4YFN 2026

4YFN is the startup ecosystem and investor community event held as part of Mobile World Congress. Its 2026 edition took place from 2 to 5 March at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of MWC in the city. The event brought together more than 1,000 companies from over 100 countries, with investors managing a combined 70 billion euros in funds. 

The central theme of this edition was Infinite AI, a concept that shifted the conversation away from the future potential of artificial intelligence and towards its present usefulness and ability to generate real value. The programme was structured around ten tracks: Creativity, ClimateTech, Corporate Innovation, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Founders, Gaming, Health Tech, Investors and University & Spin-offs. 

GCO Ventures attended with a broad representation of its team, covering the event from different angles: the main agenda, investment sessions, and meeting spaces with founders and fund managers. 

At events of this scale, value does not only come from the formal programme, but also from the exchanges that happen away from the stage. It was precisely through this combination of talks and conversations that a clear signal emerged: the startup ecosystem is beginning to look at AI with less fascination and more discipline. 

The question is no longer who “uses AI”, but who can turn it into real efficiency, scalability and sustainable business advantage. This is a healthy transition. It separates hype from execution and brings greater attention to startups that combine technology, market judgement and business models built to endure, not just to generate headlines. The shift is not only rhetorical: it is also visible in which projects attract investor attention and which ones fall out of focus. 

The main prize, worth 20,000 euros, went to Biorce, an AI platform applied to clinical trials. Beyond the winning company, the broader pattern across the different categories was clear: concrete solutions, real problems and value propositions that could be understood without lengthy explanations. 

For GCO Ventures, that is exactly the right standard. Not technological sophistication for its own sake, but the ability to translate it into verifiable outcomes for a specific market. This is the same logic we apply across both sides of our activity: investment and venture building.