhibition area housing more than 600 startups called Innovation Market and will gather more than 700 investors. It will also host a total of 40 workshops and the 4YFN Awards, which will reward the best startup in each of the event’s themes: Disrupted by Mobile, IoT and Digital Media.