The Venture Leaders Mobile 2024 connect at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

05.03.2024 18:00, Rita Longobardi

Handpicked between 120 applicants by a panel of experts in December, the ten ambitious Venture Leaders Mobile sailed into Barcelona to introduce their innovations to the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest and most influential connectivity event. Joined by eight additional connectivity startups, they navigated the choppy waters of competition and international exposure over four intense days. Read the review of a roadshow full of excitement, inspiration, and opportunities.

The ten Venture Leaders Mobile 2024, along with an extended Delegation of eight connectivity startups which marked their presence at this international venue, traveled to Barcelona from February 26th to 29th to present their solutions at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry and the ideal place to connect with technology leaders and investors. Over four days, the ten entrepreneurs set up booths at the 4YFN exhibition — the central startup event within the MWC — celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. This year’s Venture Leaders Mobile program is supported by Huawei, Swisscom, and VISCHER.



4YFN stands for "4 Years From Now" and has developed into the fastest-growing startup fair series in the world. We have been presenting the Swiss Mobile National Team there since 2019 and take the fair's name literally: Venturelab continues indeed its extraordinary growth on-site and this year presented 18 exhibiting startups.

After kicking off the 20-year jubilee of Venturelab on Sunday with the fifth annual Sailing Trophy at the Real Club Nautico, the entrepreneurs were all set to start their connectivity adventure. A venue of 400,000 m2 with over 61,000 attendants served as a backdrop for our Venture Leaders to lay the ground for international expansion. The entire central hall 8 was exclusively reserved for the 4YFN fair with startups, proving the crucial importance of startups to the thriving mobile technology industry. A packed agenda launched the week, with the eight-startup Delegation pitching on Monday, welcoming attendees, preparing demos, and engaging with new contacts.
 

We are at 4YFN/ Mobile World Congress with #VLeadersMobile and Startup Delegation, immersing ourselves in one of the world's premier gatherings for global connectivity! Join us and our startups at Hall 8.1 D30. And 8.1 D20/D21#SwissStartups #MWC24 #4YFN24 #SwissTech pic.twitter.com/tlUJOprchB

— Venturelab (@venturelab_ch) February 26, 2024

The second day at 4YFN started at best with a Swisscom Ventures inspiring breakfast with Bitmovin, a category leader in video streaming, followed by a "Ask your Lawyer" session, organized by VISCHER. The visit at the booths of the Swiss ambassador in Spain, Hanspeter Mock Bosques, and the consul Othmar Hardegger, was no exception. Our startups were honoured to present them incredible technologies they are bringing to the mobile industry. We concluded the day with an inspiring visit to Alinghi — winner of the America's Cup 20 years ago and now participant in the upcoming 37th edition. The visit was followed by the Swiss Tech Night, organized by Swiss Business Hub Spain — the representative of Switzerland Global Enterprise — during which the entrepreneurs had the chance to develop new collaborations within Swiss and international tech communities.




Wednesday started with an insightful visit to the Huawei booth, where Manuel Küffer, Senior Manager of Media & Public Affairs at Huawei, gave us a glimpse of 5.5G, which will enter commercial use in 2024. The afternoon was all about the long-awaited International Mobile Pitchfest, backed by support from Red.es and ICEX, which saw our Venture Leaders Mobile competing with Spanish startups. It was a tight challenge but the jury came to a verdict: The final winners were split among the Swiss and Spanish startups, namely the Venture Leaders Ancora.ai, onocoy, and Rapidata, and the Spanish STAR ROBOTICS and Tennders.



The day ended with a meaningful Swisscom Ventures cocktail to connect with investors, partners, and corporates.


 

Discover outstanding Swiss and Spanish startups at the Online International Mobile Pitchfest 2024!
Join the 4th edition of the International Pitchfest with outstanding Swiss & Spanish startups on Wednesday, Feb 28th online. https://t.co/8o81Qr4tXU#SwissTech #VLeadersMobile pic.twitter.com/1lGuq7Rmn9

— Venturelab (@venturelab_ch) February 27, 2024

The 4YFN 2024 Green Tech Pitch Battle had two Swiss winners: The Venture Leader Technology 2024 Zoundream and one startup from the extended Delegation, Canopé. On the final day of the MWC, the focus shifted to individual meetings with industry experts and investors. With a final farewell sailing trip alongside their newfound connections, the startups set sail for home, crawling with new knowledge, connections, and the promise of future success.

Venturelab thanks all participants and supporters. This year’s Venture Leaders Mobile program is supported by Huawei, Swisscom, and VISCHER. We keep promoting Swiss startups to the global stage thanks to the support of swisstech and Presence Switzerland. For more information and updates on the Venture Leaders Mobile, follow the Venture Leaders Mobile team with #VleadersMobile on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.