The 4YFN will grow in 2024 with a new pavilion dedicated to the health sector

Since its arrival at Fira Gran Via, 4 Years From Now (4YFN) has shown that it deserved the promotion, becoming one of the busiest areas of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). With a more informal look, entrepreneurs exude an energy that has nothing to do with the seriousness of the attendees found throughout the rest of the exhibition hall.

It mattered little that in this edition it was located in pavilion 8, the furthest from the main entrance. A catwalk to the rhythm of music and lights encouraged people to enter the space for entrepreneurs. "It has given us a lot of confidence to see that the 4YFN attendee is very loyal," says its director, Pere Duran.

Walking through the aisles of 4YFN these days, there was no room to move. There were even moments when it was difficult to get through, a sensation previously reserved exclusively for the throng that gathers in front of the latest innovations from large telecommunications multinationals. Some even felt overwhelmed, boxed in and with no space for anyone to stop at their stand. "We have exceeded all expectations. Many more people came and we ran out of space in the pavilion," explains Duran. With the participation of almost 800 startups from more than 35 countries, some had to stay outside, in a somewhat desolate corridor, only on the way out for those leaving or those heading to Beat Barcelona, the terrace where you can have a drink when the day ends.

For this reason, Duran explains that they plan to expand next year, not only occupying floor 1 of pavilion 8 (8.1) but also floor 0 (8.0), equivalent to another pavilion. The expansion of 4YFN will focus on digital health and sustainability, sectors that are increasingly occupying more space in the congress, especially the former with the participation of specialized agents such as Biocat and Barcelona Health Hub (BHH), as well as other more generic ones that also focus on this vertical.

"The investment of the future has shifted from energy to health," says José Ibeas of Anais Medical, a spin-off of Hospital Parc Taulí that trains students and health professionals using virtual reality and simulation models. It is their first 4YFN and, as a doctor, he values the contacts he is making, a practice that is very far from the hospital: "You enter the market quickly."

Health innovations never end. There are startups that seek new drugs like Nuage Therapeutics, focused on cancer, and others that develop new devices like the one created by Time is Brain for stroke or Inbrain Neuroelectronics for Parkinson's and epilepsy. But there are also Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs like Emocional's, which detects workers' stress, or Famba, a remote medical assistance app that Hospital Clínic has designed for when traveling abroad.

Disruptive proposals mix with already consolidated companies. And some even make the leap to MWC, like Rob Surgical, a spin-off from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) that has debuted at the congress in a space dedicated to future hospitals. The company proposes a surgical platform that combines manual and robotic intervention, and is already working to incorporate new technologies such as machine learning and AI.

Very close by, the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) foundation has presented a pilot telemedicine project for dialysis patients. Extending innovation beyond startups and adding institutions and corporations, with the collaboration of the L'Hospitalet City Council, Bellvitge Hospital, and Vodafone, the solution allows remotely resolving doubts that patients may have about treatment and dialysis machines, a need that arose during the pandemic.