Between January and April, at GCO Ventures we took part in four major forums for discussing innovation, business and technology. From digital health to eBusiness, and from the startup ecosystem to artificial intelligence and applied research, they all pointed to a common conclusion: scaling innovation takes more than identifying opportunities. It requires understanding where adoption barriers lie, staying focused when the temptation to diversify appears, using technology with purpose, and building ecosystems where connections do not depend on chance.
Health: many solutions, too many barriers to adoption
The first session of the Tech Barcelona Health Working Group, held on 28 January 2026, brought together professionals from the healthcare sector to identify the structural challenges that will shape its evolution.
For us, the diagnosis was clear: the problem is not a lack of innovation. On the contrary, the system receives a high volume of valuable proposals from startups, universities and research centres. The difficulty comes later, when those solutions need to land in a highly regulated environment, with strained budgets and complex adoption processes.
In healthcare, innovation is not enough. Real models are needed to support the effective transfer of innovative solutions into clinical practice.
eBusiness: growing with focus, building loyalty around the real customer
On 4 February 2026, GCO Ventures took part in the first session of the Tech Barcelona eBusiness Working Group. The goal was to compare how companies with very different realities approach their day-to-day operations and their main business challenges.
The most relevant takeaway was direct: expansion and diversification only make sense if they do not compromise a core product with demonstrated product-market fit. The session also highlighted the role of brand as a strategic asset, especially in sectors where there are limitations on how companies can reach customers, or cultural barriers that shape adoption. In these contexts, building trust, adapting language and finding creative ways to connect with the audience is not just a matter of positioning: it is an essential part of the ability to grow.
The second session, held on 7 April 2026, focused on loyalty strategies at scale. Through the case of IAG and the Avios platform, the discussion explored the complexity of designing loyalty programmes across multiple brands and markets.
The main learning was that loyalty programmes only work when they are aligned with the real customer driving the business today, rather than with inherited definitions. More than designing a closed structure of benefits, the challenge is to build a relationship that can evolve with the customer’s motivation.
4YFN: AI moves from the narrative into day-to-day operations
4YFN 2026, held from 2 to 5 March in Barcelona, confirmed a new stage in the startup ecosystem: artificial intelligence has moved beyond an aspirational concept to become a tool embedded in companies’ day-to-day operations.
This year’s edition had a clearly practical focus, with solutions aimed at improving efficiency in sectors such as finance, healthcare and ClimateTech. The real differentiator is no longer simply having AI, but being able to scale it through solid business models. The question is no longer whether to implement it. It is how to do so effectively and sustainably.
MIT Media Lab: technology to expand, not replace, human capability
At the end of April, we attended the MIT Media Lab Spring Member Event 2026 in Boston, under the theme Raised by AI + Challenging Algorithms. The visit gave us a closer look at some of the spaces that explain the strength of Boston’s innovation ecosystem, including MassRobotics, LabCentral and Venture Café Cambridge, while also allowing us to connect with academic, entrepreneurial and investment profiles.
The most powerful takeaway was not only technological. The event focused on how to develop more human-centred artificial intelligence: technology that does not replace people, but enhances them; and that, after we use it, makes us more capable rather than more dependent.
The demos, open labs and conversations with MIT Media Lab researchers reinforced an idea that is also highly relevant for our own ecosystem: innovation emerges when talent, research, capital and ambition meet on a regular basis. In Spain, we have many high-quality pieces. The challenge is to build a better board that connects them.
May brings together four events that, from different angles, address the same debate that has run through the past few months: how to move from technological validation to real and sustainable implementation. The entrepreneurial ecosystem, digital health and industrial IoT converge in an agenda with more internal coherence than it may seem at first glance.
The Way Startup Summit 2026 — 6-8 May, Vigo (Pontevedra)
Hybrid event, Palacio de la Oliva, Vigo. 15th edition. More than 100 speakers, over 100 investors and 2,400 expected attendees. It includes a stop of SeedRocket’s 9th Venture on the Road, aimed at Seed-stage startups.
Province: Pontevedra.
Category: Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Sources: The Way Startup Summit | Plataforma ONE
IoT Solutions World Congress — 13-15 May, Barcelona
In-person event, Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via. A congress focused on industrial IoT and artificial intelligence, with tracks on connectivity, smart cities, advanced manufacturing and applied AI. GCO Ventures has attended previous editions.
Province: Barcelona.
Category: Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Sources: IoT Solutions World Congress | MultiTech
Health Revolution Congress — 27-28 May, Barcelona
In-person event, Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, Barcelona. 4th edition. More than 2,500 attendees from over 50 countries. The event includes an Open Innovation Challenge connecting startups and corporations. GCO Ventures has attended previous editions.
Province: Barcelona.
Category: Digital Health.
Sources: Health Revolution Congress | HealthManagement.org
Nosday — 29 May, Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña)
In-person event, Hotel Monumento San Francisco, Santiago de Compostela. A day of networking and talks for the Galician startup ecosystem, with more than 1,000 attendees in previous editions.
Province: A Coruña.
Category: Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Sources: Nosday 2026 en Eventbrite